You know, you hear that the Airport sequels did not do so well, they're popular but a lot of people like to go on about how they're not good. I've seen all 4 Airport movies, I like them all but I honestly believe the sequels are far better than the original, and I think this was a good one too, so what exactly is everybody's problem with it?
shareAre you joking? The list of reasons "Airport '75" pales in comparison to "Airport" is too exhaustive to complete in one sitting. Here are just a few of them:
*"Airport" cast: A-list movie stars
"Airport '75" cast: mainly TV actors
*"Airport" source: Arthur Hailey's bestselling page-turner
"Airport '75" source: "Airport's" huge profits (and a mid-air collision plot stolen from "The Crowded Sky")
*"Airport" director/screenwriter: Oscar-winner involved in a number of famous films, George Seaton
"Airport '75": never mind
*"Airport" score: one of the all-time greatest film scores by the fantastic Alfred Newman
"Airport '75" score: again, never mind
*"Airport" characters: memorable airport manager, heroic pilot, amusing stowaway, dramatic bomber and his wife
"Airport '75" characters: heroic pilot who is not on the plane, cloying teenager, ridiculous singing nun
*"Airport" chief stewardess: the beautiful Jackie Bisset
"Airport '75" chief stewardess: the cross-eyed Karen Black
The first movie may have been a bestselling page turner but I say the movie left something to be desired. In comparison to the sequels, I find the original movie rather dull in most places, just a bunch of mindless drabble about affairs and adoption and dysfunctional families. Only good characters in the whole movie were Patroni and the stowaway lady. Here, who's not to like? We like the singing nun, we love Myrna Loy's character, we have Linda Blair, and Gloria Steiner, Conrad Janis and Jerry Stiller, and a stewardess, a STEWARDESS flying the plane. Chalk that up to another great storyline courtesy of women's lib in the 70s cinema.
shareDysfunctional families vs. the goofy kid and the singing nun? Yeah, I'll gladly take the dysfunctional families--and everything else "Airport" has to offer.
shareI just watched this last night on AMC, and you gotta love the unintentional comedy of it all....especially the fast-paced phone call between the airline rep Kelly and the girl's doctor. It sounded like the good doctor was more concerned about getting to his golf game on time.
Wake up, America!www.Apathetic-USA.com
So true about the doctor's phone call! Lordy, what bad acting!! My favorite line came after Heston was inside and getting ready to land.
Sickly Janice (weakly): "Are we landing?"
Sister Helen (utterly condescending): "YES, JANICE, WE'RE LANDING!!"
Popular and good can be two entirely different things in movies and life, kiddo. Also, they may have been popular when they first came out but good lord they haven't stood the test of time!!! But movies like them did one good service they inspired the classic "Airplane!".
shareA TV reporter just moseys up to the control tower - during an EMERGENCY no less. No way - not even back then!
John
Airport 75 was always my favorite of the Airport movies. Maybe it hasn't stood the test of time, but I have nostalgia from watching it back in the seventies.
shareI agree that when you factor in the nostalgia angle many films like this have a spot in our hearts or memories. I enjoyed it when it first came out and also thought it was the best of the Airport movies. Heck I enjoyed the Poseidon Adventure very much too, many of us laugh at it now but it was a huge blockbuster when it came out and it was fun entertainment.
share"Airport" was a great film in 1970, and it is still a great film.
"The Poseidon Adventure" was a great film in 1972, and it is still a great film.
"Airport 1975" was a weak film in 1974, and it is still a weak film.
Eh, none of those are "great films" now in my book. I will give a backhanded compliment though to all- they were and are superior to "Earthquake!" and "The Towering Inferno". (-:
shareCan't agree about them being superior to The Towering Inferno.
The Toweing Inferno was the greatest of all the disaster movies made.Can agree on Earthquake though,back in 1975 Earthquake looked spectacular on the big screen but it had a really weak script with lots of stupid characters and most of the special effects look very dodgy now days,that said i still enjoy watching it every now and then.
Of the Airport series,Airport is by far the best,it had a great cast and was quite suspenseful,also Airport 77 was pretty good but i find Airport 75 plays as a comedy and i'm not even going to comment on The Concorde.
[deleted]
IMHO What's wrong with this film
1. The blantant sexism. Even for the 70s it was almost too much to watch. I mean in the 60s there was a movie with Doris Day landing a plane (Sorry, Can't think of the title at the moment).
2. Lame acting. Heston is in danger of being the main course at Christmas he's so hammy. Sid Caesar fawning all over Myrna Loy. Linda Blair, being, well Linda Blair.
3. The casting. I mean who in the hell decided that Larry Storch should (try and I use the word very loosely)to play a dramatic part. Karen Black never really did much for me. I would love to see oh, Susan Sarandon or Halle Berry or Jennifer Garner taking on Heston. Heston would lose big time.
With all that said I do kind of like this film. It's like a train wreck (or actually plane crash) that you can't help to stop to look at. It's a damn sight better than the God awful "Concorde".
When there is no more room in Hell, The dead will walk Wal-Mart (Formerly ramius104)
my take:
AP 1970: best most emotional story line (suicide) and most exciting lead up to bombing but production was grainy and tacky
AP 1975: cold sterile emotional environment but still believable and good cabin presentation. easily the dullest of the 4
AP 1977: probably the most well balanced presentation, combining the best features of all the Airport movies. good crash scene in ocean
AP 79: combines the worst features of all the Airport series. seems like the previous formulas went stale. as if they crammed it in to just rrlease it before the decade was over. i think everybody was too busy waiting on the gas lines (remember oil crisis at this time) to care too much about this one
I quite liked this one, actually. Then again I haven't seen the original or any of the other sequels yet. Nonetheless, I was entertaned by this one.
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