HCR Rates The Movies #11: THE ROCKETEER [Archive]

DTM

10/28/2005, 15:51

So, our next film, Classic or Crud, Hit or Miss, what say you ALL?

Our next film open for discussion, and ultimately an Overall RATING by you all:

THE ROCKETEER
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Let the discussions flow. Likes, dislikes, classic film or overhyped trash, and DONT FORGET to place an Overall Rating when youre done.

Its easy, just give a Rating from 1 (Jaws 4:The Revenge) to 10 (Jaws), and thats it. Course I'd love to have you all give reasons as to why you feel it deserves this Overall Rating, and more than encourage discussions with us all about them.

So, what say you all?

Next Film: ??????

Rokk_Krinn

10/29/2005, 15:08

A fabulously fun movie and while I don't know if it can be termed a true cinema classic, it definitely deserves a bit of "cult classic" status. Maybe I'm just a sucker for "pulp hero" movies - I also enjoyed "The Shadow" with Baldwin and I know that's counted as a fairly lousy movie - but seeing the Rocketeer always puts a smile on my face (okay, Jennifer C. always helps with that too. :) ). I think part of what separates this from standard "c-grade comic book movie" fair is that it's less about the costume and more about the people...in fact, the poor guy just isn't a very good super-hero all things are considered but he's a great _hero_. When the action sequences do come about they're definitely "gee-whiz slam bang" affairs and very enjoyable to watch, but I have just as much fun watching the protagonist get flummoxed and perplexed - often by Jennifer :) - throughout the course of the movie.

Rating: 7.5

DTM

10/29/2005, 16:08

Ive gotta agree with RK, and if this movie is anything, its FUN. Not remotely considered when most of us talk about "comic book" films, this has got to be one of my favorite among them all. A great story, really fun cast of characters (heroes and villains) cool action scenes and Im a big fan of the James Horner score as well. (Not to mention Jennifer C, of course, who I dont believe has ever looked better)

The story of a young man who finds the invention of the century, using it to try and save his job (and those of his friends), but actually spends most of the movie running....er....flying and hiding from those that wish to reclaim this prized gear (both good and bad) at any costs.

Tell me who didnt get a real kick at the Mobster Boss, eventually finding out he was working for the Nazis all along and then switching sides to find alongside the FBI against them, allowing the Rocketeer a chance to escape and save his girl from the clutches of Evil.

Loads of fun, and very little I have to say wrong about this film. Again, one of my favorite comic book movies ever, and Ill give it a 8.50 / 10 overall.

MousePadMan

10/29/2005, 18:30

0

this movie blows

DTM

10/30/2005, 13:09

0

this movie blows

Uh, ok. Would you care to give some reasons why you feel this film has absolutely no merit, or anything of value at all, whatsoever?

And hopefully well get other Members here to participate, as MPMs 0 Rating sure did drop this movies overall score by ALOT.

Aminar

10/30/2005, 13:22

I liked this movie alot when I watched it but don't remember much. 9/10.
Also
i'd ignorethe 0 as ratings go from1-10 not 0-10.

DTM

10/30/2005, 13:29

NotYou

10/30/2005, 15:37

Well, if I did that Id at least have to give MPMs vote a 1 instead of ignoring it altogether. Gotta count each persons rating and participation, whether I agree with it or not (and in this case I couldnt disagree more......wonder if hes the guy that gave Raiders of the Lost Ark a 5 as well)
No...I don't think that you do.
In your ToCs you started discounting votes of people that didn't give some kind
of reason, as people would just turn up to give either totally random, or totally
unrealistic, biased votes, and I think that is what you have here.
Very possibly he cannot wrap his "mind" around any film that does not include
ninjas, but a score of 0 means it is worse than every other film in existance,
which a sensible, impartial review would realise is not the case, even if it is not to
your own particular taste.

