From Failure to Redemption: The Story of The Rocketeer 

I was 8 years old and hyped as hell when this movie first hit theaters. Years later, when I heard it was a flop, my first thought was, "No it wasn't, I was there!"

The world wasn't ready for the sheer greatness of the Rocketeer

"I may not make an honest buck, but I'm 100% American."

Completely underrated movie.

This movie, as well as Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow, needs so much more love.

One thing people don't bring up enough is how good the score to this movie is as well. The music was fantastic in this, and gave it such a great timely feel.

I showed up to the theater for The Rocketeer. I came back for Jennifer Connelly. That movie taught me a lot.

I love the Rockateer as a kid. It felt like Indiana Jones meets Dick Tracy with a rocket. Plus, Timothy Dalton is the best.

I had the good fortune of teaching one of Joe Johnston’s kids years ago, and when I found out that he was coming to graduation, I was literally pre-gaming my mental script for how I wanted to thank him for his contributions to my childhood. I mentioned this to his son, and he said-in a moment that will be playing back in my brain on my deathbed-“just don’t mention ‘The Rocketeer’.” And that was it. No chaser. No qualifier. And as instructed, I didn’t. But with god as my witness, I was looking from an opportunity to corner the poor guy during the entire after-party, with the intention of LETTING HIM KNOW THAT THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE PERSON WHO WILL DIE ON THE HILL OF THAT MOVIE BEING AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC. If I ever cross paths with him again, I’ll show no restraint or mercy. I love this silly-ass movie, full stop.

It severely underperformed (being released a week before _T2_ didn't help) but I'll never forget that first weekend theater viewing - the audience cheered throughout. A near perfect movie.

A simply beautiful shot film with just a solid classic plot. That little period of "retro" 30s-40s Noir Serials style movies in the late 80s-1992, was just a gift!

The Rocketeer is such a fun movie. I'm glad the movie's gotten more love over the years

This movie has held up so well. As good today as its ever been

I love The Rocketeer, its one of those random movies in my life that I can watch again and again.

Terrific family movie with an unmatched aesthetic. One of my wife’s all time favourites.

Watched this in the cinema when it first got released and fell in love with the aesthetic but it’s truly one of the best superHERO movies. He’s never the cleverest or best person in the room and the character and movie makes sure to acknowledge that. He’s not relying on a superpower or McGuffin, it’s just grit, determination, moral fortitude and a bit of street smarts.

As a kid, I dreamed that The Phantom, The Shadow, and the Rocketeer would all team up, maybe against the classic "Universal" monsters.

I loved this movie and always rewatch it. I still can’t believe it was a flop 😢

I remember when I first saw it. I had to do a medical test that required me to stay up all night. So to help me stay awake, my Dad rented a few movies for me to binge watch. One was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, another was The Rocketeer. Really enjoyed both of them and still watch them today.

Was totally obsessed with this movie as a kid. Even made a custom firework out of a nerds box and a bottle rocket. The marketing worked

I saw it opening day, but I was a fan of the comic and was 17 at the time. I met Dave Stevens a few years after that and he appreciated my enthusiasm for the film. He was a nice guy and signed my books. RIP Dave Stevens. To this day, I remain a big fan of all things Rocketeer. One of the best comic costume designs ever!

I, too, will die on this hill. The Rocketeer was a picture-perfect movie that hit every story beat for a pulp film, had an electrifying cast, and had the added bonus of even getting me through a very rough breakup that very month. I still watch this movie every one or two years because it's just so damned fun, and I really wish they had the clout at the time to make a sequel.

God, I absolutely love the Rocketeer. I remember seeing it on TV and thinking the helmet was so cool. When I got older I found the comics at my local comic shop (shout out to Gecko Books) and thought they were way better than the movie, but I was also incredibly bummed out because there were only a handful of issues. Now that I'm well into my 30's I have an even deeper fondness for the character, the references, and for Dave Stevens.

