The Rocketeer

Bill Campbell stars as a test pilot working in southern California in 1938 who discovers an experimental rocket pack that enables him to fly; Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) directed. After a promising, nicely paced, and well-edited beginning, this fantasy-adventurewhich initially suggests an action version of Tucker, complete with Howard Hughes (Terry O’Quinn)settles into the more familiar packaged goods of an Indiana Jones or Back to the Future rip-off, complete with eccentric mechanic (Alan Arkin), loyal girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), Nazi spy (Timothy Dalton playing a fanciful version of Errol Flynn), central casting hoods (Paul Sorvino, Jon Polito, and others), and an outsized blimp for a climax. The whole thing is good-natured enough, but increasingly mechanical. Screenplay by Paul De Meo and Danny Billson, based on a graphic novel by Dave Stevens. (JR)

This entry was posted in Featured Texts. Bookmark the permalink.