Airplane!

Blu-Ray Reviews | Oct 8th, 2011

Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Frank Ashmore, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker
Written By: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Directed By: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Buy On Amazon.com

The greatest comedy ever!? It’s debatable but it’s up there with the best comedies of all time. This is the first time the movie is on Blu-Ray and its worth the upgrade to DVD! This Blu-Ray is available at Best Buy exclusively but I’m sure this will be released elsewhere soon. Surely, you can’t be serious? I am serious, and don’t ever call me Shirley again!

There’s really not much to say in terms of plots with Airplane!; everyone should know about the movie at this point. If not, for shame! But for the newbs out there, it’s a spoof of airplane disaster movies and takes place at an airport and airplane. One by one, people begin getting sick on the plane from bad salmon, including the pilots. A war veteran pilot, Ted Striker, is on board and is still traumatized by the war. He can’t hold a job and has a fear of flying from the war. His ex-girlfriend is stewardess on the plane and tries to win her back. After people start getting ill, Ted soon realizes he’s the only hope everyone has to save their lives and has to get over his fears. That all sounds so serious, but obviously watching the movie it won’t be.

Airplane has to be one of the most quotable movies out there. It’s still quoted today and don’t think you’ll ever hear the end of the don’t call me Shirley line. The Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams have created such a timeless comedy, it’s hard to top this one. The Naked Gun is another one that is a timeless classic, which I’ll get to in another review. But what makes Airplane such a great comedy is the sharp jokes, the sight gags, and mis-mash of the cast. So many great actors in this one, playing goofy characters. Who would have thought basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be playing a pilot? Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges were my favorite actors in Airplane. Graves’ creepy questions to the kid gets me laughing every time. Bridges was a serious actor, same with with Leslie Nielsen before starting this, and basically Airplane! changed their careers. Both ended up playing dumb, silly characters for the rest of their lives. Airplane is the type of movie that you can watch over and over and you’ll find new things to laugh at.

This Blu-Ray has a long haul version, which features deleted scenes, interviews and such. I didn’t feel like watching that because I felt it would ruin the flow of the movie. Special features also include a trivia track, audio commentary with the writer/directors, and a trailer.

Airplane looks pretty good on Blu-Ray. There’s some noticeable specs and dust here and there in the movie, but it was cleaned up better than other older movies I’ve seen. I would say the upgrade to Blu-Ray is worth it for Airplane!


Features:

Long Haul Version
Audio Commentary
Trivia Track
Trailer

Video:
Widescreen 2.35:1 Color

Screen Resolution:
1080p

Audio:
English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French 2.0 Surround Sound Dolby Digital
Spanish 2.0 Surround Sound Dolby Digital
Portuguese Mono Dolby Digital

Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Bottom Line: Arguably the best comedy ever!
Running Time: 87 mins
Rating: PG
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:

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