Fly away...

Rating: 5/10 (10 June 2005)

While "The Aviator" is by no means a badly made movie, it isn't what this reviewer would call a compelling enough film to own or to watch more than once. That is of course unless your extremely fascinated by Howard Hughes, planes, or aviation history in general.
Yes, Howard Hughes was an eccentric, obsessive compulsive billionaire who had his share of Hollywood romances. And indeed, he is an important historical figure.
"The Aviator" suffers from one main thing: script! This biographical account of Howard Hughes just isn't that intriguing to watch more than once. With all the millions spent on the production and the actors, it would have been nicer to see a more enticing script & dialogue that would prove worthy of multiple viewings.
Leo, Cate, John C Reilly, Kate Beckinsale and all the others due fine jobs in the film. Leo is an outstanding actor, and so are the others. His portrayal of Hughes is just fine, and I doubt that anyone could have done any better.
After viewing any film, one has to ask themselves..."would I want to see this again"? Some people are more than content seeing a movie only once, and then moving on to the next film.
What I find to make the difference between good and great movies, are the ones that leave the audience wanting more: whether in the form of a sequel or in the form of a repeat viewing.
At almost 3 hours long, I had had enough of "The Aviator" by the time it was done.
I'm glad I saw it once, but I wouldn't want to see any more. On the contrary, a film like this might have proved better by the "less is more" theory.
Oscar worthy? No...not really. Not for best film or director that is for sure. Leo deserved his nod for "Best Actor", but I can clearly see why Cate Blanchett walked away from the Oscars with the real victory of the film. Her performance of Katherine Hepburn was short and exhilarating - which is one thing that the rest of "The Aviator" could have benefited from. The crash scene in "The Aviator" does stands out as a very livid and intense sequence though. It's a very well done segment.
If you go into "The Aviator" with no expectations and without believing all the "hype" that it's such a fantastic movie, then it shouldn't fail to disappoint you. Otherwise, it more than likely will. By the time the end rolls around, "The Aviator" can only be summed up as just an "O.k." movie.
Worth the rental, but for the movie itself (excluding extra features); just not worth the entry in this reviewers DVD collection