How many times have we discussed comic book movies over the years? I would be afraid to go back and count. Still, I'm sure that there are plenty of people out there who assume that movies based on comic books is a relatively new thing. Comic book movie adaptations have been around for decades, and I need only remind those people of the success of 1989's Batman. At that time, movie studios began scrambling to find other comic heroes to bring to the screen, most from prominent, mainstream comics and from more obscure independent ones. Looking back, it can be surprising to see which titles made it to the screen, such as relatively obscure ones like The Rocketeer.

The Rocketeer is set in Los Angeles, 1938. Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) is a pilot who works with mechanic/engineer Peevy (Alan Arkin). They are testing a new plane (which they plan to use in a race) when Cliff flies over a car chase between FBI agents and some crooks. Cliff's plane is shot and he has to make a crash landing. Meanwhile, one of the crook's stashes something in a hangar. Later, Cliff finds the package -- it's a rocket pack. Intrigued, he insists on trying it out, despite Peevy's protests. Cliff keeps this news from Jenny (Jennifer Connelly), his actress girlfriend who is working on a movie with matinee idol Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton). At the same time, we learn that the crooks were working for gangster Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino), who is now looking for the rocket pack. When an accident occurs at an airshow, Cliff dons the rocket pack and flies to the rescue. Thus, "The Rocketeer" is born and it turns out that everyone wants to get their hands on the invention.

As noted above, The Rocketeer came along at a time when everyone was looking to make the next Batman. One of the most intriguing things about that film was that Tim Burton had chosen to give the movie a retro look and many fo the cars and costumes looked as if they could have been from the 1930s or 1940s. This apparently inspired studio heads to also look for things from the past, which may explain how The Rocketeer came into being. (Note that this trend continued, with little success, as we soon saw The Shadow (1994) and The Phantom (1996)). The movie is based on a comic book from the late Dave Stevens, which was a love letter to the serials of the 1930s. The book loving recreated the look and feel of that era, and included some interesting appearances by real-life people and some nice takes on history. These elements were transferred faithfully into the movie, which completely dives into the nostalgia with no sense of irony. It's clear that a great deal of work went into the props, costumes, and production design to capture that era. The movie includes some nice cameos from celebrities of that time and the inclusion of things like the "Hollywoodland" sign show distinct creativity.

For a summer action film, The Rocketeer's box-office results were pretty lackluster, although it did turn a small profit. The movies' dedication to being a period piece, as opposed to a modern take on something from the past, may have had something to do with this. Audiences clearly don't mind something with a retro feel, but if a movie like this is going to embrace the past, it had better be something special and The Rocketeer simply isn't. It's a competently made, well acted movie with decent special effects, but it doesn't leave any lasting impression on the viewer. Everything here is decidedly mediocre. The story has some interesting twists, but is pretty straight-forward. The action sequences are by-the-numbers. The looks of The Rocketeer is interesting, but we don't see enough of Cliff in the costume. Again, this is related to the film's dedication to its material. This movie could've been made in 1938 and effects aside, probably would have looked and sounded a lot like this.

The Rocketeer answers the question "Can one eat inside of a dog?" on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The image is fairly sharp and clear, as it shows no defects from the source material. However, a close inspection of the picture reveals a mixture of grain and video noise. The colors look good, although they aren't overly bright. The image is never too bright or dark. For a Blu-ray, the image is a bit flat. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.5 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are pretty good, most notably when planes or The Rocketeer fly from side-to-side -- these sounds are nicely reproduced by the front channels. Likewise, the surround sound speakers deliver detailed effects from the planes or The Rocketeer. The audio really comes to life during the finale. Explosions get the subwoofer involved.

The only extra on The Rocketeer Blu-ray Disc is the ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.