My Dad took me to see this in theaters when I was 8. he's a big history buff, WWII & civil war mostly, so this was up his alley. I was interested enough in the Era that he would buy me bomber models & took us to see the actual defunct bombers at a local aviation museum where you could crawl around inside (yes, even at 8, I had to crawl). we also went to Disney world that year and MGM was crawling with silver age cinema vibes, which definitely got me down with that motif. my dad even rented the 5 VHS volume of some serial that inspired this flick so we could watch it together. then, after finding out da Vinci tried making wings, I wrote an 3 paragraph "story" called "The Renaissance Rocketeer" in 3rd grade having no clue what the rennaisance actually was. anyways...this movie still rocks, despite some popcorn deus ex machina, and it inspired may interests for at least one tyke who appreciates it all these years later. so eve if no one reads this whole thing of mine...which is longer Than the aforementioned da Vinci story....this seems like the right place to share what this movie did for me...and for me & my Dad.

I remember not expecting much when "The Rocketeer" came out but after watching it I was pleasantly surprised. It had allot of charm and director Joe Johnston bought that same charm to the first Captain America movie for the MCU.

One of the greatest family adventure films of all time, and the Soundtrack/Score is absolutely legendary

My favourite superhero movie of all time, tied for that spot with Hellboy.

What always got me with The Rocketeer was the music. That theme tune just slips into my mental playlist and can play in the background for weeks... And the design of the costume is so perfect.

I had my mom take me to the theater to see The Rocketeer when I was a kid. She was astounded that I even knew what it was. I had recently seen Dick Tracy and loved it and wanted to see more like it. Those two movies made me a fan of 30s and 40s pulp action for life. The Rocketeer is still one of my favorite films ever.

Loved 'The Rocketeer' ever since I first saw it on Sky Movies back in 1993/94. The aesthetic was great, James Horner's score fit so well. It was one of those films which actually lived up to the initial trailer. Lothar _"Where is it?"_ Cliff: _"Where's what?"_ [Puts Cliff's head through ceiling] *_"The Rocket!"_* Cliff: [Heavy breath] _"Sure you got the right house...?"_

Quite easily one of my most favourite movies of all time. Still holds up to this day!

The Rocketeer was one of my favorite movie as a child. I thought I was so smart because I knew that Rocketeer meant someone who dealt with rockets like puppeteer.

One of my all time favorite movies. The theme was used in EVERYTHING around that time. One of the male figure skaters are the nearest Olympics even used it for their routine. Having grown up on movies from the 30s and 40s, this film is the best of the "vintage" style from the 80s that captures the warmth of the original films of the Era.

Had the privilege of meeting Dave Stevens at an Olivia exhibition. After I got over the shock of seeing one of my idols and he got over the shock of being recognized we had a pleasant conversation during which I asked him if he'd ever considered doing a comic featuring Honey West. Sadly he passed away before we'll ever know if he even considered it.

My favorite scene of that movie is when the Rocketeer was in the back of the pickup truck and he told the old man you drive and I'll push. And when he kick those rockets in they were rolling. Or what we should call it back then booking.

The movie got me into the comics, which got me into Bettie Page. Loved how Dave Stevens and Bettie were friends and it was his work that reinvigorated interest in her work. This movie gets a re-watch every 6 months. As with many other commentators, it does have a great feel to it and it is comparable to Captain America the First Avenger. Would love to see what Secret Galaxy could dig up on Crimson Skies, the computer game, table top miniatures games that is set around the same period.

I’m 35 and my brother and I loved this movie, one of the first ones I watched on Disney+. I wish we could have got more, could totally see this being remain at some point.

I love this movie; saw it in the theater and bought it the moment I found it on DVD. A while back I picked up Dave Stevens's autobiography-he had a full-on Rocketeer costume he out together for comic shop appearances in the 80's, plus he had a brief cameo appearance in the movie as one of the rocket pack test pilots that blew up on ignition. RIP Dave and now Paul Sorvino.

Unsung classic

I remember seeing this as a kid and digging it, but not falling in love with it. I did fall in love with Jennifer Connelly tho

One thing i remember was Disney's MGM Studios. They had just opened it at Disney World and Eisner (never to miss a chance a synergy) really pushed the Rocketeer as part of their celebration of the golden age of Hollywood theme. They even had a guy in a jet pack lift off, hover about fifty feet off the ground and quickly depart. Just a random memory filed away with the Rocketeer.

