The Rocketeer

Movies based on comic books go back decades. The one that really made comic book movies popular was Superman: The Movie, released in 1978. There have been smaller movies based on popular comic books throughout the 80s and 90s that ranged from horrendous, like Roger Corman's version of Fantastic Four to the stellar, like Tim Burton's Batman. But somewhere in the mass of movies released in the early 90s, a true gem of a movie was unfortunately overlooked and flopped at the box office: The Rocketeer. The character first appeared in 1982 as a back-up feature of Mike Grell's Starslayer series.

The film opens in 1938 Los Angeles with ace pilot Cliff Secord(Bill Campbell) flying his plane in preparation for an airplane show. He spots some gangsters running from the cops and is subsequently shot down, but survives. The crooks have apparently stolen a top-secret rocket pack from industrialist/aviator Howard Hughes(Terry O'Quinn). The guy running the show behind the theft of said rocket pack, gangster Eddie Valentine(Paul Sorvino) works for famed Hollywood star Neville Sinclair(Timothy Dalton) who may not be who he says he is. Together with his girlfriend Jenny(Jennifer Connelly) Cliff tries to keep the rocket pack from falling into the wrong hands, while engaging in some high flying mischief himself. The Rocketeer is perhaps one of the most underrated films in the past 25 years. It has a solid story with a great lead in Bill Campbell, who plays a flawed yet earnest pilot trying to make the best of a floundering career when he discovers the rocket pack. Jennifer Connelly is great as Cliff's love interest who gets tangled up with Timothy Dalton's character. Timothy Dalton of James Bond fame, makes a great villain in Neville Sinclair. He comes across as a very charming actor, ironically enough, and then turns evil at the drop of a dime and it's seamless. He does it very well.

Joe Johnson, who would direct last year's excellent Captain America: The First Avenger, has directed a fantastic adventure film that pays homage to the comics and pulp stories from the 30s, 40s and 50s, without actually naming them. The film is well paced and the action sequences are thrilling with Secord flying all over the place with the rocket pack. It's also a film that has a sense of humor. While respecting the stories that inspired it, it also pokes fun at them as well. Like Indiana Jones, The Rocketeer has a particular look that's right of the 30s. While the film isn't perfect and there are plot holes abound, nevertheless, the earnestness of the film and the fantastic direction and acting make this a film that's worth watching by any fan of cinema. With a rousing score by legendary film composer James Horner, The Rocketeer is a blast-to-the-past that will have you on the edge-of-your seat rooting for the good guys the way that action movies used to do years ago.

On a side note, the film was made for $40,000,000, but it only grossed $46,000,000 during it's entire theatrical run around the world, which is a shame. This a great adventure film that will have you wanting to strap on a rocket pack and take to the skies. It's very underrated, but I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure stories. Overall, barring some plot holes, I give the film a solid 9/10. It's spectacular in every way and then some. With fantastic acting, a great story and characters, The Rocketeer deserves a place on the shelf of any movie fan.