THE
ROCKETEER (1991)
Director: Joe
Johnston
Following the tremendous
success of Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, movie studios
began looking at comic books for ideas they could translate into
motion pictures. Many of them were inspired by little-known
characters, and pretty much all of them were awful. But a handful
managed to rise above the rest by actually being good. One such
movie was The Rocketeer, based on a relatively obscure
character created by Dave Stevens for Pacific Comics in 1982.
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in 1991, The Rocketeer
had the unfortunate luck of being released in the same summer as
blockbusters like Terminator 2, Robin Hood: Prince
of Thieves, and City Slickers. It ended up falling
through the cracks and had just barely managed to break even
domestically. That's a shame too, because it isn't really all
that bad.
Welcome to Los Angeles, circa 1938. It is
here that we are introduced to Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), a
test pilot who loves his job in spite of the crummy pay. He's
also hopelessly devoted to his girlfriend, Jenny Blake (Jennifer
Connelly). However, the aspiring actress erroneously believes
that he loves his planes more than her, which makes it all the
easier for her to become smitten after she captures the attention
of the suave yet shady movie star Neville Sinclair (Timothy
Dalton). And as Cliff's love life hits a rough patch, so is his
career. A plane Cliff had intended to fly in a competition was
left seriously damaged after a crash, and he and his talented
mechanic sidekick Peevy (Alan Arkin) are left with no time or
money to rebuild it. But he soon discovers that a wrecked plane
will be the least of his worries.
Two thieves have stolen an
experimental jetpack developed by Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn)
for the government. With the FBI on their tails, the thieves
stash the jetpack in Cliff and Peavy's hangar. They discover it
and after running a few experiments to figure out what it
actually is, Cliff decides to hang on to it for a little while. A
guy with a rocket strapped to his back would definitely draw a
paying audience, and paying audiences would definitely help them
through their current financial crisis. But little does Cliff
know that fate is about to take him in a different direction.
Cliff is forced to strap on the jetpack and save a fellow pilot
who loses control of his plane during an air show, and the rabid
media is quick to dub the unknown hero "the Rocketeer."
But while he vows to use the jetpack for heroic purposes before
eventually returning it to its rightful owners, Cliff soon finds
himself being pursued by the FBI, a mob family ran by notorious
gangster Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino), and the Nazis, all of
whom want his new toy for themselves.
It might have been listed
in a respectable spot on the "fifty greatest comic book
movies of all time" list that Wizard Magazine released in
the winter of 2008, but The Rocketeer has never really
been considered a top dog in the genre. Sure, I will admit that
the movie isn't exactly on the same plateau as more recent fare
like Iron Man or The Dark Knight. But why does
it have to be the recipient of such extreme neglect? Is it
because the movie was made by Disney? Is it because of the
obscurity of the Rocketeer character? I don't really know for
sure. But as I wrote in the introduction, the lack of recognition
the movie has received is a shame. The Rocketeer is
actually a fun little throwback to the cheesy Republic Pictures
serials like King of the Rocket Men, Radar Men from
the Moon, Zombies of the Stratosphere, and Commando
Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. It's simply a fun way to
spend 108 minutes without having to worry about complicated
stories or heavy-handed messages, or anything like that. The
Rocketeer is escapism with the young and young at heart in
mind.
Joe Johnston is in the
director's chair for this one. Considering that he was coming off
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids two years earlier and would go
on to make Jumanji in 1995, he was probably the best
person for the job. Say what you will about the guy, but he can
make a heck of a family-friendly adventure movie. The
Rocketeer is no exception to that, either. Johnston knows
exactly what he's doing, keeping the pace lively and every scene
engaging. With Hiro Narita handling the cinematography, Johnson
hasn't made some glorified love letter to the '30s and '40s, but
instead crafted a movie that feels lifted directly from the era.
The movie has a particularly nostalgic feel without fetishising
the time period. And that's part of what makes the movie so darn
charming, too. Johnson's direction really draws you in, and with
James Horner's fantastic score on the soundtrack, you really end
up getting hooked by the end. Sure, the special effects could
have been a little better, and look a little less obvious that
people are standing in front of a green screen, but it's
acceptable. It's never really bad enough that it pulls you out of
the movie, and it actually adds to the retro feel.
But as I said, the
direction is only part of what makes the movie work. Another part
is the screenplay, penned by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. It has
everything you could want from the old movie serials. There's a
"gee whiz" hero with his beautiful girlfriend and
quick-witted sidekick, a villain who looks like he's fighting the
urge to start twirling his mustache, gangsters, G-men, Nazis, and
an enormous thug for hire who looks just like B-movie actor Rondo
Hatton. Oh, and explosions. Can't have a movie without a few
explosions. Bilson and De Meo skip all the formalities and choose
not to write something that doesn't worry about making any deep
messages or anything like that, instead choosing tow write a
movie that focuses more on being entertaining than anything else.
And there's nothing wrong with wanting to write a fun movie,
either.
Last on the list is the
cast, who all put forth their best efforts. Bill Campbell has
been accused by some reviewers of being a little stiff here. But
actually, I think he makes for an entertaining hero. His
performance really suits the character, and you really believe
that Campbell is a somewhat naïve but well-meaning pilot with a
tendency to get in over his head. Campbell is charming in the
role, to say the least. Playing his sidekick is Alan Arkin, whose
performance is a lot of fun. He's a little on the hammy side, but
you can't help but be entertained by his repartees with the other
characters. Though nearly a decade away from the career
breakthrough that was Requiem for a Dream, Connelly
proves to be quite capable as the Rocketeer's doe-eyed love
interest. She exudes a certain sexy innocence that really makes
her feel as if she's stepped right out of those old serials. It
also helps that Connelly is a very good actress, because she
nails the role. Timothy Dalton does a fantastic job as well,
playing his character as a cross between Errol Flynn and Snidely
Whiplash. He's obviously having a lot of fun playing such an
over-the-top villain, and that fun becomes infectious. Dalton
steals practically every scene he's in, and I would say he's
probably the biggest reason to watch The Rocketeer. And
although their characters end up being small in the long run,
Terry O'Quinn and Paul Sorvino also make positive contributions
to the movie with their performances.
Though I think it may have
developed a somewhat small following, The Rocketeer
remains a pretty much neglected entry into the genre of comic
book movies. It's one thing for movies like Judge Dredd
or Barb Wire to be forgotten, because they're terrible.
But The Rocketeer is actually really entertaining. Just
like the old serials I've mentioned so many times, the movie is a
fun way to spend a slow Saturday afternoon. It's an exciting
movie with really good acting, and it's a bummer that it does not
have a broader audience. So I'll give The Rocketeer three
and a half stars and my seal of approval. I would
totally like to get one of those jetpacks for myself, but knowing
my luck, I'd probably set myself on fire with it instead.
Final
Rating: ***½