Airplane remains one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen and has endured the test of time, though probably some jokes would not be looked favorably in today’s climate and a movie like this wouldn’t be allowed to be made today. Still, funny as hell.
Airplane!
— Paramount Presents —
(1980)
Genre(s): Comedy
Paramount | PG – 88 min. – $29.99 | July 21, 2020
Date Published: 07/21/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: Portions of the review were copied from my 2011 Blu-ray review with updates for this new release.
THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot: Ted Striker (ROBERT HAYS) is an ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of a passenger airliner when the pilots and navigator (along with other passengers) become ill. He must deal with his past which cost the lives of others in his squadron as well as a recent breakup with Elaine Dickinson (JULIE HAGERTY) who is also a stewardess on the flight. He receives help on the ground from controller Steve McCrosky (LLOYD BRIDGES) and his old squad leader turned airline pilot Rex Kramer (ROBERT STACK) to talk him down and save the lives of those on board.
Review: Airplane has often been described as one of the funniest films of all time and while I don’t often subscribe to the old “all time” arguments people make, this time I agree. Unlike most spoof films that have been released over the past 10 years (heck even in the 1990s), Airplane manages to stand the test of time. Even though it spoofs movies and ideas of the ‘70s, and in particular the disaster film Airport, it’s still funny as hell even if you don’t get the references; it also helps one scene they spoof, from Saturday Night Fever, is classic and thus still is both recognizable and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Another thing that helps keep the film going after 40 years, is the cast is tremendously hilarious. First, the stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty share some actual chemistry (more than in a good number of lame romantic comedies) and bounce their brand of serious comedy off one another; and then you have those who have passed on with Peter Graves in one of the most memorable comedic performances, Leslie Nielsen whose own comedy career really began with this film, Robert Stack as the tough commander, and Lloyd Bridges as the man who quit some vice at the wrong time.
Simply put, Airplane is indeed one of the funniest films of all-time and knocks the hell out of any spoof films that have come since (not even the adequate Top Secret or Hot Shots come close). |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover with a front fold-out with the film’s original poster art. This #7 in the “Paramount Presents” line. The Audio Commentary with Writers/Directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Producer Jon Davison has been ported over. However, the “Long Haul Version” and the trailer were not. The lone new feature is a Q&A (34:49) with the directors filmed at the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood in January 2020. Nothing new here but still nice to get comments from the guys 40 years later. Also included is an Isolated Score. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| The picture here got a new 1080p high-definition transfer, apparently taken from a 4K scan and supervised by the directors (whatever that means, could be they got a once over and gave it their okay). In any case, I was rather impressed with the video here, detail in most shots are incredibly sharp with the natural film grain and noise coming through while of course any stock footage is soft, no surprise there. Colors have a nice balance look to them and I didn’t notice any major or obvious film damage or flaws. |
AUDIO – 3.5/5 |
| The disc contains a half decent if not docile DTS-HD Master Audio track. Obviously given when the film was made combined with what was probably a limited budget, it’s not too surprising that the audio isn’t exactly full of depth. While dialogue levels are good, most everything else is fairly flat coming from the center and front channels with only minimal use out of the rear channels. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, Airplane remains one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen and has endured the test of time, though probably some jokes would not be looked favorably in today’s climate and a movie like this wouldn’t be allowed to be made today. Still, funny as hell. This new release from Paramount celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary offers an improved picture and decent Q&A feature. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.