The Rocketeer 1991

imdb-logo 6.5 / 10

The Rocketeer

A stunt pilot comes across a prototype jetpack that gives him the ability to fly. However, evil forces of the world also want this jetpack at any cost.

A stunt pilot comes across a prototype jetpack that gives him the ability to fly. However, evil forces of the world also want this jetpack at any cost.

Videos & Photos

All 2 Videos & 21 Photos

... Cliff Secord

... Jenny Blake

... A. 'Peevy' Peabody

... Neville Sinclair

... Eddie Valentine

... Howard Hughes

User reviews

See All 4 Reviews

23 Jun 2021 by John Chard

Rocketeer is directed by Joe Johnston and co-written by Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo and William Dear. It is based on Dave Stevens' comic book The Rocketeer. It stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton and Paul Sorvino. Music is scored by James Horner and cinematography by Hiro Narita. It took eight years to get to the screen, with many rewrites, changes in personal, changes in setting and etc, the only thing consistent was Disney's inconsistency. Once out the film received generally positive reviews but posted only a small profit, in the wake of a Tim Burton inspired reinvention of the Super Hero genre, Rocketeer fell away into cultdom, sequels planned were shelved and its reputation remains to this day one of being a misfire. Unfair say I! Rocketeer is a lovingly crafted adventure film, nodding towards the serials of the 1930s, it's awash with period Hollywood delights, Art Deco imagery, has a damsel in distress, square jawed heroics, Nazi villains, wonderful effects and a blunderbuss Zeppelin finale. Backed by beautiful smooth tone photography and an evocative heart stirring music score, it's a family friendly blockbuster that ticks all the requisite boxes. The quality of the action sequences still hold up today, and Johnston, who wanted the job big time, directs with a knowing grasp of the setting, and crucially he never once loses a grip on tone and pacing. There's no self parody here, no deep Fruedian dissection of the main character, just a honest to goodness good against bad axis, with a romantic cause deftly wafted over proceedings. The role of Cliff Secord (Rocketeer) proved hard to cast, where Vincent D'Onofrio turned it down and "name" actors such as Dennis Quaid, Emilio Estevez, Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton auditioned for the part. Paxton, it's believed, was very close to getting it as well. Disney wanted an A list man, Johnny Depp and Kevin Costner were mooted, but Johnston had a feel for unknown Billy Campbell and managed to convince nervous Disney heads that he was perfect. Much of the scorn that has flown towards Rocketeer has landed at Campbell's door, again, this is unfair. It's hard to tell if one of those A list actors could have made the character work better, for it helps in this instance to not have a familiar face propelling the adventure. There's an innocence, an awkwardness to Campbell's portrayal that just sits right for a guy stumbling upon a rocket pack and finding himself submerged in a chase and harry battle against bad. He also has the looks, a handsome dude who creates a homespun based chemistry with the sensuous Connelly. It's Dalton's movie, though, he's having a devil of a time as the chief villain. Modeled on Errol Flynn and the spurious notion that he was once a Nazi spy, Dalton has the looks, the gusto, the moustache twirling shiftiness and a voice perfect for such material. A roll call of great character actors fill out the support slots, with Terry O'Quinn, Paul Sorvino and Ed Lauter particularly striking the right chords. A smashing piece of escapism, no pretensions or ideas above its station. The willingness to tap into the basic premise of a comic book actioner and entertain in grand Hollywood terms, to be applauded. And I do, and I do love it so. 8/10

Directors:

Joe Johnston

Release Date:

Jun 21, 1991 (United States)

Run Time:

1hr 48`

MMPA Rating:

PG

Original Language:

English

Production Countries:

United States

Status:

