User reviews

This documentary is a very unfortunate, Quixotan quest of a whacky, "self-taught" rocket builder - but that's not why it warrants my 5 stars! The camera work and editing is splendid!! The technical elements of this film make it watchable, as a well-planned, well-executed documentary. Good use of drone footage reveals the majesty of the Mohave Desert. Minimal scoring provides the right mood for the film. Kudos to the filmmakers!!

I am trying to process what I just watched. I have no idea why we put it on, but we were riveted to the screen for 90 minutes. It was funny and it was sad, but I'm not sure that Mad Mike intended either of those things when he put himself in front of the camera. The highlight for us was the bumbling sidekicks.

Another flat earther with his head buried in the sand made famous by media. At least he proved that gravity exists at the end.

Rocketman bears a resemblance to American Movie in all the good ways. Both films follow a person that is eccentric and captivating with a somewhat tenuous grip on reality. This documentary is largely entertaining for its comedic value, although the cinematography over the desert is beautiful. One scene shows Mike talking about the fact that he's broken people's ribs, thrown people through plate glass windows and ends with him saying, "but I'm a nice guy." Mike is totally oblivious to the irony of what he's just said which makes for a hilarious scene. I highly recommend this film, you'll laugh, you'll be entertained, but you shouldn't watch this film expecting to be educated on flat earth beliefs. 99.9% of us know this guy is off his rocker, by the end of the movie I'm not sure he fully believes the earth is flat or if its a publicity stunt. This film doesn't justify or denigrate his views, but let's the subject do the talking and let's the audience come to their own conclusion which for most of us will be that this guy has a few loose screws. The final quality that makes this a great documentary is that it is riveting at times. This guy is basically strapping himself to a rocket that could act like a bomb if things aren't done correctly. I was biting my nails at times afraid I'd watch this guy die. In fact, if he dies at some point doing this stuff it wouldn't surprise me. He's eccentric, misguided and a daredevil which all make for a great documentary.

Completely idiotic movie. One persons insane & stupid (yes stupid because he knows better) attempt to prove the Earth is flat. For the ridiculously low height achieved just visit a skyscraper. I think your time would be much better spent combing through the million of photos, videos & other information to find inconsistencies. Seems like that would be much easier to do if in fact the Earth is flat.

Mad Mike is a maverick, a man who deep down inside knows he has failed in life and desperately seeks something to be remembered by. Even if it kills him.

This film is one of those rare gems where you get up close and personal with the hero of the story and, no matter their peculiar view of the world, you root for them. Why? Because you see who they truly are: a human being. Mike may think science does not exist and that NASA is part of a global conspiracy, but deep down inside he is just a hurt man struggling to find some kind of meaning in life. We applaud his spirit and bravery and shake our head bewildered at his outrageous claims. But just because we don't always agree with him doesn't mean we can't like him. And that is what the film is really about to me: Connecting to one another despite different opinions or even world views. In a time where partisanship and Trumpian rhetoric divide the country even further, understanding a man like Mike can only help bring us back together. Mike's story is a perfect allegory for what America needs: To listen to one another again, to find acceptance and tolerance despite disagreements. Why not applaud a flat-earth daredevil for his bravery who has the balls to climb into a home-made rocket instead of just knocking him for his idiotic world view. Time to find good things in people again and not get stuck on beliefs. To infinity and beyond.

I didn't need a documentary to know these kinds of people are out there, and nothing about this film makes them any more noteworthy. Why would you give these people exposure?

There's nothing endearing or enlightening here, nor anything that merits the kind of look at these people that this film takes.

On the other hand, if you're the kind of person who thinks a quote from the Bible that "faith is the proof of what you can't see" somehow "proves" that whatever you care to think is true, as one guy smugly propounds the midst of all this idiocy, then you'll probably think these people are geniuses.

I thought this was very entertaining. Filmography was exceptional and was a non-bias look at an example of one flat-earthers' lifestyle. Funny too.

The story is one you've heard in snippets on the news. A flat earth/ anti-Science Conspirator attempts to prove the what we accept isn't the"truth". It's really and hour and a half of watching people enable his illness to it maximum. He is a sad lonely man with nothing but the company of animals to try and cope with his own unhappiness. Even one of his friends remarks how his father didn't pay attention to him in his young years and that's what he really wants. The attention. He even remarks it himself halfway through the picture as a regret he had in his own life. Sadly all the attention in the world will never heal or fill the term void in this mans life. Don't waste your time. Doing laundry is more enjoyable and entertaining.

When we asked director Toby Brusseau if he ever worried for Mike's life while shooting 'Rocketman', his reply was "Absolutely. All the time. Not only for Mike but for the crew as well".

Who could blame him? The 63 year-old retired daredevil and limo driver 'Mad' Mike Hughes' had hatched a crackpot plan to prove that the earth is flat by building a homemade rocket in his garage and launching himself into space.

