This film's a bit of a hard sell to general audiences. There have been more than a few knowing homages to serials (the Indiana Jones series being the most obvious), but this isn't really one of those. Rather than making a modern film that references old films, this is pretty much a serial with a $40 million budget and (at the time) modern effects. It's deliberately old fashioned and will work for you to the extent that you enjoy action stuff from simpler times. I do ... so I enjoy this.

Having discovered a top secret jetpack (like that used by James Bond in 'Thunderball'), it is up to a pilot to keep the device away from the clutches of Nazi spies in this action comedy set in Hollywood during the late 1930s. The jetpack is ultimately little more than a Hitchcockian McGuffin with rocketeering aerial theatrics surprisingly minimal, however, the film works magnificently thanks to its accurate portrait of the era in question. The movie provides a fascinating backstage insight into the filming of an Errol Flynn type swashbuckler and Timothy Dalton is excellent playing a Hollywood star based on Flynn himself. There are also fun brief turns by Terry O'Quinn as Howard Hughes, Bob Leeman as W.C. Fields and Gene Daily as Clark Gable in a blink-and-miss-it performance. The film is genuinely funny at times too; "you steer, I'll push" shouts lead actor Bill Campbell before making a stalling truck speed away, while Dalton's adamant claim "I do my own stunts" is a fun reference to his recently completed stint as Bond. It is no surprise though to learn that the film is quite divisive. With thugs who are more goofy than menacing and an awfully sweet central romance, the film well earns its 'family entertainment' rating, however, the historical nature of the story with plugs to old Hollywood actually makes the film more suitable to adults. Whatever the case, it is likely that all sorts of viewers will at least take something out of 'The Rocketeer'. The flag-waving patriotism is admittedly hard to swallow at times, but beyond this an amusing film awaits.

Despite being produced by Walt Disney Pictures, this is not really a movie for kids. It is actually quite violent for a Disney movie and primarily aimed at a male audience. Presumably, the Disney tag was one of the reasons why the movie failed to become a box office success back in 1991 as people mistook it for a kids' movie.'The Rocketeer' is far from that! In fact, it is a very entertaining and fun adventure movie reminiscent of the Indiana Jones trilogy with its Nazi themes, the television spin off 'The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones'—in which this movie's director, Joe Johnston, was involved, too—and also of the old James Bond movies from the 1960s and 1970s with their exaggeratedly quirky villains. Coincidentally or maybe intentionally, the movie's main villain is portrayed by Timothy Dalton, who took on the role of James Bond two times and is excellent here as the charming but fanatical antagonist.While the screenplay could have been better, the great actors and especially the fantastic, action-packed and visually striking finale make up for what the plot is lacking in direction. Joe Johnston is a capable director with a distinct style that is present in virtually all of the movies he has directed, including 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (2011), which is similar to this movie in a number of aspects.The cast of 'The Rocketeer' is simply superb and includes a number of very fine character actors and some big names, too. I mean, look at that excellent cast list: Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, Terry O'Quinn, Jon Polito, Ed Lauter, William Sanderson, Margo Martindale... These actors have been in like every movie ever made! Billy Campbell is decent in the lead role, even though he is not the greatest actor around, but he carries this movie quite well. It makes you wonder why his film career never really took off afterward. He is familiar of course, mostly from television, but he is not a big name. The beautiful and classy Jennifer Connelly is the icing on the cake of the cast. She is a very good actress and an absolute delight to watch. What a mighty fine lady!

In addition to this very intelligent question, i can write some more lines… The story is interesting, the production is awesome, the score is symphonic, the action sequences are thrilling, there is a bunch of great performances (Jenny, 007, Sorvino,…) and at the end, i felt bored however ! I can't exactly pinpoint what's wrong but here some ideas : first, it's totally serious and it's unexpected from a Californian super-hero ! It happens in the 30s so it's a bit faraway for a modern geek ! Then, the lead actor is maybe not the best choice… So i don't have great fun with it and the definitive fact is that i don't read the comics either !