Released

Related Movies To

The Rocketeer

Write Review

Found 4 reviews in total

23 Jun 2021 by John Chard

Rocketeer is directed by Joe Johnston and co-written by Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo and William Dear. It is based on Dave Stevens' comic book The Rocketeer. It stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton and Paul Sorvino. Music is scored by James Horner and cinematography by Hiro Narita. It took eight years to get to the screen, with many rewrites, changes in personal, changes in setting and etc, the only thing consistent was Disney's inconsistency. Once out the film received generally positive reviews but posted only a small profit, in the wake of a Tim Burton inspired reinvention of the Super Hero genre, Rocketeer fell away into cultdom, sequels planned were shelved and its reputation remains to this day one of being a misfire. Unfair say I! Rocketeer is a lovingly crafted adventure film, nodding towards the serials of the 1930s, it's awash with period Hollywood delights, Art Deco imagery, has a damsel in distress, square jawed heroics, Nazi villains, wonderful effects and a blunderbuss Zeppelin finale. Backed by beautiful smooth tone photography and an evocative heart stirring music score, it's a family friendly blockbuster that ticks all the requisite boxes. The quality of the action sequences still hold up today, and Johnston, who wanted the job big time, directs with a knowing grasp of the setting, and crucially he never once loses a grip on tone and pacing. There's no self parody here, no deep Fruedian dissection of the main character, just a honest to goodness good against bad axis, with a romantic cause deftly wafted over proceedings. The role of Cliff Secord (Rocketeer) proved hard to cast, where Vincent D'Onofrio turned it down and "name" actors such as Dennis Quaid, Emilio Estevez, Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton auditioned for the part. Paxton, it's believed, was very close to getting it as well. Disney wanted an A list man, Johnny Depp and Kevin Costner were mooted, but Johnston had a feel for unknown Billy Campbell and managed to convince nervous Disney heads that he was perfect. Much of the scorn that has flown towards Rocketeer has landed at Campbell's door, again, this is unfair. It's hard to tell if one of those A list actors could have made the character work better, for it helps in this instance to not have a familiar face propelling the adventure. There's an innocence, an awkwardness to Campbell's portrayal that just sits right for a guy stumbling upon a rocket pack and finding himself submerged in a chase and harry battle against bad. He also has the looks, a handsome dude who creates a homespun based chemistry with the sensuous Connelly. It's Dalton's movie, though, he's having a devil of a time as the chief villain. Modeled on Errol Flynn and the spurious notion that he was once a Nazi spy, Dalton has the looks, the gusto, the moustache twirling shiftiness and a voice perfect for such material. A roll call of great character actors fill out the support slots, with Terry O'Quinn, Paul Sorvino and Ed Lauter particularly striking the right chords. A smashing piece of escapism, no pretensions or ideas above its station. The willingness to tap into the basic premise of a comic book actioner and entertain in grand Hollywood terms, to be applauded. And I do, and I do love it so. 8/10

23 Jun 2021 by r96sk

Very much enjoyable, this. 'The Rocketeer' exceeded my expectations in truth, I wasn't expecting much given the opening few minutes. However, thankfully, it ends up producing an entertaining 108 minutes. Cool superhero, great score and a likeable cast list. The premise is properly bonkers, especially towards the end, but they make it work and deserve credit for doing so. There are numerous recognisable faces onscreen, all of the main talent give good performances. Billy Campbell plays the lead role, Cliff. I've (relatively) recently become aware of him via television's 'Cardinal' - which is outstanding btw, check it out if you can - and loved him in that, he's also very good in this. Jennifer Connelly (Jenny) and Alan Arkin (Peabody) are also involved, as are Paul Sorvino (Eddie) and Timothy Dalton (Neville). I enjoyed Dalton, he portrays his role very well. The pacing is solid, thanks also to the noteworthy action and James Horner's score. All in all, this is a film I would definitely recommend; it's certainly nearer the top than the bottom of Disney's live-action offerings up until 1991.

12 Jan 2023 by GenerationofSwine

Billy Campbell was actually extremely believable in this and, honestly, I don't think that they could have found anyone better to play the evil Nazi Erroll Flynn styled actor than James Bond's Timothy Dalton. But, also, I always kind of feel that Campbell has gotten the short end of the acting stick. In all honesty, it's really a horribly fin superhero movie, right down to that amazing retro 1930s serial feel. The entire thing was great and warranted far more fan fare than it received.

26 Aug 2023 by CinemaSerf

I hadn't seen this for over 15 years but as soon as the opening bars from James Horner's score hit my ears it all started to come back to me. This is a stylish adventure story that amalgamates lots of different themes from 1920s America - gangsters, aviation pioneering and a love story into a tale of good v evil and innovative science; we even have some Nazis! Bill Campbell is largely there for his looks, it has to be said - but as our daredevil hero "Cliff" he does inject some fun into the proceedings. He stumbles upon a rocket suit designed by Howard Hughes and decides to master it and put it to good use. Meantime, a comically menacing Timothy Dalton ("Neville Sinclair") is a British Hollywood actor who shamelessly rips off Errol Flynn movies (amongst others) and is prepared to pay some hoodlums handsomely if they can procure the gadget for him. From here on in, it's becomes a good family cat 'n mouser. Nothing onerous or unpredictable with the script; some decent special effects and classy aerobatics - as well as a nice character performance from Alan Arkin keep this all rolling along nicely.

Cast & Crew of

The Rocketeer

Directors & Credit Writers

... Director

Cast

... Cliff Secord

... Jenny Blake

... A. 'Peevy' Peabody

... Neville Sinclair

... Eddie Valentine

... Howard Hughes

... Fitch

... Bigelow

... Malcolm

... Mike

... Charlie

... Assistant Director

... Government Liaison

Produced By

... Producer

... Producer

... Executive Producer

Videos & Photos of

The Rocketeer

Videos ( 2)

Photos ( 21 )

Related Movies To

The Rocketeer

Found 12 Movies in total

poster-The Old Guard 2
The Old Guard 2 (2025)

0 /10

Andy and her team of immortal warriors fight with renewed purpose as they face a powerful new foe threatening their mission to protect humanity.

Run Time: 1hr 47` . MMPA: R . Release: 01 Jul 2025

Director: Scott Bunce , Dan Bradley , Victoria Mahoney

Producer: Dana Goldberg , John Naclerio , Denis L. Stewart

Stars: Charlize Theron , KiKi Layne , Matthias Schoenaerts , Marwan Kenzari , Luca Marinelli , Veronica Ngo

poster-Ballerina
Ballerina (2025)

0 /10

Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.

Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025

Director: Chad Stahelski , Darrin Prescott , Matej Kricner

Producer: Ana de Armas , Chad Stahelski , John R. Saunders

Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick

poster-Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts* (2025)

0 /10

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Run Time: 2hr 7` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 30 Apr 2025

Director: Robert Ratner , George Cottle , Joe Russo

Producer: Brian Chapek , Molly Doyle , Louis D'Esposito

Stars: Sebastian Stan , Florence Pugh , David Harbour , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , Hannah John-Kamen

poster-Ice Road: Vengeance
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025)

0 /10

Big rig ice road driver Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide encounter a group of mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers, and the local villagers’ homeland.

Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Jun 2025

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh

Producer: Shivani Rawat , John Leonetti , Eugene Musso

Stars: Liam Neeson , Fan Bingbing , Marcus Thomas , Mahesh Jadu , Bernard Curry , Michala Banas

poster-Heads of State
Heads of State (2025)

0 /10

The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.

Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 02 Jul 2025

Director: Jo Beckett , Ben Howard , Matthew Sharp

Producer: John Cena , Marcus Viscidi , Sophie Holland

Stars: Idris Elba , John Cena , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Paddy Considine , Stephen Root , Carla Gugino

poster-The Legend of Catclaws Mountain
The Legend of Catclaws Mountain (2024)

0 /10

Mindy adopts Angel, a high-spirited pony that—according to legend—will lead its owner to gold hidden in the nearby mountains. When Angel is kidnapped by a mad treasure hunter, Mindy and her school friends head into the hills to rescue the pony and hunt for the lost gold. But Mindy meets a mountain man that warns her the treasure is part of an ancient curse—if they remove the gold, they'll destroy the beautiful forest.

Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: PG . Release: 27 May 2024

Director: Ritchie Greer

Producer: Adrienne McQueen , Russell Brannan , Malou Greer

Stars: Hayden Hishaw , James Duval , Robert Davi , Dee Wallace , Ilia Volok , Ricco Ross

poster-Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

0 /10

Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, covert operations expert Zora Bennett is contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world's three most massive dinosaurs. When Zora's operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades.

Run Time: 2hr 14` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 01 Jul 2025

Director: Jack Ravenscroft , Gareth Edwards , Ben Cooke

Producer: David Leitch , Frank Marshall , Janine Modder

Stars: Scarlett Johansson , Jonathan Bailey , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Rupert Friend , Mahershala Ali , Richard Gadd

poster-House of Ga'a
House of Ga'a (2024)

0 /10

At the height of the Oyo Empire, the ferocious Bashorun Ga'a became more powerful than the kings he enthroned, only to be undone by his own blood.

Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: R . Release: 26 Jul 2024

Director: Bolanle Austen-Peters

Producer: Bolanle Austen-Peters

Stars: Femi Branch , Mike Afolarin , Funke Akindele , Toyin Abraham , Ibrahim Chatta , Femi Adebayo

poster-First Shift
First Shift (2024)

0 /10

NYPD veteran Mike and rookie Angela tackle a high-stakes day on New York's toughest streets, diving headfirst into a vortex of danger and action. Their adrenaline-fueled pursuits and unexpected threats unfold as they navigate perilous encounters. Amidst the chaos, intense challenges forge unbreakable bonds.

Run Time: 1hr 29` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Aug 2024

Director: Béla Baptiste , Phillip Rush , Uwe Boll

Producer: Hilary Greer , Michael Roesch , Michael Schürger

Stars: Kristen Renton , Gino Anthony Pesi , James McMenamin , Garry Pastore , Michael Emery , Willie C. Carpenter

poster-Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch (2025)

0 /10

The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.

Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: PG . Release: 17 May 2025

Director: Richard Oswald , Brian Avery Galligan , Aldric La'Auli Porter

Producer: Tom C. Peitzman , Thomas Schumacher , Ryan Halprin

Stars: Chris Sanders , Maia Kealoha , Zach Galifianakis , Billy Magnussen , Sydney Agudong , Courtney B. Vance

poster-Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado
Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado (2025)

0 /10

Dora, Diego, and their new friends trek through the perilous dangers of the Amazonian jungle in search of the ancient and powerful treasure of Sol Dorado to keep it out of enemy hands.

Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 02 Jul 2025

Director: Alberto Belli

Producer:

Stars: Samantha Lorraine , Jacob Rodriguez , Mariana Garzón Toro , Christian Gnecco Quintero , Tiago Martinez , Daniella Pineda

poster-KPop Demon Hunters
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

0 /10

When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.

Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Jun 2025

Director: Elizabeth Schantz , Maggie Kang , Sean Tadlock

Producer: Jacky Chrisp , Ilia Sargent-Barba , Angie K. Farella

Stars: Arden Cho , Rolando Davila-Beltran , May Hong , Ji-young Yoo , Ahn Hyo-seop , Yunjin Kim