The Rocketeer

After getting his start as a visual effects artist on the original Star Wars trilogy, Spielberg protege Joe Johnston found success as a director with his debut film, the blockbuster family adventure Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. For his sophomore outing, Johnston helmed this action-adventurer, set in ...more

Like George Lucas, who later hired him to work on the Young Indiana Jones series, director Joe Johnson clearly loves the old Saturday morning serials, and also like Lucas, he prefers to avoid the campy tone with which such films are now made. The film tells the story of a young test pilot (Bill Campbell) who must fight to keep a rocket-powered backpack which allows human flight out of the hands of a Nazi spy (Timothy Dalton). Although it keeps the innocent spirit of the early serials, the film ...more