The Rocketeer

You know what period of history I love, the sixties, Rock'n Roll, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, moon landing, Kennedy and Doctor Who. The list is endless. The reason I bring this up is so I can tell you my second favorite period of History: Pre-war America. A time of simplicity and revolution, Jazz and automobiles are more common place, the wall street crash and prohibition and crime reign. I bring those up because of how interesting they are and it's inspiration of good stories and films. Many figures in subsequent years were set during or before the Second world war, including Captain America and Indiana Jones. But in the Nineties a film was made based on a Comic Book character set during the thirties. His name was the Rocketeer. 

Directed by Joe Johnston, who would later direct such classics as "Honey, I shrunk the Kids", "October Sky" and "Captain America: the first Avenger". This film would go on later to inspire the latter film. Based on a comic character from the thirties, the Rocketeer is a hero who finds a Jet pack and uses it to fly and save lives. Produced by Walt Disney, it performed poorly in the box office, but as favored by critics. Since then a cult following was developed around the film and hopes for a sequel are still requested. So let's fly off to the stars with the Rocketeer. 

The Story follows a pilot and his friend, Peevy (no jokes), who find a Jet-pack and modify it to allow personal flight. After saving the life of his friend, he is named the Rocketeer and declared a hero. But an actor called Neville Sinclair is out to find the Jet-pack with the help of the mafia and a thug named Lothar. Also searching for the pack is Howard Hughes, millionaire aviator and developer of the pack, with the help of the FBI. Hoping to keep it, they go on the run and run into trouble, especially when his girlfriend,Jenny, gets caught up in the mix. He realizes he must use the pack to stop Sinclair and save Jenny from his clutches. I won't ruin the twist, but as a hint, Disney have used these guys before.

I have no doubt that you think this sounds like the dumbest film ever, but trust me it's a lot better then it sounds. It's one of those films where if you try to describe it, you just sound silly and immature. But the film surprised me in many ways. The dream of flying is not uncommon among children, heck most people sill dream about it well into their adult years (aging is compulsory, maturing is optional). 

So what do I like, well I like the visual effects, I mean before CGI Disney was practically pioneering in practical effects. Some scenes were an obvious blue screen and sometimes even the practical effects look cheap, but a majority is impressive. The simulation of flight is well done and believable. I think the story, despite how goofy it sounds, is really well written, with some good jokes, believable dialog (despite not being allowed to swear) and a sense of fun that is missing from a lot of good action films these days. My only problem here is that I feel the film is taking itself too seriously. This is my major problem with the film, as I think the film tries too hard to make the film exciting for a now more evolved audience and it can sometimes loose it's charm, while other times it gets a bit too cheesy. Like when the Boyfriend and girlfriend have an argument and one of them gets in trouble and now he has to prove his worth. Yeah, stories like that I kind of hate. But for all the faults of the film, two factors trumps all of them, the acting and direction. Look at the cast for this film, Alan Arkin as Peevy, Jennifer Connelly as Jenny and Timothy Dalton as Sinclair. Billy Campbell plays the Rocketeer/Cliff and he does a pretty good job for someone in a flight suit and shark mask. Each actor gives a good portrayal of these characters, including Terry O'Quinn of LOST, who portrays Howard Hughes as a delightful eccentric. I also find myself liking Timothy Dalton as the villain, he is actually cunning and manipulative, but can also be cold and brutal, like killing the crew of his airship for failing their duties. He can flip like a coin and portray two sides of Hollywood slime. Johnston also does a very good job of simulating the atmosphere of the thirties and creating a look that simulates most films from the war years. I think he did very well with respect to the source material.

 I also have to hand it to the film for actually killing people off in this movie. I mean, I know in most of Disney's animated films there are some pretty gruesome deaths, but for a live action to show imagery of being shot or thrown from a height or even folded in half (seriously, it happened twice). There is also a scene where the camera pans down Jennifer and where she is seducing a man and I never thought I'd see some of these scenes in a Disney flick. 

So I do think the film is underrated. Is it for everyone, not really. If you think it's good, I would recommend watching or even renting the film. I still think Captain America is his best film, but everyone is open to their own opinion. In my opinion, if there is to be a sequel made, then I hope Studio Ghibli get the rights, because I want to see something similar to Howls moving castle or Steamboy. The anime can be used to make the steam-punk era come to life.