[9]

Based on a graphic novel by Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer stars Bill Campbell as a young pilot in 1938 Los Angeles who comes into possession of a mysterious jetpack prototype and uses it to become a masked, flying hero. Pursued by the feds, gangsters, and even Howard Hughes (Terry O’Quinn), who all desperately want the jetpack, Campbell and his mechanic/mentor (Alan Arkin) begin to fear for their lives. When a movie star (Timothy Dalton) with Nazi ties kidnaps his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) in exchange for the prototype, he sets out to rescue her — and stop the Nazis from using the prototype to launch aerial invasions around the world.

There’s a gee-whiz ebullience about The Rocketeer that I find irresistible. Director Joe Johnson, who storyboarded many of the action sequences for the Star Wars trilogy, keeps a fast, entertaining pace and over-delivers on every aesthetic opportunity, from the period production design and costumes to James Horner’s exciting and emotional score. Bill Campbell and Jennifer Connelly may not be playing the deepest characters, but they are exceedingly attractive and charismatic. Timothy Dalton has the juiciest role, with villainous performance recalling every handlebar-mustached baddy that ever strapped a girl to rail road tracks. (His character is based loosely on Errol Flynn, who was suspected to have Nazi ties, though this was later disproven.) Alan Arkin rounds out the main cast, bringing droll humor and warmth to the role of the Rocketeer’s mechanic — a father figure of sorts.

Highlights include the Rocketeer’s rescue of a pilot during a public airshow, a confrontation at a swanky sea-themed nightclub, and a climax that starts at the famous Griffith Observatory and ends aboard an exploding zeppelin. Industrial Light and Magic’s visual effects may not always hold up to modern scrutiny, but they were cutting edge at the time. Joe Johnston must have learned an awful lot from all those years working with George Lucas, because this film feels like it’s cut from the same cloth as Star Wars or Indiana Jones. It’s exceedingly well-crafted and a great throwback to matinee serials.

With Ed Lauter, Jon Polito, Eddie Jones, William Sanderson, and Margo Martindale.