The Living Daylights just may be my favorite Bond picture. It's interesting to note that after WW2 the Army designed an individual hover platform for U.S. troops, that worked, but they were a bit slow and the Army thought that all they would do is provide flying target practice for an enemy, so they scrapped them.
"Jenny, prepare yourself for a shock: I'm the Rocketeer." "The Rocke-who?" "Oh, for crying out loud, haven't you read the papers?" "No, I've been working all day." Critics slammed this movie when it first came out. However there's been a critical reassessment in favor of this movie, which I approve and I agree with. Fun Fact: During the fight scene on-board the zeppelin, Cliff and Neville banter about stunts. This is in reference to Timothy Dalton's time as James Bond, since he is known for being the only Bond actor to perform most of his own stunts. Filming Techniques Fact: During filming, the scenes involving Jenny with Neville Sinclair (as background in the dueling scene and when they are dining at the South Seas Club) followed each other in the shooting schedule. If you look closely, Jennifer Connelly has a sty in her left eye that a doctor had to lance, so that the schedule would not be disrupted. Historical Fact: When Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) and his gang learn that Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) is a Nazi, they quit working for him and join up with the F.B.I. Agents against the Nazi thugs hidden in the shadows. This reflects the attitude of real-life American gangsters during this era, in that they did not like fascism, particularly because Benito Mussolini persecuted the Sicilian Families back in the Old Country. Nor did any Jewish mobsters like Adolf Hitler. In fact, organized crime was one of the biggest allies the American government and law enforcement had, when it came to rooting out Nazi spies and collaborators.
The reviews were actually pretty good, but the movie went up against Terminator 2 and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and did badly at the box office. It has gotten more of a following in later years, though
Alexa, this is directed by Joe Johnston, the same guy who went on to direct “Captain America: The First Avenger”. He gets that rugged American heroism down pat in his movies, and with it being a period piece, it works very well. If you can, you should try “The Shadow”(1994) next. It really belongs side by side with “The Rocketeer” as an example of how to make a 30s era modern art deco movie, but more in the film noir style than the Commando Cody / Flash Gordon serial style. It doesn’t hurt that “The Shadow” is directed by Russell Mulchahy, the creator of “Highlander”.
As a kid, I used to wear a duffle bag like a backpack, a metal bowl on my head, and of course a clicker pen in my hand as I flew around the house. Great times.
I dunno if Dalton is my favorite Bond, but he's up there. "License To Kill" is up there in my favorite Bond films, that's for sure. He's a heel in "Hot Fuzz" and hilarious.
He was absolutely glorious in Hot Fuzz. I think if a screenwriter tailor-made a Bond script featuring his strengths, he would have made it to four films in the series at the least.
Love this movie. It was part of the trifecta of 1930s era movies that came out in the early 90s along with The Phantom & the Shadow. The director of this movie also directed the first Captain America movie.
Fun Fact: Dick Tracy (1990), The Rocketeer (1991) and the Phantom (1996) where all set in 1938. The Shadow (1994) occurs several years after the first WW.
One of the best comic book movies pre-MCU. Sadly, the creator passed away from leukemia several years ago. This was originally planned to be a trilogy, but the box office ended those plans. However, there are plans to make a sequel with some historical adjustments.
Thank you for this! This is a childhood film of my own, and a huge point of bonding between me and my sister. I think you'll be interested to know the interior of Neville Sinclair's home is the Ennis house, a home in Los Angeles which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Also, if you're looking for another fantabulous film in which Alan Arkin costars, please take the time to watch Mother Night! It's adapted from my favorite novel from my favorite author, and it also involves Nazis.
Based on a comic book from the 80's. The movie was directed by Joe Johnston who worked for George Lucas at industrial Light and Magic and was responsible for a lot of the mechanical creations in Star Wars and largely responsible for the design of Boba Fett.
I grew up watching serials which featured "Commando Cody" and his jet pack and bullet-shaped helmet. Those serials were created during the post-WWII era. This film is just an earlier (1930s) version of rocket-propelled hero. I remember Bell labs experimenting with back-mounted jet packs. One such gizmo was featured in an early episode of the 1960s TV series, "Lost in Space." Thanks, Alexa, for this review. Cheers -- W
Other super-heroic films set during the, 'Golden Age' (1930s & 40s), include the Phantom; The Shadow, & Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. All worth watching. Also, of course, Captain America: The First Avenger. Oh, & Dick Tracy. Maybe also the Mummy, but I haven't seen it yet, so I can't say for sure. And, Tim Dalton's one of my favourite Bonds, too - Connery's my fave, then Dalton at #2.
She mentioned Sky Captain in this reaction, so I'm sure she's seen it, but I second The Mummy, though shed probably seen it too. I would add A Series of Unfortunate Events, any adaptation (neither of them truly live up to the books), and maybe Grand Budapest Hotel, also set around that era.
