Biggles
Biggles
PG | 29 January 1988 (USA)
Biggles Trailers

Unassuming catering salesmen Jim Ferguson falls through a time hole to 1917 where he saves the life of dashing Royal Flying Corps pilot James "Biggles" Bigglesworth after his photo recon mission is shot down. Before he can work out what has happened, Jim is zapped back to the 1980s......

Reviews
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
ma-cortes Attractive and fun movie about time travels with frantic action, thrills , humor and spectacular scenes. A bold idea decently adapted in its execution but with a lousy musical score . It deals with a young businessman: Alex Hyde-White from present-day NYC is suddenly transferred into 1917 WWI .There he takes the identity of a spy and befriends a 1917 WWI flying ace : the husky Neal Dickson who has a genteel streak that conceals the viciousness required in war . The posh executive lnexplicably finds himself aboard a fighter plane over Europe.This is an amusing film with emotion, breathtaking scenes, dogfighting , wooden but likeable interpretation and a lot of twists and turns . The much-loved WWI heroics of Biggles , the pilot from Captain WE Johns series of books are updated to 1986 Manhattan via a time travel gimmick, being prior adapted in a long TV series .Time-travel fantasy in which an ingenious executive is transported to Europe WWI and suffering several adventures , risks and dangers. The time-travelling American young is played by the sympathetic Alex Hyde White as a naive executive and his buddy is Neal Dickson as Biggles who is the best thing in a passable film that hardly plays fair with buffs of the original . Support cast is frankly well such as Fiona Hutchinson, Marcus Gilbert , William Hootkins and special mention for the great Peter Cushing in his last acting , playing an important secret agent whose headquarter is in the Tower Bridge .The big drawback is the horrible soundtrack by Stanislas composed by synthesizer , it ruins the film. It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography .The motion pictures was professionally directed by John Hough including some flaws and gaps. Hough is a fine craftsman who has a long, uneven and eclectic career directing all kinds of genres . As he made terror movies: Hell's gate, Howling 4, American Gothic, Incubus , Legend of Hell house, Twins of evil ; Adventures: Treasure island, Escape to Witch Mountain, Return from Witch Mountain, Black arrow , The watcher in the woods, Dirty Mary crazy Larry ; Romantic drama: Duel of hearts , The lady and the highwayman, The dying truth ; Western : Triumphs of a man called Horse; Suspense: Eye witness and WWII : Brass target.
Scaramouche2004 Biggles is a crazy mish mash of a movie which tries to incorporate so many of the myriad of genres that graced our screen during the 1980's.Resurrecting a character like Biggles from the ripping yarns era of early 20th century British literature, was a daring move for any movie production, especially as that particular vogue had not been popular in the mainstream for over 50 years.Knowing this they then tried to make it more palatable to the 1980's audience by taking the basic character and adding scenarios and plot twists, story lines and character types that had proved so popular in other big screen offerings throughout the decade.I can see the movie pitch now. First off, add an American character...to give it more of an American feel for the American market. Then add a time travel element...after all it worked a treat in the previous years Back to the Future. As for Biggles himself instead of just a World War I pilot from the RFC, why not make him into more of an adventurer like say Indiana Jones. Add a kind of monocled Bond Villain with cheesy 'I expect you die' kind of dialogue and we are bound to come up with a winner.And as crazy as it sounds they actually kind of succeeded. The film is enjoyable and is thoroughly watchable, but only if you watch with your tongue firmly in your cheek. It is an action comedy after all and it should not be taken to seriously.The fact that the great Biggles has a 1980's American time-twin and between them the pair are zapped between modern day London and the Western Front of 1917 is laughable to say the least, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable to follow their adventures through both eras as Biggles helps his American friend avoid the modern day cops or the American friend helps Biggles destroy a top secret sound weapon destined to change the outcome of the First World War.Though it must be said the film has not aged well, in fact the 80's theme, the style, the fashions, the music all seems more dated and ancient than the World War I aircraft used in the film.A Fun time is to be had here if you can take it at face value. Read more into it and you will fail to see the harmless fun intended and this film might just leave a sour taste in your mouth.
dsparrow-1 I first saw this movie back in the day. I liked it then, and now twenty years later I like it just as much. It's the boys own style adventure that gets me, it is so fun to watch, it is funny, fish out of water stuff. The music is catchy as well. I don't think this film got the recognition it deserved at the time.And I believe that if it was to be remade now, you'd be able to have something with a better budget, effects, story etc. Then maybe this film might get the sequels it so sorely wants. I would have to say give this film a try if you can, it's around on budget DVD at the moment online. Definitely feel good stuff.
R_O_U_S No-one could have put money on this working. And, of course, in many ways, it doesn't. If I saw it for the first time now, I might hate it. However, I watched it endlessly as a child. An American in the 1980s finds himself shunted back in time to World War II and meets the famous Biggles. The time zones are linked by Biggles' commanding officer, now an old man, and the very 80s Jim finds himself part of a plan to prevent the Germans developing a new weapon. It's cheesy trash. I absolutely love it.