Great movie with a jet pack. Yes please.

One of my favourite heroes in childhood

This is totally ludicrous, but loads of fun. I understand all the other German-speakers except for [spoiler]Timothy Dalton.[/spoiler]

Very much enjoyable, this. 'The Rocketeer' exceeded my expectations in truth, I wasn't expecting much given the opening few minutes. However, thankfully, it ends up producing an entertaining 108 minutes. Cool superhero, great score and a likeable cast list. The premise is properly bonkers, especially towards the end, but they make it work and deserve credit for doing so. There are numerous recognisable faces onscreen, all of the main talent give good performances. Billy Campbell plays the lead role, Cliff. I've (relatively) recently become aware of him via television's 'Cardinal' - which is outstanding btw, check it out if you can - and loved him in that, he's also very good in this. Jennifer Connelly (Jenny) and Alan Arkin (Peabody) are also involved, as are Paul Sorvino (Eddie) and Timothy Dalton (Neville). I enjoyed Dalton, he portrays his role very well. The pacing is solid, thanks also to the noteworthy action and James Horner's score. All in all, this is a film I would definitely recommend; it's certainly nearer the top than the bottom of Disney's live-action offerings up until 1991.

Cheery family-friendly adventures in the same vein as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Set during the waning years of the great depression, it's a snapshot of a very specific period when America was beginning to pick itself up by the bootstraps, the atomic age was looming and not even the sky was the limit. At heart it's a silly, grinning action gimmick that's backed by a tried-and-true storyline and a stylish, art-deco-meets-dusty-barnstormer sense of fashion. Although the plot is inherently cheesy and predictable, it's straight-laced and innocent enough, a clear homage to '30s adventure serials, that I was willing to let most of those shortcomings slide. The special effects haven't aged well at all, though, with several obvious green screens and a few rough, quick cuts sticking out in all the wrong ways. Timothy Dalton is disappointing as the pencil-stached villainous saboteur, but Jennifer Connelly and leading man Bill Campbell fully commit to the premise, picking up the slack adequately. Inoffensive and silly, it's as good as it was ever going to be; a wild kids' ride that the parents won't mind tagging along for.