The Rocketeer - 1991 - Review and Analysis

       To those who have been paying attention to superhero fiction, pulp noir or action-adventure films over the past few decades, The Rocketeer is probably best known as a modestly successful 1991 adventure movie.

       Originating during the indie comics boom of the early 1980s, The Rocketeer debuted as a backup feature in Starslayer #2 from Pacific Comics (publication date, April 1982). The character was the brainchild of one of the most talented illustrators to ever work in the comic book medium, Dave Stevens. Stevens, who had previously dabbled in comics with cover work and concept design, based his character on the movie serial heroes of the 1930's, 40's and 50's. He drew specific inspiration from the obscure film serials, Commando Cody and the King of the Rocketmen.

       Inspired equally by pulp magazines, movie serials, old Hollywood gangster films and a general interest in aviation, Dave Stevens steeped his hero deeply in the period of the 1930’s. Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot and barnstormer in 1938 Los Angeles, discovers a mysterious jetpack and uses it in a fight against evil and corruption. The stories featured many famous (yet unnamed for copyright purposes) faces from the pulp magazine world, including a character who bares strong resemblance to The Shadow as well as the jetpack’s inventor, an unidentified Doc Savage. Cliff's girlfriend, Betty, is modeled after pinup goddess, Bettie Page.

       The Dave Stevens stories, as well as some of the Rocketeer adventures that have come since the character’s initial run, are some of my favorite stories of all time. I think the appeal lies in escapist fantasy: the idea of flying and fighting crooked gangsters with nothing but your wits and a strong sense of morality.

       Development for the film had begun almost immediately when Stevens optioned the rights in 1983. Initial plans fell through until writers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo were offered a free option by Stevens. The project went through several phases, eventually being turned down by every major studio in Hollywood. A low budget adaptation was also considered until Disney, seeing the potential for merchandise, accepted a deal.

       The original story from the comics was slightly overhauled and Betty  was changed from a pinup model to an actress named Jenny Blake. The mysterious inventor of the rocket pack went from an unnamed Doc Savage to the famous aviator, Howard Hughes. The film was brilliantly cast with Billy Campbell as Secord, Alan Arkin as Peevy, and Jennifer Connelly as the girlfriend. The film’s baddie, Neville Sinclair, an actor doubling as a Nazi agent, was played by the incomparable Timothy Dalton. Tiny Ron Taylor was very impressive as the Lothar character.

       The film bombed at the box office, mainly due to lack of a good marketing campaign as well as being up against some pretty heavy hitters like Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Critical reviews were mixed but, overall it’s a delightful piece of escapism. Although it takes some liberties with the source material, this film can be seen as one of the best comic book adaptations of all time and one of the best comic book movies, pre Marvel Cinematic Universe.

       The Rocketeer is probably the only pulp-inspired character from modern comics that has carried on past an initial spark of interest. Since initial publication he has seen the movie adaptation, toys, video games and more comics (by different authors than Stevens) released by IDW Publishing. Dave Stevens died tragically in 2008, at the age of 52, after a long battle with cancer, but talk about a legacy. Pulp adventure characters don’t seem to be as popular to modern audiences as the better-known superheroes of DC and Marvel, so what a treat it is that IDW continues to help the character endure. 

Citation

‘http://www.pjfarmer.com/secret/marvelous/ironman.htm’.

‘http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/958/958239p1.html’. 2010.

My Top Ten Comic Book/Superhero Movies

The following is a ranking of, what I consider to be, the best comic book movies ever made. There are many great superhero films and as a result this list was hard to compile.

I rate these movies on 3 criteria:

1) Faithfulness: Does the film boil the source material or character(s) down to its essence, hit the major points of the character or at least give a decent idea to the viewer of what the mythos is all about?

2) Entertainment Value: Is the film entertaining? Does it leave the viewer with a sense of wonder, amusement or enjoyment?

