Rating: 
Summary: Good film, but stereotypical and forgettable.
Review: This film is just one average addition to the already gigantic collection of movies involving Nazi spies. The plot is good, but sometimes difficult to believe. As for the late-1930's atmosphere, it was quite successfully recreated by using vintage airplanes and Cole Porter music.The story takes place in 1938, in Los Angeles. The plot revolves around the search for a portable rocket, an ultra-secret experiment (by no one else than Howard Hughes) that could have military importance. The FBI tries to get it back, but the Nazi spies want to get their hands on it. Pilot Cliff Secord finds it but his life, and that of his girlfriend, are in danger as a result of the discovery. The main Nazi spy is, in the story, film actor Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton, very good in the part), helped by gangsters under the leadership of Eddie Valentine (who would eventually turn against Sinclair when learning that the latter works for the Nazis). The film has a relatively interesting plot, but is however very stereotypical, starting with the character of Neville Sinclair. Maybe I'm wrong here, but why was he named Neville ? Does it have anything to do with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, famous for his waving of a paper signed by Hitler after his return from the Munich conference in September 1938 ? And on which actor (if any) is Sinclair's character based ? On Clark Gable (whom Sinclair briefly encounters at the restaurant) ? On Douglas Fairbanks (for the type of films Sinclair plays in) ? I would personally say Errol Flynn, who has been accused by one author of being a Nazi sympathizer and a spy (see "Errol Flynn: the Untold Story", by Charles Higham, who actually does not prove anything in his very bad book). Furthermore, Flynn's most famous film, "The Adventures of Robin Hood", closely resembles the film Neville Sinclair is starring in (a swashbuckling movie), and was released in... 1938! As for the exploding airship, it is obvious that the inspiration came from the ill-fated Hindenburg, which exploded in 1937. The Hindenburg, however, exploded over New Jersey, not California. One of the most improbable scenes in the entire film takes place just before the arrival of the zeppelin, at the observatory. When Valentine switches allegiances, dozens of fully equipped Germans get out of the wood nearby and surround him. Really, is it California or Germany ? The film looks good while watching it, but there is nothing left to remember it when the end credits are over.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't debate. Buy it!
Review: If you don't want to take a chance on the DVD quality, at least get the VHS version. When I originally saw this in the theatre and the doors started to roll open, when you see it you'll know what I mean, I sat deeply in my seat and thought, "This is going to be good!" I was not disap- pointed. Even ran off and bought the soundtrack. That is delightful to listen to. Anyhoo, this is one for your collection. You will never regret putting out some bucks for the feature. Buy it and enjoy..
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous Aviation Movie for the Whole Family
Review: There exists in Hollywood an underground band of moviemakers that wait for the opportunity to make flying pictures. The Rocketeer is one of these pictures. It is a great family movie sort of on the same level as the Flash Gordon serials of the same era this movie depicts, plus many inside references to fascism in Hollywood, Howard Hughes, and so forth. Plus, the art direction is outstanding throughout, giving us the Dog restaurant, and hundreds of '30's reference points such as a WC Fields cameo and Artie Shaw's Orchestra. Reasonably good acting and a total knockout for a heroine. But the real reason to watch this picture is for the completely accurate recreation of '30's aviation that swirls through the film. Gee Bees, Travel Airs, dirigibles, and autogyros are on regular view. No only that, the air of garage-level aviation of that time is correctly created. This makes the picture enjoyable on a number of levels. Too bad they never made the sequels. This is the perfect film to watch with your 12 year old son on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: A great Disney classic.
Review: The Rocketeer is one of Disney's best movies. It has an enjoyable plot, good acting, and terrific action scenes. Jennifer Connely is beautiful, and Bill Campbell is a delight to watch. This is good, mostly clean, family fun that doesn't get corny when wrapping up, which can happen often. I highly recomend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable spoof, definetly worth watching.
Review: Directed by Joe Johnson and starring the then Bond Timothy Dalton, the Rocketeer is a well-made and enjoyable film. The film is about a down on his luck pilot, Cliff Secord,(played woodenly by newcomer Bill Campbell) who stumbles across a price-less jet pack designed by Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn). Secord isn't the only one who knows about the jet pack, though, as it is also hunted by the F.B.I. and Neville Sinclair(Timothy Dalton) a sinister German spy. Timothy Dalton is easily the best thing in this film. During his career he's proved time and again that he is an excellent actor and the best Bond (bar Connery, of course).
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous entertainment!!
Review: This movie has it all. Thrilling fight sequences, (though no to violent), as well as a brief interlude flying through a cluster of breathtaking clouds. Comedy, suspense, action, drama, you name it. I wouldn't expect anything less from a Disney film!
Rating:
Summary: AN OUTSTANDING MOVIE BUT A SO-SO DVD
Review: I am a big fan of this movie. I loved it when I saw it in the theater but have been disappointed ever since by the poor picture quality of its TV broadcast and VHS tape presentations. I had high hopes for the DVD, but as other reviewers have commented, it is mediocre. Still, it is the best that is available and if you are a true fan of The Rocketeer, then you will want to have it. It is a shame that Disney has so little respect for movie fans that they released a bare-bones disk like this that doesn't do the movie justice.
Rating:
Summary: Disney Continues its Slow Decline with another bad transfer
Review: I remember this film in the theater being really crisp and sharp, an excellent experience. Unfortunately this transfer is jaggy and according to a clip below from my favorite DVD review site, DVDfile.com, it isn't in the original aspect ratio. I feel people should be aware of things like this to push more studios to do a decent job with their releases rather than the cheapest possible product. Snippet from dvdfile.com review "I'd been looking forward to this release for quite some time. As Buena Vista Home Video stubbornly resisted new transfers for back-catalog titles and 16x9 enhanced video in general, my hopes for a superior DVD slowly evaporated. My low expectations were predictably fulfilled. This appears to be a recycled transfer, a letterboxed D2 presentation that has an odd aspect ratio. The film is rated at 2.35:1 but appears to be closer to 2.0:1 - I was too disappointed in the transfer to bother measuring it. The video suffers from all the usual composite symptoms, compounded by the jaggies of conventional 4:3 letterboxing. The color balance, blacks, and noise levels are mediocre. Visible digital artifacts and visible edge enhancement are minimal."
Rating:
Summary: great dvd
Review: I disagree with the review that this was a poor DVD transfer. I was pleasantly suprised that the disc came with dolby digital 5.1 sound and I thought the video transfer was certainly better than any vcr copy. As for the movie itself, it is certainly a guilty pleasure that is sure to offend nobody, which is rare in this day and age.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie. Lousy transfer.
Review: Disney screwed up this one...big time. The clarity was okay, but the picture itself was really dark. You really had to strain to see what was going on in most scenes, and were rarely successful. I don't know where they got there print from, but Disney needs to trash it, enhance it and remaster the video and sound, just like Paramount did with Star Trek: TOS. I didn't buy a DVD to get VHS quality...and I don't even think I got that.
| 
