The Rocketeer (1991)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writers (WGA):

Dave Stevens (graphic novel "The Rocketeer")
Danny Bilson (story) ...

Release Date:

21 June 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high flying masked hero.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Gangster | Aviation | Blimp | 1930s

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Bill Campbell	...	Cliff Secord
Jennifer Connelly	...	Jenny Blake
Alan Arkin	...	A. 'Peevy' Peabody
Timothy Dalton	...	Neville Sinclair
Paul Sorvino	...	Eddie Valentine
Terry O'Quinn	...	Howard Hughes
Ed Lauter	...	Agent Fitch
James Handy	...	Agent 'Wooly' Wolinski
Tiny Ron	...	Lothar / Good Old Boy
Robert Miranda	...	Spanish Johnny (as Robert Guy Miranda)
John Lavachielli	...	Rusty, Valentine Hood
Jon Polito	...	Otis Bigelow
Eddie Jones	...	Malcolm the Mechanic
William Sanderson	...	Skeets
Don Pugsley	...	Goose

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Ennis-Brown House - 2655 Glendower Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Disney had a special mechanism built especially for this film. Called the "Shaky-cam", it was designed to be the exact opposite of the "Steady-cam", that is, to introduce vibrations into the picture. This was used in the scenes filmed inside the Zeppelin to give the impression of the power of the engines. When the movie went to video, the effect didn't transfer too well, and was therefore steadied.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Cliff flies around inside the nightclub, the rope that is pulling the food cart he is riding can be seen just before he hits the wall.

Quotes:

Mrs. Pye, Girls Dormitory Matron: You know my rules: no gentlemen allowed inside after 6 PM.
Cliff Secord: But I'm not a gentleman.
Mrs. Pye, Girls Dormitory Matron: You're telling me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Golden Girls: Hey, Look Me Over (#7.1)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

DER HOELLE RACHE

Boyhood Dreams and Adolescent Lust

I liked this movie for the same reasons most people do.

It illustrates that Hollywood can make a user friendly movie when it sets it's mind to it. The movie was reasonably successful, so there was no reason not to copy the formula over and over again, just like they do with so many others. I'm sorry they chose not to do it. Since Stallone, Willis, Norris, and company have pretty much passed into history, I find that the new breed of action heroes like Vin Diesel (do you believe that name?) all blend together. On the odd occasion that I watch one of these mindless bombs, my eyes start to glaze over. Kind of like looking at a kaleidoscope on acid. No story. No identifiable characters, no background, no nothing - except explosions, car chases, splattered guts and so on. The Rocketeer may be a cartoon, but it's a cartoon with a heart.