Rating: 
Summary: Pure Adventure and Fun
Review: The Rocketeer was supposed to be big for everyone involved. It was supposed to turn Bill Campbell into the next Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly into Julia Roberts, and Joe Johnston into Steven Spielberg. No one knows why it never made it, but everyone who watches it has to admit one thing; it sure is entertaining.The Rocketeer had state-of-the-art effects for its time, and if you aren't too cynical, you can still enjoy them. This is a rollicking, Indiana Jones-esque adventure with the requisite Nazis, feds, and damsel in distress. The performances are quite well done, especially with Alan Arkin as an engineer and Paul Sorvino as a patriotic mobster. Both of these fine actors give so much charisma in their performances that they steal every scene they're in. Connelly and Campbell are fine giving their lines, and Timothy Dalton is very slick and evil as Neville Sinclair, which is truly the best madeup name for a Hollywood actor that I've ever heard of. Joe Johnston has always been a very visual director who uses special effects to his advantage, and he doesn't dissapoint with this movie. The comedy of some situations is held up just right and works very well with the incredible pyrotechnics. Even though there really aren't any camera angles that we haven't seen yet, Johnston still has enough of a mind to keep the pacing up and work the camera to his and his stars advantages. Overall, The Rocketeer is incredibly entertaining. It's got thrills, romance, and adventure. It's everything it was intended to be. Besides The Ghost and the Darkness, this film seems to be one of the most overlooked films that I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it, give it a chance and I promise you won't be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet, charming, endearing
Review: As soon as I saw the trailer for this movie I knew I had to see it: ever since I was six I have been a fan of the original Rocketeer (Commando Cody, on whom the Rocketeer is obviously based). I wasn't disappointed. This film, more than any other I have ever seen, captures the feel of 1930's. The nightclub scene, the music, the diner, the airplanes...it all fits perfectly. This movie has a lot of charm. The scenes of the Rocketeer flying are just wonderful. Who doesn't want to fly like a bird? (although I'd skip the parts were he skips across the water like a flat rock, and also goes through some shocked woman's laundry line). Timothy Dalton makes a surprisingly good Nazi villain, and the giant badguy (obviously based on Rondo Hatton) is preeety scary. Anyone who hasn't seen it is going to be pleasantly surprised.
Rating:
Summary: one of my favorite movies
Review: This is NOT a modern movie, it is a movie that is what the old adventure serials would have liked to have been. The cast is uniformly excellent, but you have to think back to "The Red Skull" serial to understand what they are doing. There is no winking at the camera as in the Indiana Jones movies (which I also like very much) -- this is straight, square-jawed Boy Scout hero fights sneaky villians, with the help of beautiful, plucky girlfriend and mechanical genius sidekick/father-figure. It is an excellent family movie. The movie has some nice movie-buff jokes, which I enjoyed (the character from "The Pearl of Death" was a lot of fun), and loving attention is paid by the set-designers to details of the thirties in Southern California (as far as I can tell from old photos and talking to natives of the area) and to the aviation industry of the time (according to my father, who was and is a buff starting during that period). In any event the movie looks great and feels "authentic". I don't understand why this movie was such a flop -- I can see that it wasn't going to make the imact of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but it should have done well enough to rate a sequel. However, the movie trailer on the DVD convinced me that the marketing people at Disney failed to advertise the movie correctly, and I certainly remember being surprised (although pleasantly) when I saw it in a theater.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy this blast from the past!
