Alex Hyde-White is a New York executive for a catering/fast food company. He's dealing with the usual idiots when he suddenly finds himself on the Front in the First World War, fighting alongside W. E. Johns' Biggles and his compatriots against the evil Marcus Gilbert. Suddenly, he's back in the modern era, with only ancient Air Marshall Peter Cushing (in his last screen role) to explain what's going on, which he proceeds not to. It's time travel, he's going back to help Biggles, and there's a secret weapon that can help the Germans win the war. Be a good chap and help out.
It goes on for a while like that, with Hyde-White heading back and forth, often in embarrassing costumes, when Biggles would find him most useful. Biggles comes forward to the present day to rescue Hyde-White by getting into a helicopter and flying it back to World War I. He explains that anyone who can fly a Sopwith can fly anything. There's also the best explanation of time travel I've ever encountered: Cushing explains that it happens more often than you'd think and then stops. Like much of British military engineering, it does what it's supposed to do, even when it makes no sense at all (*).
The problem with this movie is it's never clear who the audience is supposed to be. Fans of the Biggles books who first read them in the 1930s? Fans of Indiana Jones, which early scripts were based on? Fans of Back To The Future, which the writers used after that movie became a big hit?
(*) See entry under BANGALORE TORPEDO.
It goes on for a while like that, with Hyde-White heading back and forth, often in embarrassing costumes, when Biggles would find him most useful. Biggles comes forward to the present day to rescue Hyde-White by getting into a helicopter and flying it back to World War I. He explains that anyone who can fly a Sopwith can fly anything. There's also the best explanation of time travel I've ever encountered: Cushing explains that it happens more often than you'd think and then stops. Like much of British military engineering, it does what it's supposed to do, even when it makes no sense at all (*).
The problem with this movie is it's never clear who the audience is supposed to be. Fans of the Biggles books who first read them in the 1930s? Fans of Indiana Jones, which early scripts were based on? Fans of Back To The Future, which the writers used after that movie became a big hit?
(*) See entry under BANGALORE TORPEDO.