@@alexachipman Mike: "And it was then Thumbelina stumbled upon the frozen body of Yukon Cornelius just inches from the largest gold deposit ever discovered." / Mike: "Welcome to the Island of Misfit drama club students!"rifftrax joke 🤣
I remember encountering the trailer to this movie when I was a child. Of course I really wanted to watch it, but for whatever reason it didn't happen. Possibly because that was during a time when both of my parents had a lot going on with their jobs and I simply wasn't old enough yet to go to the theater on my own. And after a while I completely forgot this movie existed. Fast forward around 28 years later. I was carrying my son on my shoulders doing some shopping at Woolworths. He was about the same age as I was when I watched that trailer. By coincidence I looked to the left and saw a DVD on a grab table that had an interesting looking cover. The movies' title seemed vaguely familiar but I had not idea what I was looking at. Well, it cost less than a dollar..... I bought it and watched it together with my son. It took only around 28 years but I can tell you that both of us had a great time. Enough so that I never forgot about this event. It was worth the wait. And now, a few years later, we are living in a former theater. We have restored one of the show rooms and now and then we are watching movies there, simply because we can. That reminds me...... while I have watched "The Rocketeer" several times by now I still haven't watched it on the big screen...... Well, I guess I know what we will be doing today. Heheh. Thanks for the inspiration.
@@chs75 It's actually quite a long story, but basically we originally bought it with the intention to turn the building into a modern apartment building. However life got in the way and we needed to move from where we lived before from one day to another. Originally we intended to buy a regular house for our family, but doing so would have taken time. And we had to move very quickly. I didn't want for my family to live in a hotel or who knows where else, so we decided to "temporarily" move into the old theater until we had found a fitting house. Well, it turned out that wasn't necessary as we all fell in love with the building. The plan to turn it into an apartment building was dropped and instead we renovated it, turning it into a mix of a theater, a museum, an aqua-zoo, and an old-fashioned mansion in the process. Basically the lobby, the main stair case and one of the show rooms are still very much like a regular theater, with the entire equipment coming from another theater that had closed a while later and the owners of which pretty much sold everything they had on the street, including projectors, seats, curtains, and a popcorn machine...... And that is how we came to live in a theater. It's pretty awesome and very comfy.
Great film! The Rocketeer is based on a comic by Dan Stevens. Back in the day there were a ton of great comic movies being adapted from indie creators beyond Marvel and DC. Such a shame they don’t seem to do that anymore. As if Marvel and the MCU has sucked up all the air out of the room. Fun fact, the Bulldog Cafe is based on an actual restaurant from 1920s Los Angeles. Where do you get your list of movies from you decide go watch? I guess your patreon. There definitely seems to be a trend or pattern with the types of movies you react to, even though you’ve never heard of them. In keeping with the apparent style of movies you explore here, recommending “Dick Tracy” (1990) “Flash Gordon” (1980) “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990) “Barbarella” (1968) “The Crow” (1994) “Danger Diabolik” (1968) “Hellboy” (2004) “The Mask” (1994) “Sin City” (2005) Every one of these movies is based on a comic, beyond those big two mainstream publishers of DC and Marvel.
I have seen some of those, but will add the others to my list. Sin City I saw in theaters and loved it! I really wish they made more films from Image Comics; they are my favorite publisher.
@@alexachipman Yeah Image has put out some great stuff over the years. Dark Horse in the 90s though. Publishing Sin City and Hellboy. Array of creator owned independent titles, all very different. The Mask was also based on a Dark Horse comic. That’s a movie early in Jim Carrey’s career that helped launched him to stardom.
This movie deserved to be noticed more upon its release. I saw it with my brother when it was released but was surprised how fast it disappeared from movie screens. Thank goodness for home video (VHS/DVD/Blu Ray/Streaming).
Dalton's charactor was based on Erol Flynn who was rumored to be gay and a cross dresser hence the dresses I doubt the disney+ will a sequel but a reboot series recaction recommendation based also in the 30s., The Green Mile, India Jones series, shudder island, the untouchables. Definitely watch the Green Mile
There was a real actor, Rondo Hatton, who suffered from acromegaly, on which the main henchman in the rocketeer was based.he died in 1946. His image lives on in movies like this one because of his particular look.
"Hatton", eh? 🤔 The reason there is no such thing as real jet packs is that the fuel they would need to carry would be so heavy that a user could not wear it like a back pack. I've been thinking that they would be good escape devices for fires in high rise buildings. One would put them on, go out the window, and the force it exerts would decrease as the fuel ran lower and lower, and they would be lowered to the ground. Maybe "Hatton" would be a good name fo one model of them. 💡
@@bhodili-3396 What a shame. I know the airplane had been invented and was common enough that he might have flown on one. But what about the hang glider? I hope he had a chance to go hang gliding before he died.
Thanks for reviewing this - one of my favourite films, that really doesn't get the love it deserves. One of the fun things in it is how so many of the characters are sort of alternate universe versions of real people, like Neville St.Clair being Errol Flynn. The 'Italian opera guy' is based on Rondo Hatton, an American actor of the 30s and 40s, who often played horror roles due to his deformed features (caused by the disease Acromegaly). Maybe try 'Dark City' - also from the 90's. Sort of 40s film noir, with a bit of SciFi as well - also with Jennifer Connelly
I saw this movie when it first came out and remember thinking that Timothy Dalton's character reminded me of Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. As it turned out, several years later, Dalton did in fact play Rhett Butler in the TV sequel of Gone With the Wind. I can't help but think that I might've made a fortune if I'd been the one to suggest his casting to the producers of the sequel, LOL! 😄
It's on Disney Plus as well although Sky Captain is from another studio Columbia Pictures Rocketeer is distributed first by Touchstone Pictures in game then by Walt Disney Pictures itself long before it created a Motion Picture division to distribute the rest of the entire catalogue.
