Captain America?
I remember seeing this film back when I was only 14 years old and was amazed by it. I loved the classic 1940's/50's view of the future style. And now that I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate a lot more aspects of this film. I think what people don't get about this film is that fact that it intentionally was poking fun at a lot of the far-fetched over the top future visions present during the film. I got it, but it's quite obvious not everyone did. In no way was this film trying to be serious, it was trying to be fun and shed some light on an older side of Hollywood that's rarely seen. It's just unfortunate to see it received so poorly by critics and movie goers.
Sorry to rant on, my main point however is how this film is almost virtually identical to "Captain America: The First Avenger" in so many ways. The cinematic styling throughout the film, the sort of steam-punk weapons and devices, etc. They're similar in so many ways. But of course Captain America was so well received because well....it's Captain America. An icon to the Marvel franchise and a staple in American History. The film is very good, but Marvel has had a lot of success with recent films and I think the public craze over their films in recent years is what kept the public interested in this film overall.
I guess my point is this, when you take something that has already had a backing elsewhere, be it in a comic book series, TV series, book series. It already has a mass following with this public, and while it is under more scrutiny in terms of accuracy in how the story is told. It's almost a given people will enjoy it and pay to see it regardless. It's just sad to see films like Sky Captain, The Rocketeer, etc. get overlooked because people don't know about them. I just know that I enjoy this movie, and there is still a solid list of people out there that know a good film when they see it, and this film is just that