Moving in vignettes from her early years when Earhart was captivated by an aircraft flying overhead on the Kansas prairie where she grew up, her life over the preceding decade gradually unfolds via flashbacks.

In 1928, Earhart is recruited by charismatic publishing tycoon and adoring business partner George Putnam to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean, albeit as a passenger.

Embarrassed that her fame was not earned, Earhart commences to set myriad aviation records, and in 1932, recreates her earlier transatlantic flight, becoming the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Earhart returns to her husband as she prepares for her most momentous flight to date, to fly around the world, in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, sponsored by Purdue University, with the help of navigator Fred Noonan.

[6] Contemporary newsreel footage of Earhart was interspersed throughout the film while a combination of static, real aircraft and CGI effects was utilized for the flying sequences.

The Lockheed Vega is now in the collection of the San Diego Air & Space Museum[12] while the Fokker F. VIIB/3M tri-motor is now housed at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste.

[13] Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Bass wrote seven drafts of the script for aviation buff and Gateway founder Ted Waitt, who has funded expeditions to search for Earhart's aircraft and was prepared to finance the film himself.

The website's critical consensus reads: "Amelia takes the compelling raw materials of its subject's life and does little with them, conventionally ticking off Earhart's accomplishments without exploring the soul of the woman.

[4] Echoing the majority view, Martin Morrow's review on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation website was very critical of the film, labeling it "a dud," declaring: "Hilary Swank may look the spitting image of Earhart in those vintage newsreels, but her performance is more insipid than inspiring.

"[20] Most critics decried the inconsistencies and lack of focus in the film; Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote: "The actors don't make a persuasive fit, despite all their long stares and infernal smiling.

"[21] Ric Gillespie, author of Finding Amelia, wrote: "Swank, under Nair's direction, accomplishes the amazing feat of making one of the most complex, passionate, ferociously ambitious, and successful women of the 20th century seem shallow, weepy, and rather dull.

"[14] Angie Errigo of Empire gave the film three out of five stars, stating "Swank's moving performance, the period dressing and beautiful planes all appeal, but dramatically it doesn't really soar.

"[26] A small number of positive reviews included Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter who characterized the film as an "instant bio classic," stressing the production values in which "director Nair and star Swank make her quest not only understandable but truly impressive.