3) Story: Does the film tell a compelling story? Does the story fit the character?
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10) Hellboy (2004)

Although director Guillermo Del Toro took some liberties with the movie version of Hellboy, this film tells a compelling story. The film is well paced and gives a succinct origin for the hero, hitting many of the major beats of the first Hellboy story, Seed of Destruction. For many people, myself included, this was what got them into the Hellboy comics.
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9) Road To Perdition (2002)

Although not a superhero movie, this film is based on one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. Famed crime fiction writer, Max Allan Collins wrote a fast paced, suspenseful tale that was turned into one of the greatest modern noir films. Tom Hanks was brilliantly cast as the lead, Michael Sullivan. This should be held up as an example that great comic book movies don’t have to feature long underwear characters.
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8) Batman Begins (2005)

While this is probably the best Batman movie ever made on a filmic level, it forsakes much of the fantasy of a superhero in favor of grounded realism. The film is a master class in dramatic storytelling, taking its main cue from the story, Batman Year One. It even manages to tell a great origin story, playing on the fears of a post-9/11 world. However, it misses the escapism that a great superhero story can provide. This is a great Batman movie. The rest of the Dark Knight trilogy, while well-made films, are not good adaptations and explicate too much.
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7) Spider-man 2 (2004)

This movie is the most impressive statement about Spider-man ever put to screen. It boils everything about the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko creation down to its essence and features, arguably, the best villain in Spider-man’s rogues gallery, Doctor Octopus. It’s a movie with great action, a fun story, and is probably as close as classic Spidey will ever come to being straight off the page.
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6) The Avengers (2012)

This film is probably the best superhero team movie ever made. It is the blueprint for how to film a team of superheroes. It builds off of many of the solo hero movies that gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and manages to be mostly faithful to the origin of the team. Impressive visual effects and a credible villain make this film an entertaining spectacle.
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5) Wonder Woman (2017)

Before seeing this I had not been very impressed with DC’s attempt at a cinematic universe for their heroes. Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice were not that great. Wonder Woman changed my mind. It is one of the best superhero films to ever come out of DC and one of the best superhero movies of the last few years. Gal Gadot is impressive in her role as the Amazon Princess but the story is what really blew me away. There is faithfulness to the origin and it works well as a period film.
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4) The Rocketeer (1991)

The Rocketeer is the perfect example of a pulpy action adventure film. It tells an engaging story, features plenty of action, has heart and is one of the most faithful adaptations of a graphic novel ever put to screen. Billy Campbell is perfectly cast as The Rocketeer and Timothy Dalton expertly plays the villainous Neville Sinclair. Jennifer Connelly isn’t too bad either. This is one of the greatest adventure films ever made.
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3) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nails the tone of its source material better than any superhero movie ever made. It perfectly captures the gritty, fun and absurd flavor of the original comic book. It adds a few details from the wildly popular cartoon show of the late 80’s and melds everything that was ever good about the TMNT into a masterpiece. Its compelling story is constructed out of bits and pieces of the first dozen issues of the original comic series. It’s probably the greatest TMNT movie that could ever be made.

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2) Batman (1989)

This film is more style over substance and doesn’t really feature much of a plot, but its importance in the pantheon of superhero movies cannot be denied. I rank this so highly as a superhero movie almost purely out of childhood nostalgia. It takes liberties with the mythos and is very indicative of the time it was created in. That being said, every time I watch it, I am impressed and awed by the set pieces and the mood. The film is such an entertaining spectacle, and gives me such a feeling of joy, that it will forever be one of my favorites. It’s also the purest expression, in live action anyway, of the Batman from the 70’s and 80’s, my favorite eras in the bat books. For more on this movie, go here.
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1) Superman: The Movie (1978)

In 1978, when Superman was released, director Richard Donner delivered a blueprint for all future superhero movies to follow. This is the gold standard for all comic book films. Christopher Reeve was perfectly cast as Superman. The story was an epic three-act fantasy that also served as a compelling origin. The effects were like nothing ever seen at the time and are especially impressive because they were all practical effects. It perfectly captures the essence of Superman’s character and is an affectionate tribute to one of pop-culture’s most important icons.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Dark Knight (2008)

X2: X-men United (2003)

Black Panther (2018)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)