If there was ever a show from the 90s that represented the extreme era that the 90s were known for and trying to force down the youth of America at the time it would have to be Rocket Power. In all honesty I feel that this show came out a little too late in the game. This show got started in 1999 and ended in 2004. I’m surprise it took so long for the show to get produced, I would have expected this show to come out around 1996, 1997, or 1998. The show focuses on a group of kids and their daily situations living out in California where everything is extreme. I mean it, the kids are into extreme stuff. They skateboard, surf, roller blade, play hockey, extreme bicycling, snowboarding anything that was considered extreme in the 90s they did it. There were four main characters in the show. The first was Otto an obsessive, competitive and compulsive athlete with an arrogant attitude, his older sister Reggie who was pretty much the female version of Otto only calmer and more mature than him. Their friends Twister an aspiring videographer who always taped the groups tricks, and Sam the new kid on the block who while not as athletically gifted as the other characters makes up for it by being the brains of the group as well as the conscience. There was also Otto and Reggie’s father Ray who was also a skateboarder and snowboarder back in the day. I did like Ray’s character, he’s a widower but he’s doing his best to be a good father to his two kids. He’s into extreme sports like them and supports them in it, he’s fair and fun-loving as well, and has the respect of Otto and Reggie but when they step out of line and do something they’re not supposed to he’s not afraid to discipline them and act like a father. There’s was also Tito a Hawaiian native who was Ray’s best friend and acted as somewhat of an uncle to the kids as well as advice giver with his self-styled philosophy.
When I heard of this show I didn’t think I would like it because I wasn’t the target audience. I was never into the whole extreme stuff back in the 90s. I didn’t skateboard, roller blade or play hockey, I rode a bike but the only trick I could really do was ride it with no hands (and that was only for like a few seconds). But surprisingly I found the show very inviting as a kid. I thought the show was good and inviting for a guy like me who wasn’t into extreme sports. This was mostly due to Sam who was the one character I related to the most because before moving to California he too didn’t do extreme sports so through a majority of the show he’s learning things just like us so that was welcoming. The stunts and tricks that they do in the show are very cool and are real life stunts so it’s good to know the creators had an understanding and appreciation for what they were doing. However, they do fall into the typical stereotype of clichés you would expect to see in a show trying to be hip. The kids have their own lingo, they have sunglasses, they have characters and personalities but there’s never any growth or develop on their character, and they have a few adults who don’t like their attitude and lifestyle so these adults try ruin their fun. The one big development the really did have was giving Ray a second wife but other than that all the characters pretty much remained the same and even when they messed up they didn’t learn their lessons most of the time but in the end I think the one thing we’ll remember about Rocket Power are those amazing stunts the characters did.