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THE ROCKETEER
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1991 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: The 1981 graphic novel comes to the
screen as what may be the best film ever made based on a
comic book. This is a wonderful tying together of historic
detail in the story of a man who becomes a super-hero with
the help of a rocket pack. Expect this one to run (or fly)
for much of the summer. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4).
I recognize that there are some films that it is hard for me to be objective about and all I can do is state my prejudices at the beginning of my review. I think I was about five years old when Saturday morning television ran COMMANDO CODY, SKY MARSHALL OF THE UNIVERSE. At five years of age I decided that I really liked something I later learned to call "science fiction" and everything I have ever really been interested in since has been an out-branching from that root. For years, I dreamed of somehow getting a rocket suit like Commando Cody's. Not being a graphic novel fan, I never heard of THE ROCKETEER, released ten years ago. However, seeing the stand-up poster for THE ROCKETEER several months ago brought a flood of memories and I knew even then this was a film that I would have a hard time being objective about. And the film turned out to be much better than I expected even then.
The setting is 1934 Los Angeles. The title character is Cliff Secord, played a bit too callow and pure by Bill Campbell. Secord is a flying ace who, through rather contrived circumstances, comes into possession of a stolen rocket suit designed by Howard Hughes (played by Terry O'Quinn). Lots of people want this suit for lots of different reasons, but it is Secord who has the suit and who reluctantly lets it make him into a superhero. The main villain who wants to get his slimey hands on the suit is handsome film star Neville Sinclair, a character based on allegations that have been made about Errol Flynn. Sinclair is played by Timothy Dalton. The basic plot is very basic and is a negative aspect of the film.
But while the plot is pretty humdrum, much of the writing is not. Like David Mamet's "Water Engine," THE ROCKETEER ties together many pieces of 1930s and 1940s popular culture into a single story. For little details to throw into the story, THE ROCKETEER draws heavily on Hollywood icons, on then-contemporary world events, and on details of aviation history. Through Rick Baker's make-up we get one final film in which Rondo Hatton plays the heavy. There is a witty reference to the famous Hollywood sign over Hollywood. There are allusions to the Hindenburg, here called the Luxembourg. As a rather canny inside joke, a small piece of animation is done in the style used in Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" films. The joke is that Capra's animation, like the film THE ROCKETEER, was a product of Disney Studios. And of course there are the classic planes of the period, provided in part by the heavy involvement of Howard Hughes as a major character. Also we see the classic art deco and just plain weird Los Angeles architecture. For example, the Bulldog Diner is shaped like a giant bulldog. The flying suit itself is art deco. All these elements combine to make a fascinatingly detailed film that constantly challenges the viewer with more than meets the eye.
Special effects are charmingly provided by Industrial Light and Magic. They are generally fairly good with the ironic exception of the flying suit sequences, which are not quite visually believable and which would in real life rip our rocket man apart with whiplash. The script's weak points are the occasional lapses into self-satire, the overly complex interrelations of the villains, and a sequence in a nightclub that drags on much too long. With those exceptions, one has to say that THE ROCKETEER is a very nicely crafted film offering entertainment on many levels. This is one of those rare films you can truly say the whole family should enjoy. I give it a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
att!mtgzy!leeper
leeper@mtgzy.att.com
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