When seeing Brusseau and co-director Michael Linn's ultimately hilarious film, viewers too will find themselves watching through their fingers. The buildup to the launch is a chaotic and unnerving mixture of half-baked science, visits to home depot, references to the bible and visibly accumulating work accidents as Mike appears on camera with an increasing array of cuts and bruises. Days before the launch, the rocket even falls off its trailer when being transported to the site.

But this was exactly what Brusseau had come for. When we asked if he'd expected this level of comedic value, he cryptically replied "I had an inkling". Inspired by 90s cult documentary « American Movie », the brilliant character study of two friends struggling to make a horror movie, Brusseau immediately took to the story when he came across Mike's plan online.

Documentary aficionados watching this film will undoubtedly confirm the resemblance. For a start, the cast is just as eclectic. There's Pat, a god-fearing, vaping, friendly neighbour who spends the entirety of the film trying to convince passersby that its now "peace in" and not "peace out". There's Waldo, the only person in the entourage who actually knows anything about rockets but unconvincingly maintains that he doesn't consider Mike a friend throughout. And then of course there's Mad Mike himself, who openly admits grieving more for the passing of his first cat Jojo than for his parents' death, doesn't believe in gravity and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest ever limousine ramp jump.

The trios's fractious relationship is a constant source of entertainment, leading to some unbelievable one-liners, such as Pat quashing Mike's unrealistic expectations by saying that "there ain't gonna be two thousand people watching, I mean shoot you only got 65$ on GoFundMe".

rocketman team.jpg As funny as this film is, it would be unfair to completely write off the team of ageing retirees as complete fools. Although the flat earth theory is obviously misguided, their real focus is on the construction of a genuine steam rocket - no mean feat. Brusseau reminds us that "they worked sun-up to sun-down" and there is no denying that Mike shows astonishing belief, commitment and bravery in completing the outlandish challenge he set himself.

He goes on to sum up the film brilliantly : "sure, it's comedic, but there's heart, drama, and a feel good ending". But, what Brusseau expected least during the filming was that he'd be cheering Mike on himself and by the end the film, we were too.

I honestly tried to watch this documentary and just couldn't bring myself to watch the whole thing through. I kept thinking that at any minute during the 30 minutes or so that I watched that some endearing or intriguing trait of the main character would draw me farther in. That didn't happen. I found myself wondering why I was wasting precious seconds of my life watching a documentary about another goofy anti-scientist seeking attention through a ridiculous acting out type of scheme. I frankly found Michael Mann to be boring, uninteresting and just another village idiot in a growing number of misguided Individuals.

First off, ignore the trolling one-star reviews. They don't get the pure subtle genius of this film and have no sense of humor. Now, onto the review: If you ask someone if they've heard about the guy who built a homemade rocket to launch himself in to prove the Earth is flat, most of the time, they'll respond with a "oh yeah, I've heard of that guy." Well, now, the film is out, and it's an enjoyable ride you'll want to take over and over again. Not so much about flat-Earth, in fact, very little of the film revolves around the theory. Moreso, it's a sweet tasting desert adventure of "launching something pretty cool."

'Mad' Mike made international headlines back in 2018 when he claimed he believed in the flat-Earth conspiracy theory and wanted to prove it for himself in one of the most absurd ways. Not with buying a plane ticket, not a balloon with a go-pro, but by launching himself in a rocket. Well, he got the world's attention, myself included, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. Although the news clips showed the launch, they didn't show what happened to him and his crew up to that point. This documentary does exactly that. It shows the journey of mishaps when three, yes THREE, guys go about trying to launch a rocket in the desert. It's a cluster of epic proportions; a beautiful symphony of hilarious chaos.

A proclaimed self-taught rocket scientist/aka stuntman/aka Nascar crew guy/aka limo driver/aka cat lover/aka YouTube rabbit-hole dude, Mad Mike, enlists the help of his landlord Waldo Stakes, a retired handyman and self-taught rocketeer. Stakes is the brains of the operation and the cowboy hat is no joke as he constantly 'cowboys it up' to assist Hughes in his manhandled science experiment. Another character along for the ride recruited by Hughes is roadside onlooker/errand runner/Jesus freak initially deemed Pioneer Pat (from old YouTube videos), and now only goes by Pat, to assist Hughes in his latest publicity stunt or science experiment (oh sorry he doesn't believe in science - let's call it a "test").

The documentary initially plays like a character study starting at Hughes home in Apple Valley, CA, and morphs into dry wit comedy of the "squad" getting ready to put the rocket in the air. Painful to watch the hijinks at times, the directors do a brilliant job of sitting back, letting the cameras roll, and watching the characters, just...be. And therein lies the comedy such as a scene of Mad Mike not understanding how a trailer hitch works, but somehow he's going to launch himself in a rocket. Okay, I get it, I can't work my trailer hitch either. No worries Mad Mike. Interviews are shown as short intros to characters and we aren't bored checking our watches as someone tries to prove to Hughes the obvious fact: the Earth is round.