Maniac_nmt

10/30/2005, 16:12

The Rocketeer is a fun, light, period flick that captures the 19302-1940s 'super' hero feel. It's not high cinema by any means, but it has something to appeal to all age groups. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I loved it when it came out and I was in Highschool. I would certainly watch it again, and wouldn't feel funny recommending it.

I give it a high 7.5/10 (since we're supposed to vote in .5 digits correct? if not probably a 7.8/10)

DTM

10/31/2005, 02:40

No...I don't think that you do.
In your ToCs you started discounting votes of people that didn't give some kind
of reason, as people would just turn up to give either totally random, or totally
unrealistic, biased votes, and I think that is what you have here.
Very possibly he cannot wrap his "mind" around any film that does not include
ninjas, but a score of 0 means it is worse than every other film in existance,
which a sensible, impartial review would realise is not the case, even if it is not to
your own particular taste.

I do agree with you NY, and was thinking of again only counting posts that give some sort of reasoning for their Ranking (as I did in my TOCs, which I thought was a really simple request), but Im not exactly getting a huge amount of participation on these Movie threads as it is, "Forcing" everyone here to post half way decent reasons for their rating might make that level even less. (and besides, I wouldnt want to be called a Fascist and Nazi all over again as I was by some in my TOCs :P)

OK, while Im not one to purposely discount anothers opinion when it differs from my own, I will omit the incredibly biased rating of 0 from MPM.

DTM

10/31/2005, 02:42

CarlosMucha

10/31/2005, 02:43

7

was good, was fun. And the best: Jennifer Connelly how I remember her, now how she is now.

CarlosMucha

10/31/2005, 02:44

I mean "no how she is now"

Inbetweener

10/31/2005, 10:10

This certainly isn't one of my favorite movies but I have to say that sometimes you can just look at a movie and acknowledge that it is good within it's genre. Rocketeer was a fun PG movie with a decent budget and good effects. Performances were solid and the film it's share of surprisingly suspenseful and exciting moments. Not a must have in my DVD collection, then again neither is The Wizard of Oz but that would have to get a very high rating for excelling within it's genre and to it's audience. Rocketeer is a good movie, for me forgettable and not quite a classic.

Rating: 7.5

hail_eris

10/31/2005, 12:33

Am I the only one who confuses plot elements of this movie with The Phantom? Granted, this one stars the guy who played Lucy's Texan suitor in Dracula (just about the only other movie I've seen him in) rather than Billy Zane. And there's the Jennifer Connelly factor (The Phantom only had Kristy Swanson, who will forever be remembered as the Buffy who *isn't* Sarah Michelle Gellar). Either way, I thought both movies were fun (a recurring word in these reviews). There aren't too many movies like this anymore - a joyfully escapist romp, aimed at the 12-year-old boy in all of us. They either get weighed down by star power (see Ocean's 11 or last year's utterly forgettable After the Sunset), the effects become the focus of the film (see Star Wars, Episodes I-III), or the writers simply decide to adapt some cringeworthy TV property (Charlie's Angels, Dukes of Hazzard). The effects were just right, and the tone captured the mood of '30s serials perfectly (the producers of Sky Captain should have paid more attention). Also, let's get some props for Timothy Dalton. I've always believed that he was vastly underrated as Bond, and his turn here as a mustache-twirling villain is by itself worth the price of admission. I'll give it a 7.5 - not a *great* movie, but a good movie of the kind that you don't see too often these days.

DTM

10/31/2005, 13:20

Current HCR Member Rating:

THE ROCKETEER - 7.82 / 10

Socko

10/31/2005, 13:42

heheheh... the phantom...

"DUDE! Look into my cool ### microscope!"

"It's out of focus... let me just... AGGHHHHHH! there are blade's in my eye's!"

"TOTALLY!"

