Airplane 2: The Sequel

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

With the Jerry Zucker-Jim Abrahams-David Zucker team absent, this sequel to the cash-cow 1980 spoof Airplane once again finds garrulous man-with-a-past Ted Striker (Robert Hays) compelled to take over the controls of crippled aircraft, all the while trying to patch up his relationship with stewardess Elaine (Julie Hagerty). This time, the first passenger space shuttle is launched into orbit -- and takes off for the moon - but the on-board computer malfunctions and sends the craft hurtling toward the sun, threatening the lives of everyone on board. Lloyd Bridges and Peter Graves return from the first Airplane, while William Shatner, Chad Everett, Sonny Bono, Raymond Burr and Chuck Conners join the cast, as they too lampoon their established images. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: PCM Mono
• Features:
  • Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9 TVs
  • Dolby Digital: English mono; French mono
  • English subtitles
  • Interactive menus
  • Scene selection

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Robert Hays - Ted Striker
       Julie Hagerty - Elaine Dickinson
       Lloyd Bridges - McCroskey
       Peter Graves - Capt. Oveur
       William Shatner - Buck Murdock
       Chad Everett - Simon
       Stephen Stucker - Jacobs
       Oliver Robins - Jimmy Wilson
       Sonny Bono - Bomber
       Raymond Burr - Judge
       Chuck Connors - Sarge
       John Dehner - Commissioner
       Rip Torn - Kruger
       Kent McCord - Unger
       James A. Watson Jr. - Dunn
       John Vernon - Dr. Stone
       Al White - Witness

• Director:

  Ken Finkleman

• Producer:

  Howard W. Koch

• Screenwriter:

  Ken Finkleman

• Cinematographer:

  Joseph Biroc

• Composer (Music Score):

  Elmer Bernstein, Richard Hazard

• Editor:

  Tina Hirsch, Dennis Virkler

• Production Designer:

  William Sandell

• Associate Producer:

  Mel Dellar

• Costume Designer:

  Rosanna Norton

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Steve Maslow

• Casting:

  Lynn Stalmaster, Toni Howard

• Conductor:

  Richard Hazard

REVIEW:

• If considered only in comparison to the original, Airplane II: The Sequel is not in the same league as that uniquely gut-busting trendsetter. But it still stacks up quite well against most parodies, and a lot of other comedies in general. Setting this doomed flight on a space shuttle widens the lampoon to include sci-fi movies and opens up a new spectrum of possible jokes, including the ship getting fixed on a collision course with the sun by its shipboard computer, a goof on the H.A.L. 9000. Sure, the jokes are obvious, but part of the film's gleeful appeal is that it revels in that very obviousness. By bringing back dozens of the characters, including many of the passengers, and using an almost identical structure, the sequel might even be considered a parody of the original, rather than just its extension. Easily its funniest element is William Shatner, who takes over the Robert Stack role of the grizzled veteran on the ground trying to talk pilot Striker down. Although there had always been a winking self-awareness to Shatner's overacting, Airplane II was his first real opportunity to let loose, and it brought big laughs. His flip-out over the apparent meaninglessness of all the blinking and flashing lights in his moon base is classic. Apparently, after two installments, the "been there, done that" quotient was high enough for Paramount to leave well enough alone -- the Airplane III promised in the closing credits has never materialized. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi