The Rocketeer: Rocket to Your Heart
I’m watching the Rocketeer. I have not watched this movie since the 1990’s. It’s nostalgic and oddly comforting. The score reminds me of something grand and epic and Dave Stevens design of the rocketeer is iconic. These are the reasons I love this talkie. With its clear lines of good versus evil and its boy scouted hero Cliff Secord this movie has all the elements to blast its way into your heart.
Disney has a way of doing this better than most. It’s as if they breed nostalgia and The Rocketeer hits it on all levels. You want to believe while watching that all things are possible. Made in an era of extreme cynicism Secords never ending belief in himself and the people around him is refreshing. Go take a listen to the music of the 90’s not a lot of “Everything is Awesome” but a lot of “Blackhole Sun“.
Producing a movie with so much optimism during a decade of self loathing might not have been the best move for Disney. However, time is the ultimate test flight and 25+ years later The Rocketeer is still bucking its 90’s melodrama era. It has become a much loved cult classic.
The Rocketeer was created by Dave Stevens and first appeared in Pacific Comics Starslayers #2 and harkens back to the serialized Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930’s through the 1950’s. If you are interested in reading all the original Rocketeer stories check out IDW published “Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures”.
Go watch The Rocketeer and remember to keep watching the skies you never know what you’ll see.
Fall 2019 Disney Animation is releasing a brand new version of The Rocketeer for a new generation.
Stats:
Production Budget: $35 million
Domestic Total Gross: $46,704,056
Foreign Total Gross: N/A
Total Box Office Gross: $46,704,056
Starring: Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Written by: Dave Stevens (graphic novel “The Rocketeer”), Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, William Dear (story/screenplay)
Distributor: Buena Vista
Release Date: June 21, 1991
Genre: Period Action
Runtime: 1 hrs. 48 min.
MPAA Rating: PG