Mjolnir

11/06/2005, 00:59

I give this flick a 9.
Not because it's high cinema but it is fun to watch and a joy to sit through. Alan Arkins cahracter is fun. Bill Campbells cahracter is golly-gee earnest. Jennifer Connolly is divine. As someone pointed out earlier Timothy Dalton is wonderful as a "mustache twirling villain"(I love it!). I captures the early 30's - 40's period well with the occasional in joke;
"The thing does fly!"

Dang1! Now I need to check if it's available on dvd!

Solid 9 because of the fun factor.

d_knight7

03/31/2006, 18:06

8/10, very underappreciated flick.

coyotejack

04/17/2006, 17:13

I just watched by DVD of this movie again a couple days ago and I love it. This movie is most definately fun, not too heavy, and actually has a point with it's plot. The plot may be a rehash but they do it with some style.

You actually want this poor guy to be a hero. He's not perfect but he gets the job done. He also doesn't think twice about rescuing Jenny. And who would, she's played by the beautiful Jennifer Connelly! The good guys are good, bad guys are bad, and there's even a bit of good old-fashioned patriotism thrown in.

Just a fun ride all around.

8.25/10

Prof. Aragorn

04/23/2006, 19:53

It's been too long since I've seen this movie.

Lotsa' nostalgia and classic adventuring stuff.

7.9 out of 10

logansixx

04/24/2006, 01:45

I love this movie! I have one of the original advance one sheet's framed and hanging in my living room. It's just fun from start to finish. As many have pointed out, this is a truely underappriciated movie and I wish more people would have seen it when it came out. It's one of the few movies in recent times that I truely wanted to see a sequel for.

9.0 out of 10

olcottr

05/11/2006, 14:07

10
Wow, I had such a crush on Jennifer Connelly after this movie. Then Hollywood went and made her anorexic. :b
But that's not the only reason I like movie.
The scene where the mob guy says "I may be a criminal, but I'm still an American!" Classic!
Timothy Dalton was perfectly dastardly, though that ruined him for Bond later, at least in my eyes.
Great flying scenes, too.

Grinner

05/11/2006, 18:09

8.5

Fun is the perfect word for this movie. On the occassions I actually notice that there is something going on other than Jennifer Connolly looking gorgous :cheeky:

Mjolnir

07/04/2006, 21:01

Dang!! Now I need to check if it's available on dvd!

Found it! :) :) :) :p

the itsy bit

07/05/2006, 07:56

I'll give it a 8/10 too.

it's a good film and how can you go wrong with Nazi's as villains ?!

Jennifer Connely is also looking great... ;)

Timothy Dalton played a great villain.

Wyldstaar

07/05/2006, 14:31

I picked this movie up on DVD last month at Half Price Books. I hadn't seen it since it was in theatres, but I remembered liking it and that it had Jennifer Conelly in it too. I think I probably liked it even more now than I did back then. The only slow bits in the film were scenes with the gorgeous Jennifer Conelly in them, so I didn't mind those a bit. Lots of action, a very retro style story without being campy.

9 of 10

DTM

07/05/2006, 14:40

Its always nice to see new life breathed into one of these Older movie rating threads. :) Especially this one, which to me is one of my favorite comic book movies ever.

Keep in mind all, ALL of these threads are always OPEN. So check the overall score listing at the bottom of our most recent film, The Adventures Of Robin Hood, and if you see something there that you dont agree with, and youve yet to vote on it, go find the thread and state your case. Youd be surprised how much a single vote can change the overall score.

tidge

07/09/2006, 21:02

batfink

07/10/2006, 22:19

I saw this not too long a go on cable and I forgot how fun this movie was.
7.5

Trader2699

07/11/2006, 10:33

7/10

It would have been much higher, but the scene where the jetpack was fixed with chewing gum was too much for me to handle.

Mjolnir

07/14/2006, 03:23

tidge wrote:
but it is definitely lacking something.

