The Rocketeer (1991) – A Good Idea That Never Quite Takes Off
Los Angeles, 1938. The world is on the brink of war. Hollywood is a neon-lit dream, full of gangsters, movie stars, and fast-talking dames. A stunt pilot finds a rocket pack and suddenly, he’s dodging bullets and soaring above the city like something out of a pulp magazine.
Sounds like the perfect adventure, right? It should be. But The Rocketeer—Disney’s 1991 tribute to old-school serials and mid-century swashbuckling—never quite takes off. It’s a film that looks great, has all the right ingredients, but never fully commits to the thrill.
It wants to soar. Instead, it hesitates.
 |
| Movie poster by John Mattos |
A Throwback to a Time That Never Was
Directed by Joe Johnston (yes, the guy who later gave us Captain America: The First Avenger), The Rocketeer is pure pulp adventure, a love letter to old serials, comic books, and a time when heroes wore leather jackets and flew with reckless abandon. It’s based on Dave Stevens’ 1982 comic, itself a nostalgic nod to the 1930s.
The film’s got everything: Art Deco glitz, Nazi spies, mobsters in fedoras, and Jennifer Connelly framed in soft lighting. It should be a home run. But it’s not. It’s a promising blueprint that never fully materializes into the film it could have been.
The Plot – Simple, Maybe Too Simple
Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), a hotshot stunt pilot with more charm than brains, finds a stolen experimental jetpack and decides to, well, strap it to his back and see what happens. What follows is a classic hero’s journey—except, instead of truly rising to the occasion, Cliff mostly stumbles through it.
The government wants the jetpack back, the mob wants to sell it, and a suave Hollywood actor named Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) wants it for far more sinister reasons—turns out, he’s working for the Nazis. Cliff’s best girl, Jenny (Jennifer Connelly), gets caught in the crossfire, and suddenly, this unremarkable pilot isn’t just a man on the run—he’s a hero.
The problem? The stakes never feel quite high enough. Cliff never really becomes the Rocketeer—he just happens to wear the suit. For a movie about a man with a jetpack, there’s surprisingly little flying.
What Works: The Look, The Vibe, The Poster
Visually, The Rocketeer is a knockout. Johnston nails the 1930s aesthetic—gleaming Packards, neon-lit nightclubs, and Howard Hughes as an actual character. Every frame feels like it was pulled straight from a vintage postcard. The costume design is pitch-perfect, and the Art Deco film poster? Chef’s kiss. If only the movie itself were as bold as its advertising.
Then there’s James Horner’s score—big, sweeping, and exactly what a movie about a man with a rocket pack needs. And Timothy Dalton? He’s clearly having a blast, hamming it up as Errol Flynn if Errol Flynn were secretly a fascist. His Neville Sinclair is easily the best part of the film—debonair, dangerous, and just the right amount of over-the-top. You almost want to root for him.
What Doesn’t Work: The Pacing, The Stakes, The Rocketeer Himself
For a movie about a guy who flies, The Rocketeer is surprisingly sluggish. The pacing drags, especially in the second act, and while the aerial sequences are fun, they’re not enough to make up for the lack of real momentum.
And then there’s Cliff Secord himself. He’s likable but bland—he’s no Indiana Jones. Billy Campbell, while charming, doesn’t have the weight to carry the film. He’s a fine leading man, but not an unforgettable one. Part of the problem is the writing—Cliff never really grows, never evolves beyond a reckless pilot. He doesn’t even want to be a hero; he just gets caught up in everything. Imagine if Indiana Jones had spent all of Raiders of the Lost Ark wondering if he should even be in the movie.
And the Rocketeer suit? It looks great but is woefully underused. Instead of thrilling aerial dogfights or daring escapes, we get a lot of fumbling and accidental heroics. The movie treats its own central gadget as more of a liability than an asset, which is a strange choice for a film about a guy who can fly.
The Science of Strapping a Jet to Your Back
Let’s be honest: rocket packs should be awesome. In reality? Less so. The idea of a man-sized jetpack has been around since the 1920s, but the physics are brutal. Most real-world attempts—like the Bell Rocket Belt of the 1960s—could only stay airborne for about 30 seconds before running out of fuel.
Modern jetpacks exist, but they’re noisy, inefficient, and mostly stunt-show novelties. The concept of a fully functional, Rocketeer-style jetpack remains firmly in the realm of science fiction. But The Rocketeer at least acknowledges some of the issues—heat burns, fuel limitations—it just doesn’t spend much time worrying about them. Which is fine. This is a movie where gangsters team up with the FBI to fight Nazis. Realism was never the goal. Or maybe it was.
Legacy – Almost Greatness, But Not Quite
The Rocketeer was supposed to launch a franchise. Disney had big plans for sequels, merchandise, and a new swashbuckling hero for the ages. But it underperformed at the box office, overshadowed by juggernauts like Terminator 2 and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Critics were kind, audiences were lukewarm, and the jetpack never quite took off.
Yet, in the years since, it’s found a cult following. The film’s retro charm, its Art Deco styling, and its sincere (if underwhelming) adventure have endeared it to a generation of fans. And in 2019, Disney announced a sequel was in the works. Maybe, just maybe, The Rocketeer will finally get the high-flying adventure it deserves.
Final Verdict: A Good Time, Not a Great One
Here’s the thing: The Rocketeer isn’t bad. It’s fun, charming, and made with love. But it lacks the spark that would have made it a classic. Maybe it plays things too safe. Maybe Cliff isn’t compelling enough. Maybe it just needed more jetpack action. It should have soared. Instead, it just sort of hovers.
Still, it’s worth watching for the visuals, the nostalgia, and Timothy Dalton chewing scenery like it’s his last meal. If you love old-school adventure flicks, give it a shot. Just don’t expect liftoff.
Rating: 6/10 – A solid flight, but not quite sky-high.
Original Trailer courtesy of Youtube Channel RottenTomatoesCLASSICTRAILERS
.jpg)
