Disney owns Marvel now, right?

[trinityvixen]

It's the 20th anniversary of The Rocketeer movie? And some French animation studio made a short to celebrate it that is ding-dong-adorable, you say? D'awwww.

I remember really liking The Rocketeer as a kid. It's one of those movies that, though I don't love it so much now, I can pinpoint it as being part of a general geek awakening. I grew up watching Star Wars and it was so ubiquitous in our house that I just didn't realize that liking Star Wars made you a geek. But movies like The Rocketeer that arrive with almost no fanfare (that I was aware of) and don't seem especially mainstream (whatever its production pedigree) that entirely transported me as a kid? Those are the ones I can look back on and say, "Yep, I was always going to be a geek." Because I really liked The Rocketeer and thought it was just about the awesomest thing ever. Of course, I thought the Billy Zane Phantom movie was about the neatest thing ever, too, proving that a burgeoning geek can survive on bad comic book movies for just as long as it takes Hollywood to make better ones. (Adult me wishes she still liked the bad ones more. Then things like Catwoman would hurt me less.)

One thing I noticed, though, is how similar the helmet from The Rocketeer is to the one on the Iron Monger suit from Iron Man. I immediately began to wonder if the rocket pack was some half-forgotten Stark Industries product. And then I was thinking crossover. And then I wondered about the rights issues. And then I remembered that Disney and Marvel, like, merged, and this is a thing that could have happened. Wow.

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

I remember not liking Rocketeer cause at one point they find a body folded in half and shoved under a counter. I had a delicate sensibilities.

Oh, Billy Zane.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I remember being upset that Timothy Dalton was a Nazi. I don't know why Nazis scared me so bad as a kid--maybe because they were scary bad guys who had awful things happen to them in Indiana Jones movies?--but it did. It upset me a lot. Other than that, the violence, as it has done for most of my life, didn't really affect me. (I should be more worried about that.)

Billy Zane. Whatever happened to that guy?

[six-demon-bag.livejournal.com]

Hey, that is adorable. Pretty cool actually.

I only saw The Rocketeer for the first time a few years ago. It's weird, but I think I was turned off by the time period in the setting when I was a kid. I remember the video game adaptation adorning the cover of my Nintendo Power magazine, too. Anyway, I did like it once I finally saw it, but I've only seen it the one time and maybe that's why I never noticed that -- holy crap you're right! -- the mask looks very similar to that of the Iron Monger. Haha I missed a lot of the bad comic book movies of that era. I never saw The Phantom or the godawful looking Captain America film, etc., but I did see The Shadow in the theater and even bought the VHS tape when it came out. I have little doubt, however, that I will eventually see all of those "classics". Haha and Catwoman *shivers*...saw that back to back with Electra. On purpose. It still hurts.

Anyway, impressive train of geek thought. I like that you pinpoint when it was it became obvious that you were going to be a geak. For me, it's probably a combination of how much I loved video games back in the late 8-bit to early 64-bit days (I still like them, but never find time for them) and how got more into cartoons and Disney as a high schooler.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

The Shadow is and remains a favorite. I love the retro feel to it, which is probably why I'm so stoked for Captain America. Something about the period makes it magical. It's weird, but, in a way, it grounds the film. You can have a movie where Alec Baldwin can brainwash people with the power of his will and it's somehow less ridiculous when set in the past. I think the past setting, especially one as out-of-common-knowledge with the target audience as the 1930s or 1940s, helps because the time period itself seems so alien. It's harder to find the flaws in the fantastic when the New York City of 1930s, gleaming and new everywhere, seems so unreal (despite the fact that many of those buildings still exist!).

Elektra was BORING. I couldn't really say where it falls on the bipolar axis of good/bad because I was almost put to sleep by it. Snooze-o-rama. Catwoman was torture from start to finish, and it never stopped making me hate it--all the more for ruining an awesome character and replacing Michelle Pfeiffer in the collective unconscious as Selena Kyle. 'Cause Halle Berry may be gorgeous, but Michelle Pfeiffer OWNED Catwoman. OWNED! It shall not be denied!

Oh, video games! I was so entranced by them. It's probably for the best that I didn't have them growing up, or my grades would never have recovered. They were definitely gateway drugs to nerddom.

[equustel.livejournal.com]

HA. When I first saw the Iron Monger helmet, I immediately thought "Rocketeer!" too. It's still one of my all-time favorite movies. I completely adore it. My brother and I probably watched it close to a hundred times when we first got the VHS. I don't know, it's just so classic Hollywood; I love The Mask of Zorro for the same reasons. They're both examples of the classy, non-CGI, slightly-tongue-in-cheek-but-still-dramatic ADVENTURE! filmmaking I sorely miss.

I'm surprised (and pleased) Disney is finally giving the film some love, what with the big 20th Anniversary celebration they recently had at the El Capitan, and rumors of a Blu-ray, FINALLY. (Look, I understand people not caring about Blu-ray as a format, but the DVD transfer is utter SHIT and I've long raged at Disney for ignoring it. Looks like they were just waiting to be able to say "20th Anniversary!" and plaster it all over the marketing. Heh.)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

You know, The Mask of Zorro is an entirely serviceable movie. It's fun, light-hearted, and it doesn't ask to be taken more seriously than it deserves, and that is fine. I don't ask that every movie be tortured brilliance. In fact, the more fun something is--and knows it!--the better it is to me. It's like how X-Men: First Class is the better movie, but Thor is the one I'll probably rewatch more often because I cracked the fuck up when Natalie Portman hit him the second time with the car. I cannot ever stop laughing at that. We're allowed to have fun at the movies!

I would love to see The Rocketeer again. It's really been too long. I hope Disney is good to it.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I loved that movie. And oh, I wanted that white dress so bad.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Dude, 1930s-1940s fashion? IS TO DIE. I love everything about the idea of women being, at once, that goddamned fabulous and that fucking fierce all the time. It's absolutely not how it was and a lot of those getups were a pain and a half to get into, out of, or maintain. But goddamn, they were GORGEOUS.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

I love pretty much everything about The Rocketeer. I didn't know it was the 20th anniversary, but that explains why there's a new comic miniseries.

Do you remember hearing the music from the movie in a ton of movie trailers for years after it came out?

Thanks for pointing out that short!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I DO remember that. What was up with that? It was everywhere!

Be sure to pick up the Blu Ray, like, yesterday when they release it, or you won't get your free digital copy!

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

I guess I'll check that out, even though I already own it on laserdisc :)