Airplane II: The Sequel succeeds in being an almost exact replica of it's predecessor. Wordplay and puns again rule the day when a passenger space shuttle ends up off course, heading straight for the sun. The special effects are fun for the classic that strives to be bad. The film kicks off with a spoof of a franchise that still rules the space cinema genre. That's right, Ken Finkleman (Grease 2) was ballsy enough to spoof Star Wars with an overly lengthened text crawl. Just as Airplane spoofed Jaws in the first scene, Airplane II spoofs an equally large film.
The beauty of the Airplane franchise is how far it is willing to go. Nudity constantly comes up throughout the film, shocking audiences with crude imagery. I thought it was hilarious that the metal detector worked as a full body scanner at certain times in the airport. It's as if Airplane II: The Sequel predicted the future of airport security. Yet, the film was only using it as a butt of an ongoing joke that men see women in certain ways. Sure the stereotypes are outdated, but you have to admit that they were clever and astonishing considering the film came out in 1982.
Airplane II: The Sequel really shines bright with its use of wordplay and puns. Every character name is incorporated into the story to create sidetracks from the basic plot. Peter Graves (Airplane!), Kent McCord (Predator 2), and James A. Watson Jr. (Whitney) steal the spotlight for the first half of the film with their portrayals of crewmembers Oveur, Unger, and Dunn. These are "Shirley" great names to work with, reminding us of why Airplane was such a great spoof! Robert Hays (Airplane!) also makes for a good lead actor in his role as the mental asylum escapee Ted Striker. All of these characters are the opposite of rich, but what more could you ask for with such a spoof? William Shatner (Star Trek)? You get that too, so don't complain!
The Bottom Line: Airplane II: The Sequel picks up where Airplane left off, keeping an audience engaged with it's clever script.
Score: 8/10
The beauty of the Airplane franchise is how far it is willing to go. Nudity constantly comes up throughout the film, shocking audiences with crude imagery. I thought it was hilarious that the metal detector worked as a full body scanner at certain times in the airport. It's as if Airplane II: The Sequel predicted the future of airport security. Yet, the film was only using it as a butt of an ongoing joke that men see women in certain ways. Sure the stereotypes are outdated, but you have to admit that they were clever and astonishing considering the film came out in 1982.
Airplane II: The Sequel really shines bright with its use of wordplay and puns. Every character name is incorporated into the story to create sidetracks from the basic plot. Peter Graves (Airplane!), Kent McCord (Predator 2), and James A. Watson Jr. (Whitney) steal the spotlight for the first half of the film with their portrayals of crewmembers Oveur, Unger, and Dunn. These are "Shirley" great names to work with, reminding us of why Airplane was such a great spoof! Robert Hays (Airplane!) also makes for a good lead actor in his role as the mental asylum escapee Ted Striker. All of these characters are the opposite of rich, but what more could you ask for with such a spoof? William Shatner (Star Trek)? You get that too, so don't complain!
The Bottom Line: Airplane II: The Sequel picks up where Airplane left off, keeping an audience engaged with it's clever script.
Score: 8/10
