Review The Rocketeer (1991)

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The Rocketeer is a 1991 American period superhero film from Walt Disney Pictures, produced by Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, and Lloyd Levin, directed by Joe Johnston, that stars Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, and Tiny Ron Taylor. The film is based upon the character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens.

Set in 1938 Los Angeles, California, The Rocketeer tells the story of stunt pilot Cliff Secord who stumbles upon a hidden rocket powered jet pack that he thereafter uses to fly without the need of an aircraft. His heroic deeds soon attract the attention of Howard Hughes and the FBI, who are hunting for the missing jet pack, as well as the Nazi operatives that stole it from Hughes.

Development for The Rocketeer started as far back as 1983, when Stevens sold the film rights. Steve Miner and William Dear considered directing The Rocketeer before Johnston signed on. Screenwriters Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo had creative differences with Disney, which caused the film to languish in development hell. The studio also intended to change the trademark helmet design; Disney CEO Michael Eisner wanted a straight NASA-type helmet, but Johnston convinced the studio otherwise. Johnston also had to convince Disney to let him cast unknown actor Billy Campbell in the lead role. Filming for The Rocketeer lasted from September 19, 1990 to January 22, 1991. The visual effects sequences were created and designed by Industrial Light & Magic, and were supervised by animation director Wes Takahashi.

The film was released on June 21, 1991 and received generally favorable reviews from critics,although plans for Rocketeer sequels were abandoned after the film failed to perform at the box office. As of 2012, new efforts were being made for a remake,a sequel has been announced for release in 2018.

 
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chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
An underrated film. A lot of the effects are dated now, but the story is really fun. I think the problem is this hit before too many people were taking comic book sourced movies seriously unless they were a big draw, like Batman or Superman, plus it's a family film, so it was overlooked.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“The Rocketeer” Becomes A Disney Jr. Series


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Disney Junior has announced the start of production on “The Rocketeer,” a new animated adventure TV series based on the popular comic book and celebrated early 1990s live-action film.

The new take follows Kit, a young girl who receives a surprise package on her birthday revealing she’s next in line to become the Rocketeer – a legendary superhero who has the ability to fly with the help of a rocket-powered jet pack.

Armed with her cool new gear and secret identity, Kit is ready to take flight and save the day with her gadget-minded best friend, Tesh, and airplane mechanic uncle, Ambrose, who join her on her epic adventures.

Geared towards kids 2-7 and their families, each episode features two 11-minute stories and include an original song. Nicole Dubuc (“Transformers: Rescue Bots”) serves as executive producer with the show to premiere in 2019.
 
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