 The film received mixed or average reviews from critics . Based on 57 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes , 61 % of the critics enjoyed The Rocketeer with an average score of 5 @.@ 9 / 10 . Roger Ebert enjoyed the film , noting its homages to the film serials of the 1930s – 1950s . Although Ebert cited the visual effects as being state of the art , he described them " as charmingly direct as those rockets in the Flash Gordon serials — the ones with sparklers hidden inside of them , which were pulled on wires in front of papier @-@ mâché mountains . " Leonard Maltin wrote that the " film captures the look of the ' 30s , as well as the gee @-@ whiz innocence of Saturday matinée serials , but it 's talky and takes too much time to get where it 's going . Dalton has fun as a villain patterned after Errol Flynn . " Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine also gave a positive review . " The Rocketeer is more than one of the best films of the summer ; it 's the kind of movie magic that we don 't see much anymore " , he continued , " the kind that charms us , rather than bullying us , into suspending disbelief . " 
