THE ROCKETEER (1991) - 500th EPISODE!!!!

Acclaimed genre filmmaker Joe Johnston (Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Captain America: The First Avenger) directed this highly anticipated Disney adaptation of the titular graphic novel from the 1980's.  It takes place in the 1940's Los Angeles where aspiring pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) is trying to make a name for himself on the flying circuit until one day, he suddenly finds a mysterious metal device along with his friend/mechanic Peevy played by Oscar-winner Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, Catch 22). What they soon realize is that this device is actually a secret prototype jet-pack which the local Mafia, the FBI, AND the Nazis (!) are all on the hunt for. :o So Cliff tries on the jet-pack, is able to fly, and suddenly becomes....The Rocketeer!  And what results is a fun throwback adventure which was initially a flop upon release in the Summer of 1991 but would eventually garner a cult following.  The stellar cast also includes Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly, Timothy Dalton, and the late, great Paul Sorvino. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

THE ROCKETEER - 1991

Directed by Joe Johnston

Starring Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, Ed Lauter, Jon Polito, James Handy, William Sanderson, Margo Martindale, James Handy, William Sanderson, Clint Howard, John Lavachielli, Eddie Jones, and Terry O’Quinn

Genre: Romantic Superhero Movie (Audio clip)

Hyperbole Alert: I don't care what anyone says because I have had 30+ years to think about and have seen most of the competition by this point but....I believe that this is THE Best Comic Book Movie EVER released by Disney! 🙂 And I mean that in both the literal AND figurative sense. For one thing, it's just GORGEOUS to look out with some admittedly dated visual flying effects (the flames coming out of the jetpack almost look like 2D animation at points but that adds to the charm) which nonetheless look appropriate for the late '30's Los Angeles setting. 

The Golden Age Of Hollywood-era production design from Jim Bissell (ET, 300) AND costume design from Marilyn Vance (The Untouchables) just add such a playful yet lived-in vibe to everything. Even though the rest of the Rocke-costume looks pitch-perfect, Cliff Secord's (Billy Campbell) golden leather flap jacket rounds out one of THE better hero looks within this genre. You can of course tell how much they were going for a 'Raiders vibe here and while neither the overall writing nor performances never really approach that level, it's still a kick to see a mustachioed post-Bond Timothy Dalton hamming it up as nefarious movie star/spy? Neville Sinclair to deliver THIS story's answer to Belloq! :) T-Dal has rarely been THIS charming on-screen before and it helps to have a sumptuous, doe-eyed young Jennifer Connelly as Jenny sporting a Marion-like white dress for him to attempt to steal away. (As she's actually WITH Cliff) 

Everyone just looks AND sounds the part including a stacked cast of supporting players most of whom are sadly no longer with us. :( The late, great Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, Ed Lauter, AND Jon Polito each make strong contributions in addition to the (gratefully) still-with-us Terry O'Quinn delivering a sharp turn as Howard Hughes....yes THAT Howard Hughes! (You see within this dude INVENTED the rocket technology which sets the story into motion.) Yes much of the dialogue given to Campbell and Connelly to develop their "relationship" throughout is quite cliched and even hokey, but they still both just look SO good together on screen, it's easy to look past....well it has been for me. ;) 

All of the action is fun, frothy, and endearingly family-friendly always reminding you of the Disney connection here....not the least of which is that there is ZERO bloodshed shown here despite the rampant use of Tommy Gun's throughout. The stakes are still maintained well enough thanks to a ton of stellar aerial photography and stuntwork 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film):

One of this film’s biggest strengths would DEFININTELY be it’s fun, bombastic orchestral score from the late, great James Horner.  And here, he delivers one of his best scores with a gorgeous hummable theme at the center of it! (Which I believe was used in several trailers during the '90's after this) We hear it during the opening credits, closing credits, and throughout the film – this track is called “Main Title” but I believe it also referred to on some platforms as “Takeoff.” I specially LOVE those chimes which kick in towards the end. (Audio clip) 

Admittedly, his horn-filled orchestrations do much of the film's emotional heavy lifting but it's still part of just SUCH a potent blend. :) And my favorite particular moment occurs towards the VERY end where it ALL just comes together so exquisitely: when O'Quinn's Hughes asks Campbell's Cliff what it was like to fly up in that jetpack....

"It was the closest I'll ever get to heaven, Mr. Hughes. Well.....maybe not..." 

