The Rocketeer Store

The Video & DVD The Rocketeer	The Books The Rocketeer Graphic Novel by Dave Stevens This is also unavailable right now.  I'm working on it.   But check here for info on Dave Stevens and The Rocketeer There was a book version of the movie written by comic book great Peter David.  It is- believe it or not- out of print.  I'll see if I can find it elsewhere.. meanwhile, feel free to make a substantial offer for my copy... yes, I have it. - CDMetc@hugereviews.com	Soundtrack The Rocketeer: Music From The Original Motion Picture
DVD The Rocketeer	This puppy's the original inspiration for The Rocketeer comic that inspired the Disney movie.  See Mark's Info for more. - CDM King of the Rocket Men Only on VHS

The Rocketeer
by Mark Capitelli

Super

An adventure film that shies away from violence, sex, foul language, and exploitive themes?  No wonder it did so poorly!  But don't let the Disney title fool you folks, this is a good movie.  Is it Oscar-worthy?  No.  Will it change you as a person?  Of course not, you weirdo.  What it will do is entertain you and your family.  The plot is simple, the action is there, the adventure is high, and the special effects are good.  Bust out the popcorn, it's time for some quality time!

The acting is corny...as it should be.  The visuals are supposed to make you think of a comic book from the 40's...they do.  The story is your typical "ordinary guy becomes extraordinary hero" plot with a WWII evil Nazis and gangsters element mixed in.  It is a comic book movie, but a good one.  Enjoy!

Mark's Movie Info.:

The original inspiration for the comic book was the movie serial "King of the Rocketmen." It is said that this is referenced as Cliff touches down by the South Seas Club next to a line of posters that say "King." I think that might be stretching it a bit. Still check out the Original King of the Rocket Men available in our store.

Sinclair's house was not a set, but the Ennis-Brown House in Los Angeles, built by Frank Lloyd Wright, noted designer New York's Guggenheim Museum. 

At the time the film was made, Disney owned Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, and it's rumored that they placed the reference to it in the film (Hughes's "It does fly!" preceded by Cliff using a model of it to glide to safety) as a promotion for that attraction, which (apart from the Queen Mary) was the only money losing Disney attraction in the US.

Ever hear of the Shaky-cam? This film was its debut:
Disney had a special mechanism built especially for this film. Called the "Shaky-cam", it was designed to be the exact opposite of the "Steady-cam", that is, to introduce vibrations into the picture. This was used in the scenes filmed inside the Zeppelin to give the impression of the power of the engines. When the movie went to video, the effect didn't transfer too well, and was therefore steadied.

Here's a fun one: One of Neville Sinclair's final lines is "I'll miss Hollywood"---and he does, as he crashes into the "land" portion of the "Hollywoodland" sign. Well...it made me chuckle.

Cameo: Dave Stevens, the creator of the comic book cameos as the commanding officer in the Nazi black and white test flight movie.

For the Record: The film is set in 1938 but mentions Deutschemarks, which weren't introduced until 1948.  Oops.

The character of Neville Sinclair is loosely modeled after Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling actor and Hollywood playboy who was suspected of being a Nazi spy in the 40's. For the non-movie buffs, Errol Flynn played Robin Hood in that old version that you probably saw on Channel 5's afternoon movie growing up. Mr. Flynn cameos as Robin Hood in a Daffy Duck cartoon, does that help? The rest of you know who he is quite well. Okay, I got my snootiness out of the way for today.