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Movies / On DVD / The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer

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The Rocketeer (1991)

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63 %
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Reviews Counted:48

Fresh:30

Rotten:18

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: An action-packed, if anachronistic, look back at pulp matinee serials, The Rocketeer may ring hollow with viewers expecting more than simple fun and gee-whiz special effects.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: In the tense atmosphere preceding World War II, millionaire Howard Hughes develops the invention of the century: a high-powered mini jet-pack. Nazi agents steal a prototype of the device, but lose... In the tense atmosphere preceding World War II, millionaire Howard Hughes develops the invention of the century: a high-powered mini jet-pack. Nazi agents steal a prototype of the device, but lose it on an isolated airstrip during a frantic chase by feds. Aspiring pilot Cliff Secord accidentally finds the pack, and soon he's zooming through the air, spinning, flipping and crashing into the occasional barn. But when Cliff uses it to rescue an unconscious pilot plummeting to his death, the press dubs him "the rocketeer" and Nazis are hot on his trail. Errol Flynnesque actor and Nazi agent Neville Sinclair hires gangsters to go after him. Devious Sinclair will stop at nothing to secure the invention for the fascists -- including kidnapping Cliff's girlfriend, Jenny. With flair and courage, Cliff dons his rocketeer outfit and saves the free world from the encroaching Nazi menace. [More]

Starring: Bill Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino

Starring: Bill Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino, Timothy Dalton, Ele Keats

Director: Joe Johnston

Director: Joe Johnston
Composer: James Horner

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Rocketeer

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Neat idea, peachy visuals, but there ain't much else to grip the imagination.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Reaches for the skies but runs out of fuel.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The result is a movie that looks nice and moves along efficiently, but offers little reason for anyone to watch.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/18/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This $40 million adventure fantasy puts a shiny polish on familiar elements: airborne hero, damsel in distress, Nazi villains, 1930s Hollywood glamor, and dazzling special effects.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/18/07
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The whole thing is good-natured enough, but increasingly mechanical.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/18/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
11/06/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
10/09/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Truer to the old school Saturday matinee spirit than any modern film this side of Indiana Jones

comment Comment
09/10/05
Dan Fienberg
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/02/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy

No review available.

comment Comment
08/20/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

The Rocketeer is a throwback to when movie heroes weren’t burdened by irony or existential angst.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
08/08/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/05
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

No review available.

comment Comment
10/12/04
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Catholic Sun

Plenty of energy has gone into making this a bustling, visually clever film with an amusing late-1930's stylishness, but the purpose of such effort is uncertain.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Headache inducing superhero nonsense.

comment Comment
05/26/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
02/05/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

No review available.

comment Comment
01/02/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

An overlooked classic that is alive with the heroics and nostalgia of big-studio era Hollywood.

comment Comment
12/19/03
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

No review available.

comment Comment
12/12/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
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