I find myself talking about this early 90s almost-gem a lot in these recent months. The refrain is always the same: I'm excited about Captain America because Joe Johnston did The Rocketeer. It's a fabulous, high flying, action adventure with only one fatal flaw: the male lead, Billy Campbell.
With it's crazy talented cast, The Rocketeer becomes a textbook example of the importance of a strong leading man. It's not that Campbell doesn't look like a leading man it's just, much like Orlando Bloom, he lacks the charisma to carry a movie by himself. It's such a hard thing to pin down, really, all I know is that poor Billy Campbell doesn't seem to have it.
Assuming you don't mind the lack of a strong lead, or can just roll with it, the rest of it is just plain fun. I mean, come on, it's got a guy in a jet pack fighting mobsters and undercover nazis! And the last scene takes place on a blimp! There's so much cool shit in this movie, I almost guaruntee you'll be cursing out the tepid performance of ol' Billy just as much as I am when the credits start to roll.
It's also, as I mentioned before, a nice taste of what I hope Joe Johnston's Captain America will be: Sweeping action, unquestionable grandeur, with scenes that are destined to become classic in a Spielberg-lite kind of way. And this time with the strong lead that The Rocketeer so desperately needed.
This week's clip gives you a little sample of all of that, and will totally whet your appetite for more. Enjoy!
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