You ever have that one movie that you're surprised didn't succeed as you would have expected? Like, all the signs were there, but it just didn't happen? There's a bunch to consider but for me the most shocking one is The Rocketeer. The comic book superhero that should have had everything but suffered from a failure to launch. It's been a long time since I've watched this movie and I remember really liking it. So, with this blog being a good excuse, I'm ready to rewatch it. And what are my thoughts after over a decade? Honestly, still pretty positive. But let's talk about why I still enjoy The Rocketeer.
1989 was a big year for movies, due mainly in part to Batman. The Tim Burton adaptation was a box office megahit unlike anything seen before at that time. Before the now more saturated Superhero genre of today, Batman was in a league of its own, proving that a movie based on what was mainly still a comic book character could still make bank. In that same summer, Joe Johnston, a visual designer and producer, made his debut in the directing chair for the Rick Moranis vehicle Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. A movie that, while not able to topple the giant that was the Batman, proved itself a box office success, becoming Disney's most profitable live action film for years. And a lot of that came from Johnston's directing prowess.
Decades before acquiring Marvel, Disney was looking for their Batman. Their big comic IP that would become their smash hit. 1990's Dick Tracy was an attempt to adapt a classic comic book to the big screen, but despite the heavy marketing plan, the movie underwhelmed at the box office. So second time's the charm. And one year later, they attempted it again, this time with a fresher IP. The Rocketeer was a comic book created by Dave Stevens in 1982 as an homage to classic superheroes of the 1930s and 1940s. The story of pilot Cliff Secord who finds an experimental rocket pack and with it becomes the heroic Rocketeer. After years of trying to shop a movie adaptation in an era where it was still considered a massive gamble to make a superhero film, Disney eventually bought in, seeing the character as easy to market to kids. And thus any more edgy material from the story was gutted to fit a younger demo. Stevens once saying that all Disney really wanted was the name and not so much what came within it. In other words, Disney gonna Disney.
In 1938 California, stunt pilot Cliff Secord becomes a victim of circumstance when, after a gangster leaves an experimental rocket pack stolen from Howard Hughes in one of his planes, Cliff uses the rocket pack to become the mysterious Rocketeer, saving his friend during a stunt show. However, it soon turns out that there's more going on with this rocket pack as the mafia run by gangster Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) are working for dashing actor Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton), who charms Cliff's actress girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connolly) in an attempt to recover the rocket pack, because this would-be Errol Flynn is actually a Nazi agent trying to steal the rocket pack to aid in the Nazis plan for rocket men to take over the United States. It's up to Cliff to save Jenny, stop Neville and essentially save America in the process.
The movie is your basic adventure movie affair, holding true to that homage to the 1930s. Especially in its aesthetic. I don't know what it is, but 1930s Hollywood is one of my favorite aesthetics. Just old timey enough to entertain me. There's also the Bulldog Cafe, a notable location in the film that is just a restaurant with its front shaped like a giant bulldog. Both charming and low-key nightmare fuel at the same time. But the very nature of the story and characters do feel like something inspired from the old serials while somehow also feeling very dated to the era. Mainly in its effects but I'll get to that shortly. The action is also solid with the standouts being Cliff saving Malcolm during the air show and the big climax which features the FBI and mafia in a firefight with the Nazis. The concept that both sides of the coin have one thing in common and that being American pride comes off hokey, but in this case it works for a great part to a great final act.
The cast is also what makes this movie. It's interesting that of all the people chosen, relative unknown Billy Campbell would be the pick for Cliff. Campbell's most notable role to that point was on Dynasty and here he is as the lead. A role that, like others have said, could have made more sense for a Billy Zane or, if made a little later, a Brendan Fraser. But Campbell still does the job well, giving off the everyman feel that is needed for someone like Cliff Secord. The charming hero that you want to see succeed and get the girl in the end. Jennifer Connolly is also solid as Jenny. Alan Arkin as Peavy is great, as is Paul Sorvino as Eddie Valentine. But the show stealer is Timothy Dalton as Neville Sinclair. A play on Errol Flynn in terms of his character. Knowing how to be charming while also a devious villain. In that "I like him but I also don't feel super comfortable with admiring a Nazi" sort of way, so I'd say that helps. Terry O'Quinn also does a solid job as Howard Hughes and it's a shame there's not enough of it in the film.
And then there's Lothar. I love me some Lothar. Neville's number one guy, he's an imposing giant monster whose calling card is literally folding someone in half. Seemingly indestructible (Save for an exploding zeppelin) and freaky to boot with Rick Baker's makeup work being spectacular. He feels both inhuman, like a Nazi Frankenstein's monster who moonlights as a Dick Tracy villain, while never feeling too over the top. While I'm talking practical effects, I love the design of the Rocketeer costume. The pilot garb and the helmet complete with a navigation fin are just cool to look at. It's part of why I wanted to talk about this movie because it's one of my favorite character designs ever. And we get just enough of the costume in the movie to make it as memorable as it is. Great stuff.
Then there's the effects and, for the most part, I don't think they've aged perfectly. They're fun to watch and exciting, but the weird glow around the Rocketeer and the feeling of him not being in the same scene feels really prevalent. Fitting this is a Joe Johnston movie as I think it reminds me of the same issues I feel the bee scene from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids doesn't hold up as well. Neat on a high speed level, but the weakest points of the look of the film. But I can never say they ever took me out of the movie, so there's that as well. As for the plot, there are holes to it. The obvious one is how can anyone use the rocket pack without catching on fire. Unless the clothing Cliff wears is flame retardant, even that would be a stretch. The movie does at least give reason as to why the pack won't overheat as its dual chambers help it flow better. There's also the question of exactly how a more vulnerable soldier on a rocket pack would be more effective than an airplane. Yes, it's faster, but still imperfect. But if my only real gripes are stretches, I guess that means I had less issues than usual.
Unfortunately, even with the media hype, The Rocketeer bombed, barely making 46 million off a 40 million dollar budget. And as such, it grounded Rocketeer from any more media afterwards. That is until 2019 oddly, when of all places, Disney Junior, made a new CG Rocketeer show aimed at preschoolers. Seven year old Kit Secord is given the Rocketeer backpack and becomes a superhero. It even features Billy Campbell. Of course, like anything nowadays, it got skewered for all of the dumb reasons you'd guess. It being a kids cartoon, it having a female protagonist, this being how they use the Rocketeer license all these years later. The same tired headache of an argument for anything nowadays that feels like it holds less water the more and more this happens. And the Rocketeer comics have continued on with new stories every now and then, including one in the works that ties to the 1991 movie, so that's pretty neat. And there is a planned reboot for Disney+ that is closer to the official source, so that's also neat.
So, I like The Rocketeer still. Is it a perfect movie? Oh definitely not. Has it shown its age? Definitely. But I still feel it's the epitome of a perfect time killer movie. One that flows just well enough in its 100+ minute runtime and never feels like it slows down to a crawl. So my ranking lands on a three and a half for me as some of the notable issues in it do hold it back while I also still find this to be an enjoyable film. As a tribute to the classic era serial hero stories, it does what it sets out to do and does everything well. Can't really ask for too much more than that.
RATING: ***1/2
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