The Rocketeer (1991)

Simply Perfect

Powerful

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The Rocketeer is one of my favorite live-action Disney movies. What boy DOESN'T want to imagine himself with a rocket pack strapped to his back? This movie is well-cast and well-executed. It has the look and feel of a serial from the 30s or 40s. If you haven't seen this movie in a while, you should give it another shot, you'll enjoy the ride.

THE ROCKETEER is a fun, lightly-plotted throwback to the old-fashioned serials of the 1930s, featuring a hero fighting against a Nazi plot via his jet pack and plenty of two-fisted action. It sounds like fun and it is, at least to a degree; it's also a light, insubstantial, wishy-washy piece of Hollywood filmmaking that comes across as a sub-par Indiana Jones.Certainly there's little of substance here if you're looking for proper characters or plotting. The Nazis are bad, the heroes are good, and a series of outlandish fight scenes, betrayals, and criminal plots fill up the running time. Joe Johnston does almost exactly the same job as director as he did with HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, creating an effects-heavy adventure in which he's more focused on stylistics and visuals than he is on real 'meat'.Inevitably comparisons can be made to the modern-day superhero likes of IRON-MAN, although inevitably the special effects of THE ROCKETEER aren't so great, although they're still pretty good for their era. I was surprised, actually, at how little in-flight action there is; 90% of the story takes place on the ground as various factions fight for possession of some super technology. The movie suffers a fair bit from Bill Campbell's ultra-bland lead - bad guy Timothy Dalton would have been much better - although there's fun to be had from the Rondo Hatton tribute and a still-gorgeous Jennifer Connelly as the love interest.

Typical Disney Fluff. If you are a Disney Fan - go for it. I - however - would much rather watch King of the Rocket Men (1949) - because despite all of these years I still find it enjoyable. Special Effects - Nazi Zeppelins and Exploding Rocket Packs - don't always make for a superior movie. The plot was not too technical - because - I suspect that if one were to use one's head as a rudder - (rudder built into helmet) - while zooming along at 100 miles an hour - one would snap one's head off. But - it is what it is and probably would be a nice film for kids. The acting was understandably restrained with the actors holding back - probably due to its PG-13 rating. A nice family film - but - give King of the Rocket Men a try some rainy Saturday Afternoon.

PlotThis is the story of how Cliff, a pilot, because the hero known as the Rocketeer. The film starts off with Cliff test flying a new plane that he is going to enter in a national race. Do to no fault of his own the plane crash lands and is lost beyond repair destroying the fuel truck of the local business man. In order to pay for this debt Cliff agrees to fly another plane in the air show that this business man runs. When Cliff inspects this plane he finds a rocket pack in one of its seats. With the help of his friend Peevy (Alan Arkin) he learns to use this rocket pack to save someone's life. Meanwhile two different fractions are searching for this rocket pack. One group is the FBI and the other group is a bunch of mobsters that were hired by Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton), a Hollywood actor.Character DevelopmentCliff (Bill Campbell) learns what it takes to become a hero, but he doesn't have to do any soul searching to do it. He doesn't have to sacrifice anything or face any real trials and in the end he is pretty much the same guy he was at the start of the film. Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) does make a more noticeable change. She had stardust in her eyes at the beginning of the story, but by its conclusion she had a different perspective on Hollywood.ActingThe acting was really brilliant in this film. All the players reach high marks all the way down to the bottom of the cast. I particularly enjoyed Bob Leeman's role of W.C. Fields. The acting is on the pinnacle of any current comic book hero movie that you may choose to see, with all the black and white bad guys and heroics and colorful characters you can ask for. There are mobsters with hearts of gold, greedy nickel nursing business men, historical figures, intrepid FBI agents, and a bunch of cartoon Nazis to shot at. This is art mirroring art; Hollywood's looking back onto itself circa 1940.OverviewThis picture could have been made into a sequel. It had all the right ingredients and there was even a seed at the end that hinted that this could be a possibility. Yet I believe the talk was that this picture went over budget and the studio didn't get a good return on their investment so a sequel wasn't in the cards. Still there should have been one. This was movie magic. It had the feel of no other comic book hero movie. Like Batman the Rocketeer didn't have any super natural powers. He could fly, but only because he was wearing a rocket pack, only this was not like any recent Batman film. There was a certain ease and finesse here that didn't go overboard in the telling of it. I don't think the creators of the Rocketeer would have Batman speaking almost unintelligible or have him destroying squad cars and rooftops.