Hollow Eye Candy

Rating: 4/10 (21 February 2005)

The Aviator. I've always considered Leonardo DiCaprio a good actor in the right role, and Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors. I must admit, prior to viewing The Aviator, I knew little about Howard Hughes, except for the fact that he made Hell's Angels and had a psychotic breakdown later in his life. But anyway, I had hope for this movie. Sadly, it left a lot to be desired.
The good news first; the movie was visually amazing. Scorsese and Co. did an excellent job creating the world of Hughes through a generous combination of set pieces, costumes, and CGI effects (most of which did not look phony). There are some exciting moments in The Aviator, most of them involving airplanes (shooting Hell's Angels, crashing in Beverly Hills, etc).
The bad news; the film was almost completely devoid of emotional depth, character development, and structure. This makes a big difference in a film like The Aviator. This sort of thing is what puts a film like Ray or The Elephant Man on top ten lists and sets movies like The Aviator aside from the good ones. Since the film wants us to devote our three hours (believe me, it feels far longer) towards caring about Howard Hughes, it would help a little if we could learn anything from him besides the fact that he wasn't afraid to break limits and push boundaries. I mean, the latter is slightly compelling at first, but it wears thin after a bit, and I began to grow restless for something new about Howard. Leonardo DiCaprio himself is acceptable, yet seems somewhat strained compared to other roles of his. His performance often feels one layered and thin, yet in his defense, John Logan, the screenwriter, gives him very little to work with. Cate Blanchett's accent makes you jump at first, but it also loses it's vigor and becomes two dimensional. These characters are simply animated puppets who impress you upon introduction, but leave you pining for something. There is also very little introduction to Howard himself. One moment his mother is bathing him as a child, and then BAM, he's using his oil profits to finance Hell's Angels. It was structuring like this that made The Aviator feel like a moving photo album that made the audience grow restlessly impatient. I say this because the movie far outstays it's welcome. It clocks in at slightly less than three hours, but it might as well be three hundred. When the "climax" finally hits, we don't know if it's really the end or if we have another decade or two of Howard's life to look forward to. I remember when the credits began to roll, half a dozen people sitting around me cried out, "WHAT?!"
In short, The Aviator felt like an over-sized birthday cake that is nice to look at, but has no flavor, succulence, or zest. Best Picture of 2004? I truly hope that American entertainment has not come to that (especially when "Million Dollar Baby", "Sideways", or even "Finding Neverland" are the contenders). I rest my case.