Review: This is the sort of film for which the superlatives "golly gee!" and "gosh, wow!" apply quite nicely. If you've ever wondered what those 1930s serials about heroes and damsels in distress and cackling bad guys were like that your grandfolks enjoyed so many years ago, this film offers a great facimile of those addictive serials! "The Rocketeer" has that quality of whiz-bang action and whooshing excitement that makes serials so much fun. In fact, this film is based upon a comic book novel that was a tribute to those serials. As a result, the plot line has a familiar ring to it - our handsome hero (Campbell) and his sweet and lovely main squeeze (the ever-easy-on-the-eyes Jennifer Connelly) run into trouble after the hero discovers a stolen prototype jet-pack circa 1938. Our hero dons the jet-pack and voila, he becomes The Rocketeer! Unfortunately, the mob is after him and the feds are after him. Everyone wants that jet-pack! Along the way, there are ugly mean henchmen, rat-a-tat-tat machine gun fights, a great rocketman rescue in the air, swooning heroines, and fun swash-buckling sword-fights (yes!). Wait, there's more! There are great exploding blimp-airships and bang-up car chases and funky Howard Hugh prototype airplanes. And where would we be in a 1930ish film without a few rascally nazis? So, what more could you ask for? Cheer for the hero and hiss at the villains! This film has that same "golly gee" sense of yesteryear fun that the original "Raiders of the Lost Ark" had. Sure, it's all light, fluffy stuff, but it's good clean fun for the entire family! A few words about the DVD, which I bought. This is one of Disney's early DVDs. Unfortunately, Disney's early DVDs usually had non-anamorphic transfers, expensive prices, nonexistent extras, and just so-so picture quality. This DVD has those problems; the picture quality at times shows edge enhancement or shimmering. And the dark scenes have a fuzzy, muddy appearance to them. Sound quality is average but booms at the appropriate times in the movie. I just wish Disney had spent more time on a better video transfer. But still, it's a fun film! I rate this film four stars, but just keep in mind that the DVD version is not up to par with Disney's later DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Disney's The Rocketeer
Review: Bill Cambell Stars As A Young Test Pilot Who Transforms Into A Jet-Propelled Hero When Nazi Agents Attempt To Recover A Top Secret Invention That Lands In His Lap...His Discovery Of This Flight Pack Leads To An Adventure Of Mystery, Suspense, And Drama...With His Girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) By His Side, Cliff (Cambell) Encounters A Number Of Villans Including One Nazi Spy (Timothy Dalton) Which Leads Only To An Extraordinary Tale And An Exciting Plot...
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but very bad DVD ,lacks extra stuff!
Review: I will not say what others have said about the movie!Instead I will tell others thinking of buying this DVD,rent it first! There are no trialers,production notes,behind the camera,cast/crew bios etc! The DVD itself is Ok, but I often thought I was listening to my VCR(with the on my tv,although small, seems like movie theater! ). So if are thinking about buying this DVD, yuo've been warned that this a very bare bones DVD of a great action movie everyone can enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: SOME THINGS ARE JUST WORTH FLYING FOR!
Review: Dave Stevens' classicly-styled, 1930's comic book character comes to life in one of the most under-rated motion pictures of the 1990's. Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) dons the dangerous prototype rocket pack (built by Howard Hughes in the movie; the classic pulp superhero Doc Savage did it in the comics) to stop the Nazis'(lead by Timothy Dalton) evil plans and save his beautiful girlfriend Betty (Jenniffer Connelly) from danger. This movie successfully captures the escapism spirit of the Indiana Jones pictures. Unfortunately, it's box office receipts weren't awesome so there won't be any sequels. That's too bad because this is a great story that has something for the whole family. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys escaping from reality and entering a world where the bad guys get what they deserve, the good guys ultimately win, and justice is something that is worth FLYING for!
Rating:
Summary: A lighthearted romp
Review: Disjointed thoughts: More like three and a half stars. The joy of this film is in the details. Too bad they couldn't have had the creator of the rocket pack be not Howard Hughes, but Doc Savage (as in the graphic novel by Dave Stevens). The moment between the FBI agent and the gangster gets me every time. Strangely, the scenes where the Rocketeer is flying are the least entertaining of the movie, but I guess they were required. Good picture quality, but often the sound would come out of the left speaker (of my two-speaker system) when, e.g., a plane was on the right side of the screen. As the plane zoomed off to the left, the sound went to the right. I checked my cables and they're plugged in correctly, so it's confusing.
Rating:
Summary: The sweet smell of nostalgia
Review: Masked hero thrills at their finest. To explain why you should see this film is as easy as this: there is literally something for everyone. It sprays old movie serial-style action and characters at you as fast as you can take them in. It gives you romance of the type that you find at Casablanca's end, it is bright and flashy without being over stylized, and above all, it made me see what an amazing time my Grandfather lived through. Much like the era in which it takes place, this movie makes you feel like it stands for something good in us all. Acting, costumes and plot are all comic book authentic. I would go and buy the graphic novel as a companion piece. The Rocketeer is a film and story for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: The Rocketeer is one of the genuine few movies that I can recommend without reservation to a family. Exciting, entertaining, and inoffensive. A rare trifecta that has an innocent and charming quality without being too hokey. The movie does fall back on some stereotypical villains but that is par for the course in a period piece set in the late 30's.
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