 | |
List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Video
Salesrank: 2441
Released: August 17, 1999 |
| Our Price: $6.03 |
| Used Price: $4.64 |
|
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
In the 1930's an adventurous young pilot discovers a rocketpack that turns him into the Rocketeer, then must fight off bad guys who want the pack for a weapon.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG
Release Date: 3-SEP-2002
Media Type: DVD
Description of Rocketeer:
Based on a retro-styled comic book hit of the '80s, this Disney film was meant to launch a whole line of Rocketeer films--but the series began and ended with this one. That's too bad, because this underrated Joe Johnston film has a certain loopy charm. The story centers on a pre-World War II stunt pilot (Bill Campbell) who accidentally comes into possession of a rocket-propelled backpack much coveted by the Nazis. With the aid of his mechanic pal (Alan Arkin), he gets it up and running, then uses it to foil a plot by a gang of vicious Nazi spies (is there any other kind?) led by Timothy Dalton. Jennifer Connelly is on hand as the love interest, but the real fun here is when the Rocketeer takes off. There's also a nifty battle atop an airborne blimp. --Marshall Fine
Rocketeer Reviews:
excellent disney movie 
2008-10-04 - It is an excellent Disney movie. I really enjoyed it. It was quite well done.
Great Film, Lousy DVD 
2008-09-16 - I won't go into The Rocketeer's worth as entertainment here - suffice to say that I think it's a wonderful film and well worth 5 stars. But in this review I'm focusing on the technical aspects which I feel detract from the DVD.
This DVD (ASIN: 6305428514) features a 'matted widescreen' transfer which works fine on smaller 4:3 TVs, but which looks awful on larger screen or widescreen TVs. I believe that every DVD today should be made in 'anamorphic widescreen' format so that the image is enhanced for viewing on a larger screen. If it's not then I think that the poor image quality should be clearly marked in some way, as the lack of an anamorphic transfer makes a big difference in quality. In the case of this particular movie the image is very poor due to a terribly grainy transfer that looks as if it came from a VHS tape. The non-anamorphic format makes it even worse and results in what's known as 'gutterboxing' (black bars all around the image) when the movie is played on widescreen TVs. Some TVs allow zooming in to fill the screen in cases like this, but in the case of this film if the image is zoomed to fit the screen the film becomes unwatchable.
So in conclusion, those with the older standard 4:3 TVs under 30 inches probably won't notice any loss of resolution. But for folks with big screen TVs I advise waiting until this movie gets an updated DVD treatment. Alternatively, if you own a good quality up-converting DVD player that can play region 2 discs, the British version (ASIN: B00004CYQH available from Amazon.co.uk) is a good quality anamorphic transfer.
Son of Commander Cody
2008-07-11 - Dave Stevens graphic novel -- an obvious tip of the hat to Republic serial classics such as RADAR MEN ON THE MOON and KING OF THE ROCKETMEN -- this wonderfully entertaining film in a summer when TERMINATOR 2 sucked up all the box office oxygen. Too bad, nice performances by Bill Campbell as a barn storming pilot in 1938, Alan Arkin as his sidekick mechanic, the lovely (and very young) Jennifer Connolly as the girl friend, Paul Sorvino as a gangster, and ex-James Bond Timothy Dalton as an Errol Flynn type as a Nazi! (The latter probaby influnced by a book in the 1980's that claimed that Flynn was a Nazi agent.) Though it sank at the box office, I highly recommend this delightful romp which even has a Rondo Hatton henchman and a grand finale on a dirgible!
Skyrockets to the top of my list as one of the most exciting family films of all time...
2008-06-20 - I remember as a young boy absolutely loving this movie. At every sleepover this movie was mandatory. I probably saw `The Rocketeer' a record fifty times as a child and then, sadly, I grew up. In fact I haven't seen this movie in almost ten years. Well, I guess I should say `hadn't' as in that I hadn't seen this movie in almost ten years, because thankfully I caught this movie on Encore the other night and since then it's the only movie I've been able to think of. Sure, this is not a perfect film, but for its genre, for its target audience it `is' perfect. As the film began I felt like a little boy once again; all those childish chills of excitement taking over me, and soon I was fully amerced in the world of my youth, and loving every minute of it.
`The Rocketeer' tells the story of 1930's pilot Cliff Secord, a young and ambitious young man who is on his way to the top. By chance Cliff stumbles upon a rocket pack and decides that it may be a surefire way to make some extra money. That rocket pack, designed by Howard Hughs himself, is stolen property though and is being pursued by some very dangerous men. Heading the pursuit is dashing Hollywood movie star Neville Sinclair, a man who is not who he seems. Knowing that Secord has the rocket pack he decides to get closer to Secord's girlfriend Jenny who is aspiring to act alongside Sinclair. Soon Cliff finds that this newfound device, while being the root of all his newfound problems, may be the only way to save his friends and, in the larger scope of things, the world.
Sure, the plot is a little thick at times, but remember folks, this is a superhero movie based off of a popular (at the time) graphic novel so it is not necessarily supposed to be possible, just plausible. Judging from the respect this film delivers wonderfully.
Bill Campbell serves as a fine hero here, giving Cliff a believable sense of natural charm. He seems like a real person, not some fabled heroic creation. Alan Arkin is delightful as Cliff's mechanic buddy Peevy. He's the trusty sidekick, sure, and his character is cliché ridden, but he owns it. Jennifer Connelly is magnificent here. She has that throwaway stock role of the love interest here, but she makes Jenny lovable and relatable and memorable. She is probably my favorite thing about this movie. Timothy Dalton is every bit dashing as he is sinister; truly a memorable and respectable villainous turn.
`The Rocketeer' is jam packed with action and adventure and is seriously tailor-made for each and every young boy (and all of us `men' who want to embrace our inner `boy'). It's fun and exciting and thrilling and just all around great entertainment. It's a shame that this franchise didn't take off. A `Rocketeer' trilogy would have been amazing (at least to me) and much preferred to some of the films that get made these days. It may not have been embraced at the time, but that doesn't mean we can't embrace it today. This is a classic example of smart and refreshing family entertainment that holds up even today amidst a world of computer generated pirate ships and elf princesses.
In light of Ironman's success, revisit Rocketeer
2008-06-13 - Ironman has been a big success, with its big budget effects, but my group of teenagers were recently smitten by Rocketeer. (I was using the Region 2 DVD which has a colorful, widescreen transfer.) Jack Horner's rousing score still stirs my blood -- enough that I bought the CD. One reviewer from Texas thinks that Jenny's cleavage is a bit too expansive for young boys, but this is a cartoon brought to life, and, as in Roger Rabbit, many things seem exaggerated. The reference to Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose is lost on the current teen generation ("She really does fly!"), but the sheer joy of the film, as exemplified by the Rocketeer skimming across a pond, then uttering the best line in the film, "I like it!" is something any age can appreciate. My kids applauded Rocketeer at the end, just as did the Ironman audience. Disney ought to re-release it on the big screen.
