Written by Linda
January 02, 2012
The Rocketeer is a squeaky clean, old-fashioned comic book adventure.
There is something so squeaky clean about The Rocketeer, and much of that is to do with young Billy Campbell's aw-shucks, all-American pretty-boy demeanor. Campbell plays Cliff, a young 1930s daredevil pilot who is as aimless as he is adventurous. His pretty, aspiring actress girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) is tolerant of his man-boy enthusiasm, but really wants their relationship to take the next step.
One day, a mysterious jet-pack contraption lands in the hands of Cliff and his mentor/buddy Peevy (the always great Alan Arkin). It doesn't take them long to figure out that those straps are for harnessing the pack to a man's back, and next thing you know, Cliff is flying through the air like a superhero. But as it is teetering upon WWII, you know there are bad guys (Nazis!) who are very very interested in getting their hands on this device, and it is up to Cliff to not let it fall into the wrong hands.
The Rocketeer follows the superhero comic book trajectory to a T. The bad guy, in this case Hollywood actor Neville Sinclair (scene chewing Timothy Dalton), is as seductive as he is evil. The good guys, a ramshackle bunch of pilots and their buddies, have loyalty and gumption. Throw in a literally cartoonish monster of a hit man (who looks like he stepped out of a James Bond film), a bunch of ruthless mobsters, and a fight atop a zeppelin, and you've got what could only be called an old-fashioned adventure movie.
Director Joe Johnston went on to make other squeaky-clean movies like October Sky and Captain America: The First Avenger, and I enjoyed those films as much as this one. He clearly has a deft hand at rah-rah feel-good stories that don't make you feel like a heel for enjoying them. He knows how to tell a timeless, rousing adventure. The Rocketeer is like that, as much fun now as it was 20 years ago. The film, with its gorgeous retro style and unironic earnestness, could easily hold its head above many of the superhero movies that are churned out by Hollywood today.
BLU-RAY NOTES
Touted as the 20th Anniversary Edition, the Blu-Ray only sports the original theatrical trailer. Really? Gosh, can't wait to see what Disney would shell out for the 21st Anniversary Edition. Go all out, guys!
