“Amelia’’ continues a long Hollywood tradition: the daring aviator movie. Over the years, there have been aviation movies galore: World War II ones (“Twelve O’Clock High,’’ “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo’’), Cold War ones (“Firefox,’’ “Top Gun’’), passenger plane ones (“The High and the Mighty,’’ “Airport’’), even comedies (yes, “Airplane!’’).

But daring aviator movies are the top-of-line model, the granddaddy of them all, the genre at its most heroic and definitive. Propellers spin, contact is made, silk scarves flap in the prop wash. Such movies can be as old as “Wings,’’ winner of the first best picture Oscar (called “best production’’ back then) or as recent as Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.’’

"High Flyers," Mark Feeney (Oct. 18, 2009)