Airplane II: The Sequel

Yes, many of the gags do seem to have come out of the recycling bin. It's still a fairly funny film anyway. It's literally jam-packed with jokes (sometimes two or three are running on simultaneously, in the same frame) and if you don't like one, chances are it will be followed by a better one after only a few seconds. And the acting by almost everyone is very good; they never slip out of their characters. (**1/2)

The makers of "Airplane II: The Sequel" simply took every joke from the first one and made it again. This gets boring after a while. People taking things too literally is so overused in this movie it's getting painful (like the "trip" scene - ouch!). There are one or two good moments, though (some William Shatner scenes and the 2001 waltz spoof) and it's a good thing that the main cast (excluding Leslie Nielsen & Robert Stack) from "Airplane!" returned for this one. All in all, "Airplane II: The Sequel" is watchable but I'm glad that they never made a third part. It only could have gone downhill from the original, anyway.

It is the future. People are getting ready for there first transport to the Moon to live in Moon colonies, and Ted Striker knows something bad is going to happen. The Roc 4000 computer goes nuts and kills the crew of the spaceship and sets the ship towards the sun. If Striker can't take back the ship and change it's course they will all fry. Sequel to Airplane! is mainly a parody on 2001, with all the original Airplane! jokes thrown back in. Most of the cast has returned including Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and even the jive talking dude. William Shatner and Sunny Bono are very good as a few new characters. Is it funny? Yes, but not as funny as the first. People who enjoyed the first one should enjoy this one. Fairly average comedy. **out of **** Note: After the end credits they say Airplane 3 coming soon. It never came.

Oh boy was I misled, this is probably one of the best sequels to any movie ever! The original had a 7.8 rating, rightfully so, but this one gets a 6.1? For what exactly? They've got everything better! Especially the story, it improved.

Another hilarious spoof of disaster films, this one takes most of the cast of the original "Airplane!" and puts them in the future where space shuttle travel is the hot new thing. Robert Hayes and Julie Hagerty reprise their roles as Ted Stryker and Elaine Dickinson, two bumbling and likeable characters who fall in love (like so many times before...) during the inevitable breakdown of... well... EVERYTHING on the Mayflower 1's maiden voyage to the moon. Some of the jokes are tired retreads of the earlier film's efforts, but most are rapid fire gags that hit the mark every time.

I'm still surprised that NBC didn't develop a sitcom based on Stephen Stucker's character of Johnny...

"Tell me everything that's happened so far, Johnny."

"Well, first the Earth cooled, then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they died and turned to oil. And then the Arabs started buying Mercedes Benzes. And then Prince Charles started wearing all of Lady Di's clothes, I couldn't believe it..."