Movie Review # 366: The Rocketeer (1991)

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to yet another movie review. Today, we are once again diving into yet another review from the Wonderful World of Disney, which will last for at least a couple more reviews, as my time with Disney+ will come to a close as of next week. With that said, we are going to be talking about an old, underrated live-action Disney film that was evidently released back in the summer of 1991, just a few months before Beauty & The Beast became a hit with audiences. Wow, first, I review Iron Will, which was released a few months before The Lion King, and now I’m talking about a live-action Disney film that was released only a few months before Beauty & The Beast. How interesting! Anyway, let’s blast off, with a lesser known character by the name of Cliff Secord, as well as his friends, and enemies in the 1991 Disney movie, The Rocketeer.

Plot: Set in Los Angeles, California, in the year 1938, two engineers, Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), and his boss, A. Peabody (Alan Arkin) stumble across a jet pack after an incident with some criminals. After discovering the jet pack’s extraordinary powers, can they keep it safe by preventing it from falling into the wrong hands?

Now, I have to confess that I had never seen this film before. In fact, I don’t recall ever even hearing about The Rocketeer until after I rewatched Iron Will about a week and a half to couple weeks ago, and The Rocketeer being one of the films that was recommended to me after my friends and I finished watching Iron Will. After seeing it for the very first time last night, I’m very disappointed in myself for not coming across this film as a kid, or even teenager. The Rocketeer, while not quite perfect (more on that fairly soon), is still a really fun, and engaging story from beginning to end. It is smart, funny, and an overall inventive film. Honestly, it would be no surprise if it was inspiration for those kids who saw this film to be engineers, or even want to do some really extraordinary work in general. What also makes The Rocketeer stand out from many other films of the Disney library, including some of the live-action ones, is that even if some kids will get a great amount of enjoyment out of it, it’s quite possible that teenagers, and adults might love this film even more. Part of this is because The Rocketeer almost has the feel of a more adult film, with the magic of Disney thrown in the mix. Heck, we’re talking about this film more than likely having the feel of any of the Mission Impossible movies, Indiana Jones, or even any of the James Bond films. The only difference is that there isn’t quite as much violence, and this film has a more family friendliness to the point that a more wider audience can generally enjoy it. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if very few teenage boys, or grown men had taken their girlfriends on a date to see this film. Okay, perhaps that wasn’t generally the case all that much, considering that the movie apparently didn’t do all too well at the box-office. But if it had performed outstandingly well in theaters, then I can honestly say that could have been the case otherwise. Anyhow, there’s the villain. I won’t give much away in that regard, except to say that if you liked even Disney animated villains like Clayton (from 1999’s Tarzan), or Rourke (from 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire), chances are you’ll like the villain in this live-action Rocketeer as well. He is smart, cunning, and downright devious. No doubt that he would serve as a great example of Satan masquerading as an angel of light. Sure, you’ll probably like the villain here more than the the one in Tarzan, or Atlantis, especially the latter, but still. Next, there are our main characters, Cliff Secord, and A. Peabody. First off, they have a great friendship. Also, they help make this film almost like a buddy comedy. In fact, this buddy comedy element almost makes this film have the feel of even future films, at the time, like 2008’s Get Smart in terms of this film being both a comedy, and an action-packed film. Then, there’s the romantic chemistry between Cliff, and the love interest, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly). This is an example of a relationship done right, as this couple exchanges flirtatious love, and witty banter throughout the course of this film. Not only that, but Cliff and Jenny’s relationship can teach people that couples don’t have to be 100% alike. I mean let’s face it, every romantic couple is going to have differences to one degree, or another, are they not? Well, all the more reason to appreciate the romantic side of this film. What’s more is that Jenny even has personality to her character in terms of being strong-willed, and learning to stand up for herself when she needs to. Additionally, James Horner provides a really good musical score. I mean from movies like An American Tail, Hook, or Jumanji, for example, this is yet another excellent composer, who knows how to draw people into even this story with his music. With Horner, I don’t recall a time when I disliked scores that he wrote thus far. So that’s a plus. Finally, the movie is filled with spectacular symbolism, and great poetic moments as well. If that doesn’t serve as a factor of great writing, then I’m not sure how one can make such a great story.

The one downside to this film were that there were one, or two, characters who seemed to serve very little purpose to the story, and seemed to act more like stereotypes. Also, and this isn’t so much a downgrade for the film as it is a warning particularly to older people, there are one, or two moments that could potentially feel a little intense for children. Oh no, it’s not like the situation with, say, the 1994 live-action Jungle Book, where that one might have been a little too violent for kids, to the point that maybe that one should have maybe been rated PG-13, or something like that. No, The Rocketeer doesn’t come anywhere close to that. Nevertheless, kids should prepare to either be brave in those one or two moments, or just look away until those scenes are over.

Well folks, that’s my review for the 1991 film, The Rocketeer. It is a greatly underrated movie that deserves much more recognition. I mean if you liked movies like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, E.T., or even Atlantis: The Lost Empire, I can guarantee that you’ll love The Rocketeer as well. It has really well-written characters, excellent relationships, a fantastic villain, and nearly everything one could ask for in a good story. I would say that if you haven’t seen this movie, definitely do! You’ll most likely be blown away by the amount of fun that you’ll have with this film.

Final Grade: A