The Rocketeer
THE ROCKETEER (PG)
D: Joe Johnston
Disney/Silver Screen Partners IV (Lawrence Gordon, Charles
Gordon & Lloyd Levin)
US 1991
108 mins
Adventure/Science Fiction
W: Danny Bilson & Paul de Meo [based on the graphic
novel by Dave Stevens]
DP: Hiro Narita
Ed: Arthur Schmidt
Mus: James Horner
PD: Jim Bissell
Cos: Marilyn Vance
Bill Campbell (Cliff Secord/The Rocketeer), Jennifer
Connelly (Jenny Blake), Alan Arkin (Peabody), Timothy Dalton (Neville Sinclair), Paul Sorvino (Eddie Valentine), Terry O'Quinn (Howard Hughes), Ed Lauter (Fitch)
In 1939 Los Angeles, a young stunt pilot discovers a jet
pack and uses it to foil a nazi plot for world domination.
Released over a decade before superhero movies were box
office gold for Hollywood studios, this lacks the typical comic book style but has good attention to the period detail of the time.
Despite not being an A-list star, Bill Campbell does a
fine job as the charismatic hero, whilst Timothy Dalton was the perfect choice as the suave villain.
A hugely underrated superhero movie from the early 1990's,
long before they became ten a penny.
6/10
