For his second directorial effort, Joe Johnston takes on The Rocketeer, a 1991 action-adventure film from Walt Disney Pictures. Johnston's first director's stint, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, was a box-office hit in 1989.
Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) is a stunt pilot who accidentally discovers a rocket pack that gives him the ability to fly. Supposedly designed and bankrolled by legendary billionaire recluse Howard Hughes, the rocket pack becomes the target of several different organizations, including Nazi German agents. Secord (albeit reluctantly) utilizes the highly sought-after rocket pack to fight crime, while simultaneously avoiding his pursuers. When the evildoers kidnap his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), Secord's task becomes even more complicated.
Filmed to resemble the classic 1930s-style Hollywood adventure films, The Rocketeer succeeds in "looking" the part, but inconsistency and occasional sensationalism in the storyline fall a bit short to accomplish true "homage."
Besides Campbell and Connelly, cast members include Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin and Paul Sorvino.
