Doctor Skellington
Ignoring its episodic origins and taking this just as a self contained movie, this is marvellous stuff, a good old fashioned boys own space drama for those who don't want no cooties.Our main heroes are clean shaven white t-shirt wearing brill creamed pals in the musical navy mold. Space Captain Rocky is a musclebound jock straight out of a period beefcake magazine, who mentors his younger slimmer co-pilot Winky on the butcher points of manly space ship driving with a wink and a smile.Winky is prone to staring open mouthed at the god-like perfection that is his superior to exclaim lines like 'Galloping galaxies Rocky, what are we gonna do!?' and Rocky then assures him everything will be just fine if he only does everything The Rocky Way.All the (two) women are either a mild annoyance, or trying to distract these manly men from their manly jobs with their sly feminine ways. At one point Rocky deals with his hysterical female navigator via Winky turning off her helmet mic. Later he teachs her how to be his secretary, at which point everything falls into its right and proper place!There is also the obligatory gee-willickers kid representing the intended audience who one day wants to grow up to be just like Rocky, and of course who wouldn't.In short, it's so 1950s it hurts.This is desperate to be remade as a knowing gay comedy, although to be honest it pretty much already is. Either put this on when one of your humourless PC friends is over and watch their head explode, or just crack a few beers, gather your friends and enjoy, as Rocky and Winky get their guns out for the boys and together they ride their giant silver rocket to the stars!
Rainey Dawn
I was expecting something else from this film I guess. I didn't realize it was from three episodes of a TV serial cut down and put together into a film version. I was thinking this was a "movie" movie and not a serial. Oh well, live and learn I guess. This is Rocky Jones, Space Ranger! It looks like something I might have watched if I was a little kid in the 1950s but it's not something I care to watch in this day and age. I'm not saying this is an awful movie but I am saying it's just not my thing.If you have kids and like science fiction and want your child/children to watch something wholesome then this film is a good starting place.Those baseball caps they were wearing in a spaceship really got to me, but not in a good way... very silly. lol.2/10
Bezenby
Rocky Jones is gay, right? Just look how much of a fuss this guy makes about having a girl on board his spaceship. Seriously, he's going on about how he'd prefer to have 'two fists' on board instead of a female navigator who can speak an alien language. She can speak the language, eh Rocky, but an hour on the tower of power is much better eh?Seriously, he doesn't shut up about having a female on board. It's like Jim Davidson playing the part of Flash Gordon. Non-gay wise, this is your usual condensed serial film that tries to pack everything into a feature length film. Luckily, nothing seems to happen in a Rocky Jones film anyway, so the film works out that way, but still, you have to have a high level of tolerance of crap effects and b*llocks plot lines. It was okay, nothing major, nothing terribly bad. I've got at least two, maybe three more of these Rocky Jones films to watch
Woodyanders
Gallant space ranger Rocky Jones (likable Richard Crane) and his goofball sidekick Winky (the equally amiable Scott Beckett) travel to another planet to investigate exactly why Professor Newton (doddery Maurice Cass) has pledged allegiance to the evil Queen Cleolanta (a perfectly wicked portrayal by the attractive Patsy Parsons). Director Hollingsworth Morse relates the entertaining story at a brisk pace and maintains a pleasant tone throughout. Moreover, the primitive (far from) special effects, cheap sets, amusing pre-feminism old school sexism, dippy dialogue ("Galloping galaxies!), and a few endearingly clumsy action set pieces all give this picture a certain quaint period charm. Fetching blonde Sally Mansfield provides plenty of spirit (and tasty eye candy) as the spunky Vena Ray. A fun romp.