Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart

Although many movie critics have been unkind to “Amelia,” the biopic of American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, it still deserves to be seen if only to spark a renewed interest in her achievements and the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

Directed by Mira Nair and starring Hilary Swank (in the title role), Richard Gere, and Ewan McGregor, “Amelia” tells how the first female pilot crossed the Atlantic and how she mysteriously vanished over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island in her attempt – with navigator Fred Noonan – to circumnavigate the world in 1937.

Based largely on books “East to the Dawn” by Susan Butler and “The Sound of Wings” by Mary S. Lovell, the movie zeroes in on Earhart’s last ambitious navigational project as vignettes from key moments in her past weave in and out of the narrative.

We learn that Earhart was an alpha female who wouldn’t let booze-drinking males get in her way to accomplish a flight assignment. But she also knew how to attract worthy men like publishing icon and eventual husband George Putnam (Gere), who opened the door and kept it open for her to conquer the skies, and fellow pilot Gene Vidal (McGregor) whom she had to give up.

We discover that Earhart was encouraging of other females to follow in her footsteps and was wise about lending her celebrity to raise funds for her endeavors. She didn’t listen to her detractors because she had the biggest supporter in her husband who loved her so much that he shielded her against possible competition and even readily forgave her infidelity.

Finally, we get a plausible recreation of Earhart’s fateful last flight and its somber effect on Putnam and Vidal. But the fallen aviatrix still owned the last minutes of the movie as newsreel footage and real-life photographs served as an epilogue and a tribute to one of the most remarkable women in history.

Two remarkable women are likewise behind “Amelia.” Nair is a New York-based Indian director who captivated the world with her 1988 feature film debut, “Salaam Bombay,” while Swank is a two-time Oscar winner for best actress who’s also an executive producer of the biopic.

Both Nair and Swank are evidently committed to the movie. Nair tried to pin down Earhart’s heart and spirit while Swank succeeded in bringing to life the heroine’s looks and character.

Yet despite their best efforts, the end result lacks sparkle to truly enthrall the viewer.

Thankfully, the appetite for more on Earhart that the movie has whetted on the viewer can be satisfied by numerous reading materials on the fascinating subject matter.