The Rocketeer (Joe Johnson, 1991) +
In the summer of 1991, I went to the theatre and watched The Rocketeer and knew for a fact that it would be a huge hit. It had flying, sci-fi, Hollywood, gangsters, Howard Hughes, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin in a terrific role, an Errol Flynn-type villain, a Rondo Hatton-type henchman, Nazis, zeppelins in Los Angeles, and just a general love for moviemaking and movie lore. Well, it made a respectable $46 million but it wasn't a hit, so it's one of several times that I was wrong about a movie's success, but I wasn't wrong about its entertainment value. The Rocketeer is still a slambang adventure, a full-blown romance, a paean to Hollywood during its Golden Years, and especially, a tribute to all the men and women who sacrificed themselves to the improvement of the aviation industry.
The film takes place in 1938, and Howard Hughes has just manufactured the first flying jet pack for humans, and a certain Nazi will stop at nothing to get it for the Third Reich. Meanwhile, a simple pilot (Bill Campbell) loves a Hollywood extra (Jennifer Connelly) but he and his mentor (Alan Arkin) become embroiled in a humongous mess involving the rocket pack. This is all set in the midst of late 1930s Hollywood and Howard Hughes (The Stepfather's Terry O'Quinn) plays an important supporting role in the non-stop action, comedy and special effects. I cannot recommend The Rocketeer highly enough for people who want to watch pure entertainment. The only thing I can say against it is that in its joyful glee to provide maximum entertainment that it maybe goes on an extra ten minutes somewhere about two-thirds of the way through.
In the summer of 1991, I went to the theatre and watched The Rocketeer and knew for a fact that it would be a huge hit. It had flying, sci-fi, Hollywood, gangsters, Howard Hughes, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin in a terrific role, an Errol Flynn-type villain, a Rondo Hatton-type henchman, Nazis, zeppelins in Los Angeles, and just a general love for moviemaking and movie lore. Well, it made a respectable $46 million but it wasn't a hit, so it's one of several times that I was wrong about a movie's success, but I wasn't wrong about its entertainment value. The Rocketeer is still a slambang adventure, a full-blown romance, a paean to Hollywood during its Golden Years, and especially, a tribute to all the men and women who sacrificed themselves to the improvement of the aviation industry.
The film takes place in 1938, and Howard Hughes has just manufactured the first flying jet pack for humans, and a certain Nazi will stop at nothing to get it for the Third Reich. Meanwhile, a simple pilot (Bill Campbell) loves a Hollywood extra (Jennifer Connelly) but he and his mentor (Alan Arkin) become embroiled in a humongous mess involving the rocket pack. This is all set in the midst of late 1930s Hollywood and Howard Hughes (The Stepfather's Terry O'Quinn) plays an important supporting role in the non-stop action, comedy and special effects. I cannot recommend The Rocketeer highly enough for people who want to watch pure entertainment. The only thing I can say against it is that in its joyful glee to provide maximum entertainment that it maybe goes on an extra ten minutes somewhere about two-thirds of the way through.
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page