It hits my favourite aesthetic. The Rocketeer, The Phantom and Sky Captain are my top three films to watch again and again.

Saw it in the theater and loved it ever since. A Rocketeer helmet is on my list of things to build for cosplay.

Rocketeer had a top 5 all time movie poster

The "Jason throwing Boba Fett into the Sarlacc pit" will never get old! It's the gif that keeps on giving!

I loved all those 30's comics movies from the 90's; Dick Tracy, The Phantom, and the Shadow, plus all the other indie ones as well. I loved them all. I will die on the hill of The Rocketeer being the perfectly written and shot movie. I used it my script writing class, and my 11 year old son just saw it for the first time this year on Disney+ and loved it. This movie is one the best films of the 90's and just came out during the wrong release window. I was there opening weekend, and I was on the edge of my seat. This is a classic that I will always love.

The first time I saw the 1991 movie was a month ago and I was really surprised at how enjoyable it was to watch. And by the way, great content that I have found, greetings from Peru! I follow you from the Twin peaks video! ;D

I LOVED the Rocketeer when I was a kid! I had the first issue of the comic book (destroyed by my then toddler sister), and I made the helmet and rocket pack out of cardboard boxes. Man… That was awesome. Adulthood sucks.

The Rocketeer was one of my favourite films when I was a kid. I loved so much of it, and it was how I remembered a few actors for several years (Terry O'Quinn's Howard Hughes, even Jennifer Connelly, though I did love Labyrinth), for many I still think of this film first, particularly Timothy Dalton and Billy Campbell. The aesthetic of the era, Billy Campbell's acting, the ranging tone (high-flying action, comedy, noir action, dark horror), it was (and still is) fantastic. I would've loved to see more of it, and even still would be happy to see another (even if they want to go with something closer to the source material, I'm game). Honestly didn't know it was based on a comic (makes sense, should've known), might try a read. It's also why I ended up watching films like The Shadow and The Phantom (I kinda dug both, especially The Shadow) but especially the wacky Dick Tracy (I collected...most every one of that film's action figures). Honestly, it seems I was really off the zeitgeist for the 90s, as I seem to have loved a lot of the flops (Newsies, anyone?) and don't care for some of the big hits, like Titanic. Also, can we take a moment to recognize how ridiculous Joe Johnston's career is? "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids", "The Rocketeer", "Jurassic Park III", "Captain America: The First Avenger"...it's an interesting range.

The airport scenes were filmed where I live now, Santa Maria airport. Nothing has changed at the airport, it still looks the same based on the movie. Also, you now need to play the Jason scene and the sarlac pit sequence in every video Dan.

I worked for a Software company in the 80s and was the distributors of Cinemaware, they made Defender of the Crown, The Three Stooges and The Rocket Ranger, which was the Rocketeer, but due to licencing laws, and Disney, had to be renamed.

The rocketeer leather tunic, Mauser c96, rocket pack and The incredible helmet are such an iconic art deco design.

I remember seeing it at a sneak preview event two weeks before the actual release. It was a whole thing, with a carnival outside the theater and everything.

I love the Rocketeer! I saw it shortly after it came out on vhs. I had the helmet shaped cup from Pizza Hut. I have wanted more Rocketeer for decades. The music, the visuals, everything is perfect! Disney+ needs to get around to this

My favorite part of the movie is when the FBI agent and mobster, who had been playing cat and mouse through the whole movie, find themselves on the same side at the end. They’re both taking potshots at Nazis, then look at each other and grin. Edit: Wow, I had that Mighty Men set as a kid. I haven’t thought about that in decades. Also, definitely saw the movie in the theater a few times.

Lots of positive feedback here, Dave would have appreciated your support. Thanks to all of you!

When I saw this in the theater at age nine my life was changed. Jennifer Connelly gave me a funny feeling I never felt before.

I've yet to meet a person who has seen this classic and not loved it. The epitome of underrated.

