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Movies / On DVD / The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer

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The Rocketeer (1991)

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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 fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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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

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

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

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

A fun outing, harkening back to the old serial days. Dalton is appropriately hammy as the Errol Flynn-type villain.

comment Comment
11/03/02
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

lives and breathes with the spirit of the old adventure pulp comics or Saturday matinee serials. Its charms will probably be lost on most of this jaded generation

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/19/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

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

A hell of a lot of fun...lots of energy, spirit and adventure!

comment Comment
09/17/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

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

Wonderful comic book movie.

comment Comment
07/06/03
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

The Rocketeer may not be perfect, but it's an excellent example of how to adapt a comic book to the screen.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
02/13/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

It's a great comic-book style adventure with good humor, thrills and charm, and it's entertaining.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

No review available.

comment Comment
10/01/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Based on a comic book, deliciously corny but not campy, "The Rocketeer" is the movie Dick Tracy and Batman wanted to be.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Brown
Joe Brown
Washington Post

No review available.

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

One of the most faithful visual adaptations of a comic series every put to film, The Rocketeer failed to find it's deserved audience but is worth the rental or purchase.

comment Comment
08/08/02
KJB
KJB
IGN Movies

No review available.

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

Such an idealized time never really existed, to be sure, but once in a while it's nice to think it might have.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
02/05/03
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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