I've often wondered about this as well.....even though I just bought it nad watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it I've always felt something is missing.......
Maybe he's not in the jetpack that much? I was always annoyed we didn't get to see it too much.
Maybe it's the pacing? there are some slow parts in the movie....

tidge

07/14/2006, 09:52

I've often wondered about this as well.....even though I just bought it nad watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it I've always felt something is missing.......
Maybe he's not in the jetpack that much? I was always annoyed we didn't get to see it too much.
Maybe it's the pacing? there are some slow parts in the movie....

I've been thinking about this, and my current conclusion is this: If it had been a musical, it probably would have been a classic. (Counter example: Popeye...I loved it, but I think that the songs moved that movie up several notches in my book).

I agree that the problem with Rocketeer is, I think, in it's pacing. As an audience, we rarely see the characters simultaneously working their own agendas. Successful musicals usually have two (or more) characters working their schtick in each number...the other extreme is the Indiana Jones method in which the action is so fast-paced that we are never given a chance to catch breath.

lensnart

05/15/2007, 16:25

Cool look, cool story, cool acting, this is the most underated super hero movie ever. I love this movie and not just because Ms. Connely is looking her best (well other than CarreerOopportunities).

9 out of 10

iameleveneight

10/01/2007, 17:31

8/10 Its a fun 40sish superhero movie. I just love it.

Prof. Aragorn

04/01/2008, 23:34

This is a fun movie (I actually saw it in an LA movie theater, something rare for this Midwestern transplant from the East coast)...but it is definitely lacking something. The plot and acting is solid, the sets and effects are gorgeous, so I have trouble identifying the missing element.

Other than the fact that Disney had something to do with the film, my guess as to that missing element would be the assumed conditional that U.S. = good and Germans/Nazis = bad.

I loved Timothy Dalton in this movie, but why did he have to be a German spy? Couldn't he have still been English or British but a Nazi sympathizer?

I do like Eddie Valentine's turning on Neville St. Claire if only to establish that not all evil is monolithic. However, it does draw in the Disney status quo of U.S. = Good, and our enemies are automatically evil nazi fascists (That cartoon movie was hilarious as it was Disney given a chance to just be themselves . . .)

However, I did like conflict between Dalton's character and Campbell's. Dalton played that popular guy that everyone loves, while Campbell played the average joe with his dreams of soaring into the heavens. When he's given the chance, the Rocketeer outshines Neville St. Claire and does something the famous acter is incapable of - flight. When Dalton first appears, there's a sense of this motive. Neville St. Claire isn't just a nazi - he wants to soar into the heavens like anybody else and he'll stop at nothing to do so.

That, and Lothar is just too damn creepy.

I'd like to change my vote from a 7.9 to an 8.1 out of ten.

Wyldstaar

04/02/2008, 01:01

Other than the fact that Disney had something to do with the film, my guess as to that missing element would be the assumed conditional that U.S. = good and Germans/Nazis = bad.

I loved Timothy Dalton in this movie, but why did he have to be a German spy? Couldn't he have still been English or British but a Nazi sympathizer?

Considering what kind of tale this was, a lack of subtlety is to be expected. The Rocketeer is told as though it were not only set in the pre-WWII US, but was filmed in that era as well. This is exactly the sort of movie that filmmakers would have done back then, if only they had the FX capability and budget to pull it off. The Rocketeer is what Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow wanted to be, but failed to acomplish.

DTM

04/02/2008, 02:03

I'd like to change my vote from a 7.9 to an 8.1 out of ten.

Considering I always round your ratings to the nearly .25 mark (as is specified in the first page of every RtM thread), meaning both of those would be an 8 / 10, theres nothing really to change for you. :)

iameleveneight

04/02/2008, 11:46

Considering what kind of tale this was, a lack of subtlety is to be expected. The Rocketeer is told as though it were not only set in the pre-WWII US, but was filmed in that era as well. This is exactly the sort of movie that filmmakers would have done back then, if only they had the FX capability and budget to pull it off. The Rocketeer is what Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow wanted to be, but failed to acomplish.

But Sky Captain was soooo pretty though!