Creator Dave Stevens talked about sitting in the Hollywood Hills the night of the premiere, seeing the klieg lights below at the theater rotating their beams into the sky, and feeling grateful and happy that his creation was now an official movie. A week later, he sadly realized it was getting crushed at the box office by T2. He was surprisingly sanguine about it. I chatted with him on the phone once; a very nice, unassuming man. His artwork was great, this movie and actors were top-notch, it'll always be fun. Always.

I loved this as a kid. I almost wore a hole in my VHS copy. I also loved Tank Girl.

I saw The Rocketeer in Marquette, MI at the Delft Theater. 10 year old Casey loved it. I still have wildly fond memories of that movie. I’m glad it’s finally being recognized for how great it really was.

I saw this in theaters, and it's one of my favorite movies of all time. I even had a Rocketeer themed birthday party, and had the whole set of the trading cards

I still love this movie. Saw this opening weekend in the Rogers, AR Dixieland Mall theatre with my mom & sister. I bought it on video cassette, and more recently found it on DVD. Just a really great movie with lots of fun concepts, great acting, excellent editing, and all around fun.

The Rocketeer and The Shadow are really under-rated movies with an awesome aesthetic, they may have flopped at the box office but they'r really movies everyone should see

One of my all time favorite movies. I've watched it at least 50 times. It was 100 made with kids who still thought it was the 40s like me. I even had the terrible Nintendo game and I still have the novelty pizza hut cup.

No mention that the director went on to make Captain America 1, along with all the movie similarities? And I friggin love this movie. Loved it as a kid; love it today.

I was an 80's/90's kid that was obsessed with Batman and Turtles. I remember seeing this movie advertised back then and being indifferent to it. We never watched it. I didn't see the film till it hit Disney+. Honestly it deserves better than it got. It was an enjoyable film.

Loved the Rocketeer. Great comics and the movie did its best. Great cast but just didn’t find the audience then.

Joe Johnston tells the interesting story of his first big film job: His friend & fellow art school graduate Dave Stevens gave him a tip that some director named George Lucas was hiring up in Marin County CA. Joe got a job as a storyboard artist on Star Wars , eventually designing some of the better - known ships in that movie. It's great that he was able to return the favor years later as the director of Dave Stevens' Rocketeer.

Fell in love with Dave Steven's art as a kid after stumbling onto his Rocketeer comic. At the time it had been collected into a GN by Eclipse Comics. So when the Rocketeer movie adaptation came out, I was among the first in line. I was friggin' blown away! It was the most amazing movie experience. Thrilling and breathtaking. I remember clapping along with the audience during the end credits.

I saw The Rocketeer in theaters at the age of four and remember that I absolutely loved the movie. Yes, it has some slow parts (I tended to zone out during the scenes with Neville and Jenny at the South Seas Club, etc.) but my four year old brain was fascinated by the rocket pack. When it went to cable, my parents recorded it on VHS and I rewatched it more times than I can remember. As an adult, I'm impressed by the well written screenplay. There are many small details and setups that pay off later in the movie. Cliff Secord is a regular guy who takes action to help the people he cares about. The casting is great. The music by James Horner is inspiring. I can put this movie on anytime and enjoy it. Best of all, I recently put on my Blu-ray copy for my five year old son, and he enjoyed it. Yes, I love this movie.

I revisit this movie all the time. Great cast, great music, great look, and a great movie.

Dude, I loved the Rocketeer when it came out in theaters! And I was super pissed that there were basically no toys for it. Would definitely buy a Rocketeer helmet even today.

I will never understand why this movie bombed. As a kid, it blew my mind. Never heard before that it was somewhat inspired in Indiana Jones but I can see it.

Saw it in the cinema on first release & loved it then as I do now. Utterly underrated & full of genuine soul & charm. The team who made this movie loved the character & it's world & it absolutely showed! Gem of a film & respectful to the original source material also.

a young Jennifer Connelly is best part

God bless the studios for how they interpreted the success of Batman '89. They genuinely looked at it and thought "wow, kids really love 30's Pulp heroes like Batman!" and so we got The Rocketeer, The Shadow, Dick Tracy...

Read the comics during the Eclipse run. Saw the movie during the original theatrical run. Rewatched IDK how many times. And now I need to watch it again. And again. And again. It's a nigh-on perfect movie.