And O'Quinn's reaction as he turns back, the camera then pans over to a sun-lit Connelly looking glorious as the piano notes from the score perk up....it just doesn't get any better that.  This track is fittingly called, “End Credits.” (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

So how come there haven’t been Rocketeer sequels and spin-offs since then?  Well simply put….Disney just dropped the ball when it came towards how AND when to market this film, AND just a year after they should have learned their lesson with previous episode Dick Tracy.  You see they were going to for that breakout Batman slot from two years prior….Batman ’89 which despite LOADS of blockbuster and sequel competition had created such a huge buzz with its marketing campaign that it broke box office records.  Disney took the same approach with Dick Tracy a year later in June of 1990, only their marketing campaign wasn’t as strong and there just was NOT pent-up demand for a Dick Tracy adaptation as there was for long-anticipated Batman anticipation.  The result was that also due to a jam-packed schedule of action films surrounding it, Dick Tracy did OK making around $200 million worldwide on a $46 million dollar budget – not bad except it was pretty much HALF of what Batman had made the year before.

Though Dick Tracy had STARS aplenty, Warren Beatty was considered a draw at the time as was Madonna, Al Pacino, and a select few others.  The Rocketeer did NOT have not stars – Jennifer Connelly was merely an up-and-coming name at the time as was Billy Campbell.  Not only that The Rocketeer itself was a pretty obscure graphic novel series from the ‘80’s, not NEARLY as recognizable as Dick Tracy and certainly not on the level of Batman.  So WHY did they decide to release this on the same EXACT weekend in ‘1991 a year later?  You got me….the goods were there, this was an audience-pleasing movie but it needed some runway without any stars to open it.  Unfortunately, the release schedule while not quite as action-heavy as the year prior featured some BIG films lead by BIG stars.  City Slickers came out two weeks before featuring a then red-hot Billy Crystal, the following week….Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring a then SUPER-red hot Kevin Costner….and the SAME weekend as this film?  Well it was technically counter-programming as this was a romantic drama but how about JULIA ROBERTS barely a year after she took the world by storm in previous episode in Pretty Woman.  Oh two weeks AFTER this…..a little film called Terminator 2.  The Rocketeer opened FOURTH on its first weekend and never quite recovered, eventually grossing barely over $50 million worldwide on a $45 million budget.  Just unfortunate and I’m fairly confident that if they had released this during a less crowded period, that rocket might have taken off.  So a franchise was simply never in the cards. (Audio clip)   

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Ok this is actually TWO different moments but they’re almost back-to-back pretty much kicking off the film’s final climax at around the 95 minute mark.  Pretty much ALL of the major players in this story are gathered at one place, the Griffith Observatory.  We have the mob, Sinclair, Jenny, and Kyle….what initially seems to be simple hostage-for-rocket exchange suddenly gets more complicated as our hero reveals to Eddie Valentine that Sinclair is in league with the Nazis.  This results in a great line in response from Valentine played by the late, great Paul Sorvino. (Audio clip)   

But THAT not even the true kicker.  Not that would barely five minutes later as gunfire has now erupted – the FBI have revealed themselves while Sinclair takes Jenny to flea in the Hindenberg with the other Nazis.  Suddenly the Feds and the mob are BOTH trying to fend off the Nazis together, leading to a VERY fun knowing smile between Eddie and Agent Wooly played by James Handy as they realize they are SUDDENLY fighting on the same side.  And if that wasn’t enough though…..the Hindenberg is starting to pull away, the Nazis are getting away, UH-OH!  But then who should appear FULLY suited ready to fly off to chase them into the night but….THE ROCKETEER!  And right after he takes off, past an American flag – we once again get ANOTHER great line from Sorvino as he looks on with a smile, he is just really looking here! This is the textbook DEFINITTION of a “trailer moment.” (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Despite a pretty solid career filled with notable franchise hits including the original Jumanji, Captain America: The First Avenger, Homey I Shrunk the Kids, and Jurassic Park III I believe that this film remains director Joe Johnsont’s true masterpiece.  This is a guy who started out as a visual effects artist in the late ‘70’s working on some BIG stuff, mainly from Lucas and Spielberg – yes I’m referring to previous episodes Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, and The Empire Strikes Back.  He has always brought a clean visual style to everything he has created plus a gee-whiz optimism along with his nostalgia for World War II-era America which also came through in that first Captain America film twenty years later.  Even though he has directed his share of hits, I always felt like THIS should have been the big one to launch him on to the A-list of genre directors.  Regardless for directing this with style and joy, Joe Johnston is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Happy 35th Anniversary to one of the more underrated comic book adaptations of all time and one of MY personal favorites, definitely among My Top Ten for that subgenre. 

Streaming on Disney Plus

And that ends another JET-PROPELLED review!