If you want to see what they based this on go to TH-cam type in "King of the Rocket men" same helmet and rocket jet pack. They were movie serials in the 40s and 50s. I think 4 or 5 12 part serials.
The Rocketeer is such an underrated Disney film. Just like Dragonslayer. So glad you appreciated it. One note about the Gee Bee Model R racer, while it looks cute, it was a difficult aircraft to handle because of its overall design, and unforgiving to the inexperienced pilot. The aircraft used in the film is a replica.
@@TheNoiseySpectatorIt had a really small cockpit, visibility wasn't great and could be an unforgiving beast of an airplane. But the Gee Bee Sportsters were fast for their day and did bring home the trophies. But of the 25 built, only two survive today. One (a 1931 Model E) is at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Wisconsin and the other, a 1934 Model R, resides in Mexico. The rest were pretty much lost in one accident or another and killing a good number of their pilots, including Zantford Granville, of Granville Brothers Aircraft, the manufacturer of the airframe. Howard Hughes built his own racer, the 1935 Hughes H-1 Racer and the days of the Gee Bees were essentially over. You can find the H-1 Racer at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
I love this movie. I saw it 7x when it came out. I saw it in IMAX at The Ontario Place Cinesphere. The opening shot of the hanger doors in IMAX was amazing. In the summer of 91 everyone was about T2 & Robin Hood. I was all about this movie! I guess I'm just a romantic, I love this time period. Marvel loved this movie too! So much that when it came time to make a Captain America movie they had to get Joe Johnson. They wanted Cap to have the same look and feel as The Rocketeer.
Just found your reaction to this, one of my favourites. We also share another favourite in Dalton as Bond, I wouldn't say that's controversial, it's a fact 😉 Love your videos.
Thanks Alexa for a great reaction. I think this a a vastly underrated movie. Plus, as a guy, it has Jennifer Connelly in it (who played Jenny!) and she TOTALLY does it for me! She is kinda stunning! Plus, women have an unfair advantage because they have a built-in storage capacity that lets them mysteriously tuck stuff in. It's kind of a throwback movie. Almost a live action cartoon. All the characters are fantastic. It's just fun to watch and the musical theme of the movie is first rate! Thanks for your reaction video!
Yeah, I caught this movie after you announced your reaction video, as I was meaning to, but never had the opportunity. They never did make a sequel. I think it only did so-so in its theatrical run, but has a bit of a cult following, as do a lot of Disney movies. There is an animated series on Disney Plus, but it's more of a re-imagining. The series focuses on Cliff's great-granddaughter and her adventures with the rocket pack. Billy Campbell (Cliff in the movie) voices the new Rocketeer's father. I'd like to check out some of Dave Stevens' original Rocketeer comics, since Jenny (Jennifer Connelly's character) is loosely based on Bettie Page.
Re: Chloroform. You're more apt to knock yourself out with it before you get to your victim. And skin contact with it burns. Course, the other way they insta-sleep people in movies is concussion, and that has its own huge set of problems.
I didn't know you featured this film. I'm also a Tim Dalton Bond fan. I saw 'The Rocketeer' in the cinema and, while it is a well crafted film, it also lacked that extra 'something' that would have made it a hit. Frustrating for movie studios to try to assemble the best project they can, but to still miss the mark at the box office.
I didn't know you were a North Bay woman! That mention of Petaluma and all made me think of my hometown of San Rafael. Also I've reimagined this movie as being a prototype of the mandalorian. Like I believe that somehow the mandalorian found out about this through some weird time space travel thingamajig. I was glad that you brought that up when he revealed the rocket pack.
@@alexachipman It was affordable at one point... but yeah I miss it..especially the Fourth Street farmer's market. Also, I always wondered how the area would've looked in the 23rd and 24th centuries...will it look so radically different? Need a visit to the area in one of the episodes one of these days.
If you want rents to go down the trick is, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, to get rid of rent controls. They force landlords to rezone for luxury housing to make a profit so they actually drive rents up. There's actually a direct correlation with the order in which cities adopted rent-control laws and the highest per-capita rent prices. That's why the earliest cities to adopt the idea now consist of nothing but super-high rent, and slums. It completely salts the middle ground.
I wish we could do max rents ie no more than (formula of current minimum wage in the area and what one person could afford for a single bedroom and two people could afford for a two bedroom). If you want to charge more, you have to go through a lengthy and expensive process. Or something like that - I don’t know what the fix is, I only know that I’ll never afford something here, unless the zombie apocalypse finally happens!
@@alexachipman It's the inevitable result of people trying to implement top down control of a market. It never works, it cannot work. At best they'll always be trying to play catch-up while stuck in a bureaucratic first gear. At worst they end up sticking a monkey wrench in the entire economy. That's why in red states you can still afford a two-story house on a blue collar salary.