The tone shifts when the team reach the desert ghost town of Amboy, CA and takes the unexpected turn of a thiller when Hughes tries his initial launch. At times I struggled with liking someone like Mad Mike. He's an anti-intellectual who wants to inspire people: a paradox of a person. He's an anti-hero who by the end, you'll be on the edge of your seat cheering him on. Is he dangerous in his ideas? No, only misguided. Perhaps Hughes is truly giving "knowledge something to push off of," as the science school teacher says.

Love him or hate him, Mike has pure tenacity and the will to succeed. To what end? To achieve his goal of proving the Earth is flat (if he truly believes that)? For the vacant approval of fame and fortune so many seek? Or maybe just to see his cats again? As Mad Mike would say, "Hey, I don't have all the answers!" Looks like you're going to have to decide for yourself. Regardless, this is one for the ages.

The story lacks what a good documentary needs - a plausible objective. So if you are going to watch, wrap your scientific and sane parts in a box by the door. Not one scene provides any idea that Mad Mike puts value in being alive. His only value is his dedication to being stubbornly and certifiably deluded. This was not a mission. It becomes obvious that the film is a comedy in the theatre of the absurd.

"I just want to do it." He says. Not quite the same as those who are asked why they do something difficult might answer, "Because I can."

It the end I actually admire Evil Kenevil "rocket jump" over Snake River more than Mad Mike who does not even know that social security numbers are not "three sets of three". They are sets of 3-2-4 digits.

The best guess we have is that all those helping Mad Mike are using him to punk all of us who bit and watched the show. It's up to each to judge the effort as spectacular or not.

Great insight and very intriguing. Beautifully shot. Toby and Michael let the subjects speak for themselves, no filter. Would like to see a follow-up.

Wonderful documentary that was well put together. This documentary does a great job of telling the story of these characters in a thought provoking and entertaining way.

This was a fantastic look into the mind of a person who has set themselves to a lofty goal. When I remove everything I find disagreeable about Mike along with his assumptions and some of his cohorts, I see a great simple story of someone on a personal quest that draws public attention.

Beautifully filmed and open display of the characters and their mission.

This is such a great film! It isn't about making someone famous, or mocking someone's beliefs (which is lacking in many documentaries). This is a look into a real man's life, his belief systems, what drives him, and how he got to this theory that the earth is flat. I went in to this film expecting to make fun of this man, to feel bad for him, but instead I left fascinated by his thought process. We know his science is wrong but he is one interesting person!

I nearly didn't watch this as I thought it would be about the earth being flat. However it really is about a man and his dreams and the people that help him. The story is about Mike Hughes who wants to build a rocket to travel into space to see if the earth is flat. Most of the film is about him building a smaller steam powered rocket and launching it with him in it to go much less a distance but to get attention for the bigger project. At first he seems crazy but it is more passion than anything. The documentary draws you in and you genuinely want him to succeed. Its not about engineering or space it is about people. About Mike. Waldo the actual rocket engineer and the other people who help. It is a really nice story and there is no judging or fact checking. It just lets the people say what they want. I really don't believe Mike thought the earth was flat. I get the impression it was just another way of getting publicity to reach his goals. It kept me interested for the whole film. There really was no bits you lost interest or it dragged. Like I said, its just a story about a passionate man that draws you in and ends up with you wanting him to succeed. After you watch this, you really should Google what happened to him after the film as there should be sequel of what happened next.

A very well made movie. Gripping and watchable from the start to finish. Shows the triumph of the human spirit to make things happen, although it also shows the happy go lucky devil may care aspects too. A balancing act.

Sadly Mike died after the making of this movie in his next rocket launch. On February 22, 2020, Hughes died near Barstow, California, following the crash of a rocket he was piloting. During launch, the rocket's parachute, which was designed for landing, appeared to deploy early and detach from the craft.

His PR manager said "We used flat Earth as a PR stunt... Flat Earth allowed us to get so much publicity that we kept going! I know he didn't believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick."

Long live the memory of Mad Mike Hughes RIP.

Its epic and one of the best movies that I've seen. Dont go into it expecting to see a fleshed out plot, but it's still entertaining none the less. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is interested u documentaries.

I was quickly drawn into the personal story that Brusseau and Linn captured about Mad Mike's quixotic quest to launch himself into space in order to prove that the Earth is flat. I'm thankful for getting the chance to learn about Mad Mike's story and I look forward to more compelling documentaries from this team.

Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes has many of the outrageous outsider thinking of yester-years that is now common place today. One of them is Flat Earth. In order to investigate it, he is willing to build his own rocket and ride it into space. He says that he's not bias. He has a sense of a daredevil. He lives alone in the desert. He talks in a rapid fire fashion jumping around in his manic mind. More than anything, he is truly risking his life in this endeavor.

This is a documentary and it's revelatory of this man. It is spending a bit of time with people of similar thinking. It's fascinating and it has the best final destination. The audience is all eager to watch him ride a rocket into the air. I would hope that the filmmakers would still show the movie even if he died. In that way, it is the ultimate ending of life and death. The most insightful moment is a friend explaining the mindset of a daredevil. Mad Mike is not book smart, but he is driven in his obsession. He has more in common with those loner artists doing their outsider art.