Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

This is "James Bond can't be black" all over again. I hope the new James Bond is a black woman.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Nah. It's just inherently stupid on multiple fronts. The SJW racial pandering is just more annoying than anything.

The big problem is that this is a depression era, pre-war character and concept.
The metier of it is a certain art deco, kitsch streamlined simplicity. From the Bulldog cafe to the older bi-plane environment, to the use of a Betty Page-esque character- the whole thing was Dave's homage to stuff that resonated with him- wrapped up in a simplistic serial style way. The appeal of the strip for someone like me (and I was right there for the first issue Of Pacific Comics Presents- tho I missed the first couple Star Slayer back up chapters) was the iconography it was trading in, the tone, and the exquisitely lush art.

There is a big gulf in sensibilities when you go from from Depression era pre WWII, to Atomic age post war boom time. So much changes including tone and most dramatically, atmosphere. Art Deco is now passe- as is the "wild fantasy" concept of a Buck Rogers jet pack. You're coming into the jet age.
A personal jet pack in the prop age is a cool fantasy. That same jet pack in the jet age now just seems like a cute accessory.
How much do you have to change before this is just a pale shadow of the original property? And if you are going to change that much, why not just build something wholly unique from the ground up? Is Disney that obtuse to think this property has real audience cachet apart from a tiny minority of the comic con crowd?

I dragged my girlfriend to the opening day first show an hour and a half early just so we could get good seats and not have to fight the crowd.
We sat in a near empty parking lot until 10 minutes before the show started and I can still see her face smiling at me like I'm the biggest tool for expecting this movie to create a mad rush. 26 years later, I expect the Fast & Furious generation will be just as nonplussed- despite having the (rapidly becoming cliched) gimmick of "diversity". Who the fuck are they trying to court with this?


As far as the race thing goes- what about Hispanics? The post Zoot suit riot Southern Ca setting seems like a no-brainer to introduce Latino characters.
Or how about an Asian. Post WWII resentment could provide a lot of interesting dramatic conflict when the anonymous helmeted hero is actually someone who is the victim of lingering animosity in public.
Why does it seem like Blacks are always the recipients of diversity interjection?

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Because they're still the majority minority in the USA.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Annoying - and insulting to everyone. The hypocrisy of it is so blatant that it's hard to fathom how minorities don't get angrier over it.

I mean, they claim to want to be inclusive and cast minorities in larger roles, but they only seem willing to do it in low budget movies targeted at those groups as practically the sole audiences, or in bigger budget movies where it's an established property and they're deigning to give a minority a role previously only held by white men. Take our charity, take our hand-me-downs, but don't expect any belief or faith in your ability to come up with something of your own that has equal value as existing white, male properties. That's what Hollywood is saying, essentially, but they're totally getting a pass.

Look, in this case they're clearly pandering and that won't make the movie any better.

I'm all for movies led by black, hispanic, or asian actors. New, original concept movies with new characters. All it takes is a good script and the right lead actor (or actress) and you can have a hit if the movie is marketed well. Hollywood execs don't seem to be willing to attempt that with minorities - not with a significant budget on the line - and that's what really should be making people angry/irritated/insulted.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Personally I think the idea of the movie isn't very good. Disney doesn't do middle tier movies very well anymore. Look at all those sports movies with Jon Hamm or Kevin Costner that make nothing, and cost nothing. This sounds like a huge gamble at has no good hook at all. The casting of minorities won't fix what's wrong. I don't get this idea of a Rocketeer movie having to be in the 1930s or 40s. Iron Man can be modern day, why not a Rocketeer?

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

The setting of the Rocketeer comic is the late 30s, even though the character was created in the late 80s. does the name have that much value divorced from the original concept? Otherwise why not just create your own character? This is the same argument I had about Big Hero 6, I guess things get changed in development and I'm glad creators are getting paid, but what exactly are the ties to the original property?

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

If you place Rocketeer in modern times, then it is Iron Man.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

All the Rocketeer can do is fly fast with a jet pack. He might carry a gun sometimes, but he has no real armor except a helmet to protect himself, no sophisticated gadgetry, etc.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Because the whole point is that it's supposed to be technology ahead of it's time (a brilliant engineer designs it for Howard Hughes, who came up with the idea and had the money to make it become a reality).

In today's world a flying pack would be cool, but not startling. For it to be a really big deal it has to pre-date jet planes, or come in early in the jet era.

If you add anything to the rocket pack then it really does become a weaker, watered down version of Iron Man.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

I would argue the Rocketeer is still ahead of it's time. I don't see many rocket soldiers in our armed forces, do you?

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

No, but in a cinematic world where you have Iron Man The Rocketeer would look quaint at best, boring at worst.

Unless you set in in a time where that technology is more ahead of it's time and more revolutionary.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

For the record this proposed reboot would be taking place post-WWII correct? Why all this talk about modern day?

Oh, I see now it's because of something Brack said. Whatever dude. It being set in the in the past was the defining characteristic that made the whole thing work.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

GhostBros gonna GhostBro.
They need another movie to get angry about for the next couple years now that GB2016 is on its way out of theatres.

As we saw? :lol: You refuse to see the movie, and won't stop talking about how terrible it must be. :lol:
By the way, 73% on RT is what some would classify as a "good" or "very good" movie.


Anyway, on topic... I never saw the original flick, but I'll give it a go very soon. At the time it came out, for whatever reason, I was never interested in it, but reading about it now, it sounds right up my alley. This reboot sounds interesting enough, too. I hope it works out.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Saw it in the theater and really liked it. I thought the look of the movie was very well done. Didn't hurt having a young Jennifer Connelly on the big screen :)

I'm interested in how this new movie will resemble the old one. This reminds me that I don't think I ever picked up the original.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Jesus...


It wouldn't matter. Nothing but a straight white male will make you straight white males happy.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

I hope they reshape the helmet to look like a KKK hood. Maybe then whitey will be happy.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Hey... if they don't make these movies and they consequently don't fail, then they can't blame the patriarchy's entrenched power hierarchy of rich old white men for the failure of the entertainment industry's PC sexist/racist/socialist ideology to take root in mainstream pop culture.

Or something like that. :sarcasm:

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

I mentioned modern day because apparently the 30s is the only time period where someone flying around in a rocket is revolutionary, and you had to be white. I thought taking the time period out of the equation might work, but for the design of the rocket to remain the same, and there to be a wow factor from supporting characters in the movie, I guess a modern day period would be bad. I'd still shit bricks if I saw a Rocketeer fly by me today.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Apparently they're never going to learn. Instead of taking a classic movie and reshaping it, recasting it, changing the color, gender, sexual preference, add comedy, add dark, whatever, just to spiff it up for modern audiences, just so the all new and "improved" movie bombs at the box office and the video ends up in the bargain bin in record time, don't you think the money would have been better spent if they came up with something new and unique? Or have they officially run out of ideas and all they can do now is attempt to "remake" old movies for a modern audience?

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

We're almost there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRVspuAJyAY

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

The Rocketeer comic was influenced by sci-fi shows like Radarmen from the Moon and Buck Rogers.

So I wonder if they could set the sequel in the 50s/60s with a more advanced suit, capable of space/near-space flight for spy missions after the USSR shoots down the U-2 spy plane. Set it in Area 51. I think that'd be cool.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

I think Falcon would be a more appropriate comparison than Iron Man.

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

You may be right. And we won't see a Falcon movie any time soon...

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

Would you see it if they made Falcon white?


http://i68.tinypic.com/2ujm3xv.jpg

Re: The Rocketeers -- sequel/reboot
 

I'm trying to decide which remake will be worse...this or Merman