I was glad you recognized the Errol Flynn connection but I'm wondering if you're aware of Errol Flynn's sexual proclivities and rumors that he may have even had some connections with the Nazis which is what they use with this character. I thought he made a great villain. Look up Errol's story if your unfamiliar with it.
Watch the film, "The Right Stuff" You'll hear about something you see in this film. The only real relation between the two films. Oh, it starts with the letter "B". I mean there are airplanes and such in both but... Be safe.
Alexa, George Lucas based Boba Fett and then later Jango Fett and his Clone duplicates on the Nazi film in this movie, which i think was a real film about the flying Nazi Stormtroopers, he wanted Boba Fett with his Rocket Pack to be an old uniform of the Nazi/Empire's early days of hunting down and exterminating all the Jedi.
Actually I believe Lucas based Boba Fett and the flying clones on the old movie serial Commando Cody (hence we even get the flying clone named Commander Cody) as well as King of the Rocketmen. Also I'm pretty sure the animated Nazi film was created for this movie.
I get strong both IRON MAN & SUPERMAN vibes from ROCKETEER (Superman for the rural pioneering America of the 40s, iron man for the Howard/Tony stark inventor content. Joe Johnston goes too far into the corn field in this, trying to recapture the...bubble gum comedy, do the right thing morality in the old Republican tv series of the 40s, such as- FLASH GORDON, & BUCK ROGERS, CAPT. MARVEL, etc BUT I do like the charm of it all, plus it's beautifully photographed, & very classy and stylish with awesome James Horner music to. Timothy Dolton is always as wooden as a rocking horse as an actor, yet he was clever casting for this, there were unproven rumors going around Hollywood, that Erol Flynn was a real life Nazi spy, he even apparently killed someone & so obviously they included that into the writing of this
I am not surprised because a large part of its appeal is to a sense of nostalgia and tribute to the action - adventure genré of the 1930's and 40's . How long after this did the first Batman movie come out? After that, there was no room for movies like "The Rocketeer 2" in the market. More contemporary D.C. and Marvel films came in to fill that demand.
@@biguy617 according to wikipedia, this was supposed to be the 1st of a trilogy. And there was a sequel tv series on Disney Junior. And there are plans for a reboot sequel.
I never saw it, but I see now that Siskle and Ebert were right, this movie was very violent! There is a difference between action and things like people being burned alive! 😦 👎 And, now that there are Marvel and D.C. Comic movie series roaming out world, the niche for movies like this is about filled.
At least with Moore there was this fun campiness to the films and the worst you had with Roger was Octopussy., Pierce Brosnan was worst to play Bond and Die Another Day is one of the worst 007 films if not the worst.
I always loved Neville St.Clair's last line. "I'm gonna miss Hollywood"... and as you'll notice, he did.
This was the second Timothy Dalton film I saw. The first was Flash Gordon.
The Living Daylights just may be my favorite Bond picture.
It's interesting to note that after WW2 the Army designed an individual hover platform for U.S. troops, that worked, but they were a bit slow and the Army thought that all they would do is provide flying target practice for an enemy, so they scrapped them.
"Jenny, prepare yourself for a shock: I'm the Rocketeer."
"The Rocke-who?"
"Oh, for crying out loud, haven't you read the papers?"
"No, I've been working all day."
Critics slammed this movie when it first came out. However there's been a critical reassessment in favor of this movie, which I approve and I agree with.
Fun Fact: During the fight scene on-board the zeppelin, Cliff and Neville banter about stunts. This is in reference to Timothy Dalton's time as James Bond, since he is known for being the only Bond actor to perform most of his own stunts.
Filming Techniques Fact: During filming, the scenes involving Jenny with Neville Sinclair (as background in the dueling scene and when they are dining at the South Seas Club) followed each other in the shooting schedule. If you look closely, Jennifer Connelly has a sty in her left eye that a doctor had to lance, so that the schedule would not be disrupted.
Historical Fact: When Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) and his gang learn that Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) is a Nazi, they quit working for him and join up with the F.B.I. Agents against the Nazi thugs hidden in the shadows. This reflects the attitude of real-life American gangsters during this era, in that they did not like fascism, particularly because Benito Mussolini persecuted the Sicilian Families back in the Old Country. Nor did any Jewish mobsters like Adolf Hitler. In fact, organized crime was one of the biggest allies the American government and law enforcement had, when it came to rooting out Nazi spies and collaborators.
Phillip Lozano ...I mean, how is that an insult?
The reviews were actually pretty good, but the movie went up against Terminator 2 and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and did badly at the box office. It has gotten more of a following in later years, though
The singer in the South Seas Club is Jan Levinson from The Office.
Timothy Dalton was my favorite James Bond too
Alexa, this is directed by Joe Johnston, the same guy who went on to direct “Captain America: The First Avenger”. He gets that rugged American heroism down pat in his movies, and with it being a period piece, it works very well.
If you can, you should try “The Shadow”(1994) next. It really belongs side by side with “The Rocketeer” as an example of how to make a 30s era modern art deco movie, but more in the film noir style than the Commando Cody / Flash Gordon serial style.
