Internet reviewer James Berardinelli commented that ""The Rocketeer" may not be perfect, but it's an excellent example of how to adapt a comic book to the screen". Janet Maslin from "The New York Times" gave a mixed review. She called "The Rocketeer" "a benign adventure saga that has attractive stars, elaborate gimmicks and nice production values—everything it needs except a personality of its own". Maslin believed that by setting the story in 1938, the filmmakers were more interested in the Art Deco production design and visual effects instead of imbuing the storyline with "inspiration, which may be why it finally feels flat". Hal Hinson, writing in "The Washington Post", felt the film was too concerned with family-friendliness. Jonathan Rosenbaum of "Chicago Reader" believed both the editing and the storyline were not well balanced and felt "The Rocketeer" ripped-off elements of "Indiana Jones" and "Back to the Future". Rosenbaum also cited the casting decision of character actors as being too practical. "The whole thing is good-natured enough", he explained, "but increasingly mechanical".