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The Rocketeer (1991)

Gaith

Gaith

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Just saw this one for the first time, and rather enjoyed it despite a somewhat slow start (forty minutes before the hero uses the jetpack? Really?). The cast was good, the flying sequences were awesome and the general vibe was upbeat and fun. Jennifer Connelly may have been a bit miscast - though definitely hot, she doesn't quite have the sort of innocence Billy Campbell does; an Elizabeth Shue-type lead might have been better. And the last scene was a huge fail - the studio wanted and was planning for sequels, so how could they not end it with Campbell being called upon to use his talents for a super-secret spy mission against the Nazis in Europe?

But while it's not always terribly gripping, it is pretty tightly constructed, is all in all a fun flick that definitely deserves an upgrade from its 1999, grainy-as-heck feature-free DVD release.
 
I think this movie is soooo underrated. It's still one of my favourite comic book-based movies. Right up there with "The Dark Knight", "Spider-Man 2", "Superman 2", and "X2: X-Men United" (my personal favourite). Seriously. So sweet, innocent, funny, and impeccably cast. I loved all the characters and actors, even if they were kind of cliche. I laughed out loud (though it wasn't supposed to be funny) when Jennifer Connelly said "we have to get out of here!" in her best damsel-in-distress voice at the end. :)

People called this a 'low rent Indiana Jones', but I totally liked it more than the first two Indiana Jones movies (the third is my favourite, mostly because Sean Connery was so awesome). This is one of the few movies I would love to have on DVD that I don't have simply because I keep hearing the current DVD release sucks. I really hope it gets a nice "special edition" release someday.
 
Joe Johnson's directing the Cap America movie. The Rocketeer gives me hope it'll be awesome.

The Rocketeer was the first flick i saw in a cinema.
 
Loved it, in part because it has one of James Horner's finest scores. And yeah, I know all his scores sound the same...mostly.
 
I haven't seen this in a decade but I remember really liking it and its zany 30s fun Indy Jones tone. Actually as a young kid I remember reading the novelization of it over and over again!
 
Easily one of the top 5 Most Underrated Films of all time...

Best line of the film: "I may not make an honest living, but I'm 100% American!"
 
Yeah, the gangsters & cops having the shootout with the Nazis was pretty cool. :)

My only regret about the movie is that on the screen, the girlfriend wasn't Bettie Page as per the comics. Oh well, it was a Disney film. *sigh*

I need to grab a copy of that movie.
 
I liked it.

Other than the Indiana Jones movies, are there any 20th-century period films that have become huge hits lately? An awful lot of the details that made Rocketeer enjoyable depended upon knowledge of and interest in 1940s popular culture and personalities.

Titanic, I suppose.
 
I have it on crystal-clear LaserDisc. I just hope my player lasts. :lol:

Definitely one of my favorite little films. As a fan of airplanes, the period and the genre, I was in hog heaven watching it. And Jennifer Connely was never more luminous.

As you may know, her character in the comic was based on Bettie Page, looked like Bettie Page, and posed nude for a living like Bettie Page. Well, a Disney film wasn't about to feature that, hence the wholesome "Jenny" for a girlfriend in the film.

BTW, the complete Dave Stevens Rocketeer comic series is being released next month in a single hardbound deluxe edition. Mine's already preordered at Amazon!

Oh, and, there were more GeeBee racing planes in that film than actually existed. :lol:
 
I'll also heap on the praise. It's a GREAT movie. With a guy who becomes a hero because he's the one that has to...rather than my mom and dad are dead, my wife and kids were murdered, I used to sell weapons and that's a bad thing, etc, etc...

I really wish it had done better, I would love to see more.
 
Love this film. And I think it makes a great double-feature with another underrated period comic adaptation: Billy Zane's The Phantom.
 
It's a lot of fun. Campbell is a likeable hero (I've always warmed to him in anything else, largely on the strength of this movie), Connelly is gorgeous as anything, Arkin is an infallibly good support player and Timothy Dalton makes a great villain. Lots of action and glorious period detail. It wasn't a huge hit at the time but it's nice to see the love for it all this time later. As has been said, it makes Joe Johnson the right director for Captain America.

Anyone remember King of the Rocket Men, the old B&W movie serial? I assume it was a huge inspiration for The Rocketeer. Used to love it as a kid too.
 
Captaindemotion said:
It's a lot of fun. Campbell is a likeable hero (I've always warmed to him in anything else, largely on the strength of this movie), Connelly is gorgeous as anything, Arkin is an infallibly good support player and Timothy Dalton makes a great villain. Lots of action and glorious period detail. It wasn't a huge hit at the time but it's nice to see the love for it all this time later. As has been said, it makes Joe Johnson the right director for Captain America.

Anyone remember King of the Rocket Men, the old B&W movie serial? I assume it was a huge inspiration for The Rocketeer. Used to love it as a kid too.
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Yup totally underrated.

I've seen several Rocketmen serials. I loved the modern take on it.
 
Dennis said:
I liked it.

Other than the Indiana Jones movies, are there any 20th-century period films that have become huge hits lately? An awful lot of the details that made Rocketeer enjoyable depended upon knowledge of and interest in 1940s popular culture and personalities.

Titanic, I suppose.
Click to expand...

The first two Mummy moves of the recent series seemed to be big hits.
 
it's sad that we didn't get a franchise out of this. Great movie.

This is a case where I woud to see someone else try their hand at the story.

Oh, and I will be buying that volume of the Rocketeer comics, I've always wanted to read them.:techman:
 
js said:
Love this film. And I think it makes a great double-feature with another underrated period comic adaptation: Billy Zane's The Phantom.
Click to expand...

I agree, that's also totally under-rated. I really like Zane in it too. I hope the forthcoming adaptation of The Ghost Who Walks is a bigger success.
 
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