It doesn’t hurt that “The Shadow” is directed by Russell Mulchahy, the creator of “Highlander”.
Or The Phantom with Billy Zane.
Is that similar to the radio drama? I loved that.
@@alexachipman , yes, yes it is: th-cam.com/video/l0lbmUaooSw/w-d-xo.html
@@alexachipman Yes, "The Shadow" (1994) is based on the character from the radio drama and pulp novels.
@@alexachipmanI really like you you’re my best friend ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
As a kid, I used to wear a duffle bag like a backpack, a metal bowl on my head, and of course a clicker pen in my hand as I flew around the house. Great times.
I dunno if Dalton is my favorite Bond, but he's up there. "License To Kill" is up there in my favorite Bond films, that's for sure. He's a heel in "Hot Fuzz" and hilarious.
He was absolutely glorious in Hot Fuzz. I think if a screenwriter tailor-made a Bond script featuring his strengths, he would have made it to four films in the series at the least.
Love this movie. It was part of the trifecta of 1930s era movies that came out in the early 90s along with The Phantom & the Shadow. The director of this movie also directed the first Captain America movie.
Joe Johnston got that Captain America film because of his work on this movie.
Fun Fact: Dick Tracy (1990), The Rocketeer (1991) and the Phantom (1996) where all set in 1938. The Shadow (1994) occurs several years after the first WW.
One of the best comic book movies pre-MCU. Sadly, the creator passed away from leukemia several years ago. This was originally planned to be a trilogy, but the box office ended those plans. However, there are plans to make a sequel with some historical adjustments.
Thank you for this! This is a childhood film of my own, and a huge point of bonding between me and my sister.
I think you'll be interested to know the interior of Neville Sinclair's home is the Ennis house, a home in Los Angeles which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Also, if you're looking for another fantabulous film in which Alan Arkin costars, please take the time to watch Mother Night! It's adapted from my favorite novel from my favorite author, and it also involves Nazis.
This was one of my favorite movies growing up, so glad to see someone else discover and enjoy it!
Based on a comic book from the 80's.
The movie was directed by Joe Johnston who worked for George Lucas at industrial Light and Magic and was responsible for a lot of the mechanical creations in Star Wars and largely responsible for the design of Boba Fett.
No Sequel but Jennifer Connoly is in a SciFi Noir called Dark City, which is really amazing.
Always loved this film. I was a massive fan of the Commando Cody/Rocketman serials from the 50s when I was a kid in the 80s which had a similar hero.
Timothy Dalton is also in the, _Penny Dreadful_, series, which may be to your liking.
BTW Alexa, I am impressed that you caught the symbolic foreshadowing of the pomegranates and the flowers being traditional symbols of death.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I grew up watching serials which featured "Commando Cody" and his jet pack and bullet-shaped helmet. Those serials were created during the post-WWII era. This film is just an earlier (1930s) version of rocket-propelled hero. I remember Bell labs experimenting with back-mounted jet packs. One such gizmo was featured in an early episode of the 1960s TV series, "Lost in Space." Thanks, Alexa, for this review. Cheers -- W
I loved Commando Cody's jetpack controls.
@@spacedinosaur8733 -- Yep. Up/Down.
Other super-heroic films set during the, 'Golden Age' (1930s & 40s), include the Phantom; The Shadow, & Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. All worth watching. Also, of course, Captain America: The First Avenger. Oh, & Dick Tracy. Maybe also the Mummy, but I haven't seen it yet, so I can't say for sure. And, Tim Dalton's one of my favourite Bonds, too - Connery's my fave, then Dalton at #2.
She mentioned Sky Captain in this reaction, so I'm sure she's seen it, but I second The Mummy, though shed probably seen it too. I would add A Series of Unfortunate Events, any adaptation (neither of them truly live up to the books), and maybe Grand Budapest Hotel, also set around that era.
@@alicequinn505 yes, I know she mentioned Sky Captain.
Sorry, saw all of them and I even talk about the Mummy in my favorite movies video.
@@alexachipman
Mike: "And it was then Thumbelina stumbled upon the frozen body of Yukon Cornelius just inches from the largest gold deposit ever discovered." / Mike: "Welcome to the Island of Misfit drama club students!"rifftrax joke 🤣
I remember encountering the trailer to this movie when I was a child.
Of course I really wanted to watch it, but for whatever reason it didn't happen. Possibly because that was during a time when both of my parents had a lot going on with their jobs and I simply wasn't old enough yet to go to the theater on my own.
And after a while I completely forgot this movie existed.
Fast forward around 28 years later.
I was carrying my son on my shoulders doing some shopping at Woolworths. He was about the same age as I was when I watched that trailer.
By coincidence I looked to the left and saw a DVD on a grab table that had an interesting looking cover.
The movies' title seemed vaguely familiar but I had not idea what I was looking at.
Well, it cost less than a dollar.....
I bought it and watched it together with my son.
It took only around 28 years but I can tell you that both of us had a great time.
Enough so that I never forgot about this event.
It was worth the wait.
And now, a few years later, we are living in a former theater. We have restored one of the show rooms and now and then we are watching movies there, simply because we can.
