June 26, 1991 -- ``The Rocketeer'' is a film with its heart in the right place and it is a lot of fun. It is no ``Raiders of the Lost Ark,'' but that is what it is trying to be.

``Rocketeer'' is a tongue-in-cheek salute to those Republic serials of the 1950s like ``Zombies of the Strosphere,'' which, by the way, also featured a guy with a silly helmet and a rocket strapped to his back.

Newcomer Bill Campbell plays the handsome young hero and another newcomer, Jennifer Connelly, a real knockout, plays the romantic interest. Unfortunately, carrying the analogy a little farther, Campbell is no Harrison Ford and Connelly is no Karen Allen. The director, Joe Johnston, also lacks the skill of Steven Spielberg.

This film is similar to a previous effort of his, ``Honey I Shrunk the Kids,'' it is long on special effects and rather short on plot and character development. Campbell and Connelly look good, but don't really develop any romantic electricity. For all intents and purposes, the film is carried by the character actors.

Alan Arkin as Connelly's mechanical wizard sidekick is very good, but is a little understated, perhaps Johnston was holding him back. He gives the film enough comedy to take the edge off what otherwise might be a too earnest movie. Timothy Dalton gives a deliciously wicked performance as a Nazi spy. The flying sequences are very good. After a while, you forget to look for the wires. There's lots of good old-fashioned action which keeps the film rolling along, despite its flaws.

Sure, its silly, but it is fun and entertaining. On a scale of one to 10 this film rates a seven.

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