Trevor Hogg reviews the third instalment of the four-part series which has him revisiting a favourite cinematic moment…
With his rocket-pack gone, his girl not speaking to him, and all of Hollywood about to fall into the clutches of the sinister Otto Rune what’s young Cliff Secord to do? And what’s that dangerous-looking thing Peevy’s been building, anyway? It’s back to Square One for the Rocketeer…as he has to learn to fly all over again!
Grounded by two thugs who confiscated his rocket-pack, Cliff Secord hitches a ride in a pickup truck to reunite himself with Peevy. Needless to say the pilot feels helpless and his trusted engineer reminds him that there is more to man than the ability to fly. However, Peevy also has a backup plan which turns out to be his own version of the absent device which is less sleek and sophisticated resulting in Secord having to learn how to handle the device all over again.
While this is taking place Betty remains determined to prove that she is more than capable of solving the disappearance of Dahlia without the help of her boyfriend. Having infiltrated the organization run by the devious Otto Rune, the actress evokes his rage by asking a question about the missing journalist and the interest of the scientist being blackmailed by him. Undaunted Betty steals a file which she hands over to her two suave and snooty detectives over lunch; they tell her that they suspect Rune is a reinvented Vaudevillian hypnotist who uses his skill to steal money from his unsuspecting audience members. The trouble is that her curiosity leads to a betrayal which causes Betty to be placed in grave danger.
The narrator finally makes an appearance to hand back the lost wallet of Cliff Secord and for an added bonus gives him a much needed pep talk which strengthens the resolve of his new friend. The problem is that Secord may be unable to save Betty ironically because of his inability to control his rocket-pack! The complication provides a nice twist to the proceedings. One has to think that writer Roger Langridge and artist J. Bone are Star Wars fans as the closing image harkens to Return of the Jedi (1983) where a certain captured princess wears an iconic bikini and strikes a memorable pose. It is great to see Langridge and Bone embracing the B-movie nature of The Rocketeer and having fun doing so with the Hollywood Horror storyline.
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
Originally published April 9, 2013. Updated April 14, 2018.