That reminds me...... while I have watched "The Rocketeer" several times by now I still haven't watched it on the big screen......
Well, I guess I know what we will be doing today. Heheh.
Thanks for the inspiration.
That is a very sweet and fascinating story. If you don't mind my asking...how and why did you end up living in a theater?
@@chs75 It's actually quite a long story, but basically we originally bought it with the intention to turn the building into a modern apartment building.
However life got in the way and we needed to move from where we lived before from one day to another.
Originally we intended to buy a regular house for our family, but doing so would have taken time. And we had to move very quickly.
I didn't want for my family to live in a hotel or who knows where else, so we decided to "temporarily" move into the old theater until we had found a fitting house.
Well, it turned out that wasn't necessary as we all fell in love with the building.
The plan to turn it into an apartment building was dropped and instead we renovated it, turning it into a mix of a theater, a museum, an aqua-zoo, and an old-fashioned mansion in the process.
Basically the lobby, the main stair case and one of the show rooms are still very much like a regular theater, with the entire equipment coming from another theater that had closed a while later and the owners of which pretty much sold everything they had on the street, including projectors, seats, curtains, and a popcorn machine......
And that is how we came to live in a theater.
It's pretty awesome and very comfy.
Great film!
The Rocketeer is based on a comic by Dan Stevens.
Back in the day there were a ton of great comic movies being adapted from indie creators beyond Marvel and DC. Such a shame they don’t seem to do that anymore.
As if Marvel and the MCU has sucked up all the air out of the room.
Fun fact, the Bulldog Cafe is based on an actual restaurant from 1920s Los Angeles.
Where do you get your list of movies from you decide go watch?
I guess your patreon.
There definitely seems to be a trend or pattern with the types of movies you react to, even though you’ve never heard of them.
In keeping with the apparent style of movies you explore here, recommending
“Dick Tracy” (1990)
“Flash Gordon” (1980)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990)
“Barbarella” (1968)
“The Crow” (1994)
“Danger Diabolik” (1968)
“Hellboy” (2004)
“The Mask” (1994)
“Sin City” (2005)
Every one of these movies is based on a comic, beyond those big two mainstream publishers of DC and Marvel.
I have seen some of those, but will add the others to my list. Sin City I saw in theaters and loved it! I really wish they made more films from Image Comics; they are my favorite publisher.
@@alexachipman Yeah Image has put out some great stuff over the years.
Dark Horse in the 90s though.
Publishing Sin City and Hellboy. Array of creator owned independent titles, all very different. The Mask was also based on a Dark Horse comic.
That’s a movie early in Jim Carrey’s career that helped launched him to stardom.
I’ve always liked the Movie The idea of a Flying Suit or Jet Pack was always Appealing to kids And Sci Fi Folks
This movie deserved to be noticed more upon its release. I saw it with my brother when it was released but was surprised how fast it disappeared from movie screens. Thank goodness for home video (VHS/DVD/Blu Ray/Streaming).
Here's some great movies based on old characters
The Phantom (1996)
The Shadow (1994)
Dick Tracy (1990)
The Mask Of Zorro (1998)
I was such a Zorro fangirl as a teen; I think I went over 10 times in costume 😂
Loved this film. Even if I found it hard that James Bond was a baddy!
Dalton's charactor was based on Erol Flynn who was rumored to be gay and a cross dresser hence the dresses
I doubt the disney+ will a sequel but a reboot series
recaction recommendation based also in the 30s., The Green Mile, India Jones series, shudder island, the untouchables. Definitely watch the Green Mile
There was a real actor, Rondo Hatton, who suffered from acromegaly, on which the main henchman in the rocketeer was based.he died in 1946. His image lives on in movies like this one because of his particular look.
"Hatton", eh? 🤔
The reason there is no such thing as real jet packs is that the fuel they would need to carry would be so heavy that a user could not wear it like a back pack.
I've been thinking that they would be good escape devices for fires in high rise buildings.
One would put them on, go out the window, and the force it exerts would decrease as the fuel ran lower and lower, and they would be lowered to the ground.
Maybe "Hatton" would be a good name fo one model of them. 💡
@@bhodili-3396 indeed he did. I happened to watch house of horrors only a few weeks ago. Interesting little movie.
@@bhodili-3396 What a shame.
I know the airplane had been invented and was common enough that he might have flown on one.
But what about the hang glider?
I hope he had a chance to go hang gliding before he died.
Thanks for reviewing this - one of my favourite films, that really doesn't get the love it deserves.
One of the fun things in it is how so many of the characters are sort of alternate universe versions of real people, like Neville St.Clair being Errol Flynn. The 'Italian opera guy' is based on Rondo Hatton, an American actor of the 30s and 40s, who often played horror roles due to his deformed features (caused by the disease Acromegaly).
Maybe try 'Dark City' - also from the 90's. Sort of 40s film noir, with a bit of SciFi as well - also with Jennifer Connelly
Nostalgic movie and you're awesome
Thank you!
I saw this movie when it first came out and remember thinking that Timothy Dalton's character reminded me of Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. As it turned out, several years later, Dalton did in fact play Rhett Butler in the TV sequel of Gone With the Wind. I can't help but think that I might've made a fortune if I'd been the one to suggest his casting to the producers of the sequel, LOL! 😄
14:53 Love the dark music that begins playing as Jenny talks to the Germans on the radio and the plot twist sinks in.....