One of those movies that not a lot of people saw, but those who did all loved it. I remember seeing this in the theater. (And Dick Tracy, too! Never saw The Phantom, though; I'm fine with that.) The story of the studio trying to meddle with the helmet is *horrifying!*

The Rocketeer was an amazing film, saw it in the theaters back as a teenager. I was already familiar with the character since I had the trade and a couple of the issues i was able to find at my local shop. Just recently IDW released the artist edition for the book. This is a rerelease but has some extra stuff that was not included in the first version. Great character and one of the best Disney movies hands down from that period. Disney should do a team up between the Rocketeer and Condor Man.

The Rocketeer and The Shadow are two nearly perfect films, in my opinion. They deserve more love.

That diamond select figure is really cool...got it a few years ago and its one of my faves (I think i saw it here first actually!)

Jennifer Connelly was smoking hot in the Rocketeer.

This brought back a lot of memories. At the time, I was working as the foley stage recordist for Taj Soundworks in Hollywood. I had the pleasure of working on the Rocketeer and truly enjoyed the film. I even went to the cast and crew screening, which if I remember correctly was held at the Writer's Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. Sadly, it was the last time I got to see an old friend, composer James Horner, who was a truly nice guy as well as an amazing film composer. I've watched the film a few times since then and still enjoy it. Oh, and as for your mention of Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, I worked on that too. The Rocketeer was so much better! Thanks for the wonderful story about the Rocketeer!

You must really love that clip with Jason and Boba Fett....You used it like 5 times in the video. I'm only at minute 11 and it's already 4 times...

I loved this movie and I was the Rocketeer for Halloween that year, with a costume made by my mom, including a paper mache helmet, and a rocket pack made primarily from two liter bottles and aluminum foil. It was... a look.

I saw it at a drive in and it was perfect! One of the few times I didn’t fall alseep on the way home (because i was to busy imagining flying through the sky and punching nazis off of blimps)

I love the cuts to Boba Fett falling into the Sarlac Pit, hilarious! I saw the Rocketeer at least on the small screen, awesome movie! It might have helped build my love of Steampunk.

The gangster henchman Lothar was actually based on a real Hollywood horror actor named Rondo Hatton. He was in films in the 1930s and 40s such as House of Horrors. His face looked like that due to a birth defect.

Dude! 'The Rocketeer' is one of my all time favorite Childhood movies! (Tied for #1 favorite with 'Hook'.) I had loads of the film's weird merchandise as a kid, including the bendy rubber action figure!

Hey Dan, what's with the two creepy Rejuvenique facial toning masks on the left-hand side?

I saw it on vhs for the first time because it didn't come to our theater but Robin Hood Prince of Thieves did lol. Moon Over Miami is one of those great underrated shows like South of Sunset. Jennifer Connely will always be remembered for Career Opportunities for me along with Labyrinth. I have heard about all the different Rocketeer reboots, sequels and requels through the years and I hope one of them sticks.

I liked the part where Dan fell down a staircase and his hair fell off of his head

My kid loves the animated series so I've seen all of the episodes about 43 times. As a fan of the original movie, the series feels like a fitting tribute. Sweet, optimistic, fun, and action packed. The legendary Frank Welker lends his voice as Ambrose Secord (Kit's grandfather), and Kit's father is played by the original Rocketeer, Billy Campbell!

The Rocketeer, The Shadow, The Phantom. Those movies were good. Not great, just good.

The multiple cuts to that amazing edit with Boba Fett was hilarious.

I miss the days when the Nazis were clearly bad guys, instead of dinner guests and base for a certain political party.

When my son was 4 he LOVED the rocketeer cartoon. So much that I had to spend actual days on the internet trying to find the toys that launched with the show. I found a couple for his Christmas and he was the happiest kid.

I remember it well. Saw it in theaters one day after school. I was getting bullied a lot and my mother surprised me to lift my spirits. I’ll always remember seeing it at the theater in Penn hills shopping center.

I watched The Rocketeer at the drive in as a kid here in Louisville KY. It's still one of my favorite movies and brings back great memories from my childhood. A very underrated film! 👍👍