It's on Disney Plus as well although Sky Captain is from another studio Columbia Pictures Rocketeer is distributed first by Touchstone Pictures in game then by Walt Disney Pictures itself long before it created a Motion Picture division to distribute the rest of the entire catalogue.
If you want to see what they based this on go to TH-cam type in "King of the Rocket men" same helmet and rocket jet pack. They were movie serials in the 40s and 50s. I think 4 or 5 12 part serials.
The Rocketeer is such an underrated Disney film. Just like Dragonslayer. So glad you appreciated it.
One note about the Gee Bee Model R racer, while it looks cute, it was a difficult aircraft to handle because of its overall design, and unforgiving to the inexperienced pilot. The aircraft used in the film is a replica.
Was the GB-R at least better in some ways once the pilot was familiar with how to control it?
@@TheNoiseySpectatorIt had a really small cockpit, visibility wasn't great and could be an unforgiving beast of an airplane. But the Gee Bee Sportsters were fast for their day and did bring home the trophies. But of the 25 built, only two survive today. One (a 1931 Model E) is at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Wisconsin and the other, a 1934 Model R, resides in Mexico.
The rest were pretty much lost in one accident or another and killing a good number of their pilots, including Zantford Granville, of Granville Brothers Aircraft, the manufacturer of the airframe.
Howard Hughes built his own racer, the 1935 Hughes H-1 Racer and the days of the Gee Bees were essentially over. You can find the H-1 Racer at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
One of my favorite films! Great reaction!
I like the feel of your reviews, and the slightly quirky backstories and film selections. Thanks.
Thanks - the films are all channel viewers’ choice! I don’t pick any of them :)
15:10 Seltzer Bottle, those are called.
I love this movie. I saw it 7x when it came out. I saw it in IMAX at The Ontario Place Cinesphere. The opening shot of the hanger doors in IMAX was amazing. In the summer of 91 everyone was about T2 & Robin Hood. I was all about this movie! I guess I'm just a romantic, I love this time period. Marvel loved this movie too! So much that when it came time to make a Captain America movie they had to get Joe Johnson. They wanted Cap to have the same look and feel as The Rocketeer.
A nice double-feature in an old movie house would be Rocketeer and Sky Captain. Especially if everyone dressed the period.
Love this idea! Maybe in a vintage cinema house.
Jenny's was Neville's to lose. Had he been more persistent, she would have given into his seduction and we have a different storyline going forward.
"How do I look?"
"Like a hood ornament" 🙂
Just found your reaction to this, one of my favourites. We also share another favourite in Dalton as Bond, I wouldn't say that's controversial, it's a fact 😉
Love your videos.
This is the first movie that ever mentioned my home town so as a child, it was a big deal.
Thanks Alexa for a great reaction. I think this a a vastly underrated movie. Plus, as a guy, it has Jennifer Connelly in it (who played Jenny!) and she TOTALLY does it for me! She is kinda stunning! Plus, women have an unfair advantage because they have a built-in storage capacity that lets them mysteriously tuck stuff in. It's kind of a throwback movie. Almost a live action cartoon. All the characters are fantastic. It's just fun to watch and the musical theme of the movie is first rate! Thanks for your reaction video!
Yeah, I caught this movie after you announced your reaction video, as I was meaning to, but never had the opportunity.
They never did make a sequel. I think it only did so-so in its theatrical run, but has a bit of a cult following, as do a lot of Disney movies. There is an animated series on Disney Plus, but it's more of a re-imagining. The series focuses on Cliff's great-granddaughter and her adventures with the rocket pack. Billy Campbell (Cliff in the movie) voices the new Rocketeer's father.
I'd like to check out some of Dave Stevens' original Rocketeer comics, since Jenny (Jennifer Connelly's character) is loosely based on Bettie Page.
Good movie 🦖
Re: Chloroform. You're more apt to knock yourself out with it before you get to your victim. And skin contact with it burns. Course, the other way they insta-sleep people in movies is concussion, and that has its own huge set of problems.
Timothy Dalton is the best Bond by virtue of being closest to the Bond of the novels
He was a good Bond.
...but but but... he's a slasher!
;)
I didn't know you featured this film. I'm also a Tim Dalton Bond fan. I saw 'The Rocketeer' in the cinema and, while it is a well crafted film, it also lacked that extra 'something' that would have made it a hit. Frustrating for movie studios to try to assemble the best project they can, but to still miss the mark at the box office.
I didn't know you were a North Bay woman! That mention of Petaluma and all made me think of my hometown of San Rafael. Also I've reimagined this movie as being a prototype of the mandalorian. Like I believe that somehow the mandalorian found out about this through some weird time space travel thingamajig. I was glad that you brought that up when he revealed the rocket pack.
I lived in San Rafael for a few years- loved it, but super expensive!
@@alexachipman It was affordable at one point... but yeah I miss it..especially the Fourth Street farmer's market. Also, I always wondered how the area would've looked in the 23rd and 24th centuries...will it look so radically different? Need a visit to the area in one of the episodes one of these days.
I recommend you also watch others movies of superhero pulp as Doc Savage 1975, Dick Tracy 1990, The Phantom 1996 and The Shadow 1994.
If you want rents to go down the trick is, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, to get rid of rent controls. They force landlords to rezone for luxury housing to make a profit so they actually drive rents up. There's actually a direct correlation with the order in which cities adopted rent-control laws and the highest per-capita rent prices. That's why the earliest cities to adopt the idea now consist of nothing but super-high rent, and slums. It completely salts the middle ground.
I wish we could do max rents ie no more than (formula of current minimum wage in the area and what one person could afford for a single bedroom and two people could afford for a two bedroom). If you want to charge more, you have to go through a lengthy and expensive process. Or something like that - I don’t know what the fix is, I only know that I’ll never afford something here, unless the zombie apocalypse finally happens!
@@alexachipman It's the inevitable result of people trying to implement top down control of a market. It never works, it cannot work. At best they'll always be trying to play catch-up while stuck in a bureaucratic first gear. At worst they end up sticking a monkey wrench in the entire economy. That's why in red states you can still afford a two-story house on a blue collar salary.
I was glad you recognized the Errol Flynn connection but I'm wondering if you're aware of Errol Flynn's sexual proclivities and rumors that he may have even had some connections with the Nazis which is what they use with this character. I thought he made a great villain. Look up Errol's story if your unfamiliar with it.
Brendan Fraiser would have been amazing as Clifford.
Such a crime it didnt get a sequel i think of this in the Same universe as Indy.
Petaluma? Have you ever visited Leo LaPorte's "This Week in Tech" (TWiT) studio?
No, but I drive past it every day.
No sequel unfortunately - I was always hoping for one.
This movie is from the same director that directed the first Captain America movie.
Such a fun movie.
Tim is my third favourite Bond after Sean and Roger after that forget it
Watch the film, "The Right Stuff" You'll hear about something you see in this film. The only real relation between the two films. Oh, it starts with the letter "B". I mean there are airplanes and such in both but...
Be safe.
Alexa, George Lucas based Boba Fett and then later Jango Fett and his Clone duplicates on the Nazi film in this movie, which i think was a real film about the flying Nazi Stormtroopers, he wanted Boba Fett with his Rocket Pack to be an old uniform of the Nazi/Empire's early days of hunting down and exterminating all the Jedi.
Actually I believe Lucas based Boba Fett and the flying clones on the old movie serial Commando Cody (hence we even get the flying clone named Commander Cody) as well as King of the Rocketmen.
Also I'm pretty sure the animated Nazi film was created for this movie.
There is no sequel, but there are a couple runs of comics.
I love this movie
I get strong both IRON MAN & SUPERMAN vibes from ROCKETEER (Superman for the rural pioneering America of the 40s, iron man for the Howard/Tony stark inventor content.
Joe Johnston goes too far into the corn field in this, trying to recapture the...bubble gum comedy, do the right thing morality in the old Republican tv series of the 40s, such as- FLASH GORDON, & BUCK ROGERS, CAPT. MARVEL, etc BUT I do like the charm of it all, plus it's beautifully photographed, & very classy and stylish with awesome James Horner music to.
Timothy Dolton is always as wooden as a rocking horse as an actor, yet he was clever casting for this,
there were unproven rumors going around Hollywood, that Erol Flynn was a real life Nazi spy, he even apparently killed someone & so obviously they included that into the writing of this
Johnston repeated himself a lot with CAPT. AMERICA 1st Avenger, BUT it worked, & perhaps better.
Hello
Unfortunately, this film failed at the box office, & no sequels have been made.
I am not surprised because a large part of its appeal is to a sense of nostalgia and tribute to the action - adventure genré of the 1930's and 40's .
How long after this did the first Batman movie come out?
After that, there was no room for movies like "The Rocketeer 2" in the market. More contemporary D.C. and Marvel films came in to fill that demand.
@@TheNoiseySpectator It was released Jun 1991, squeezed between Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, & Terminator 2. Stiff competition, to be sure.
Well the Rocket pack blew up so how can you make a sequel? You would need another Rocket pack for a sequel.
@@biguy617 according to wikipedia, this was supposed to be the 1st of a trilogy. And there was a sequel tv series on Disney Junior. And there are plans for a reboot sequel.
@@biguy617 "Another one," you say? 😏
being a SWMAM(straight white middle aged male) I'm obligated by law to like Sean Connery best as Bond ....HA HA
I never saw it, but I see now that Siskle and Ebert were right, this movie was very violent!
There is a difference between action and things like people being burned alive! 😦
👎
And, now that there are Marvel and D.C. Comic movie series roaming out world, the niche for movies like this is about filled.
Worse Bond ever! LOL 🤣😂🤣Shhhhhh But don't tell anyone 😉bye for now, Alex 😊
At least with Moore there was this fun campiness to the films and the worst you had with Roger was Octopussy., Pierce Brosnan was worst to play Bond and Die Another Day is one of the worst 007 films if not the worst.
Every Bond is someone's favorite Bond. Even Lazenby! But Dalton is my favorite as well.