Visually stirring and ambitious biopic on legendary rebel billionaire Howard Hughes

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2010)

From the talented Martin Scorsesse comes an admittedly ambitious but compelling and visually stirring biopic on legendary rebel billionaire Howard Hughes. Although it is nearly three hours, I don't think the film dragged that much and I was gripped for the whole duration. My problem is to do with the secondary characters though. The Aviator is one of those films where a lot of detail goes into making the protagonist and a few more key characters convincing and relateable, but the secondary characters aren't given as much attention as well. This is not the first film to have this problem though, Kinsey which was still very good had it too, as did Chaplin. Back on target, actors like Willem Dafoe and Ian Holm are not given that much to do, they do fine with what they have, but their characters have the sense of appearing there one minute and disappearing the next. Another problem was that occasionally the drama was lacking, the story was well constructed and paced, and the themes here are very ambitious, but other than well staged plane scenes parts of the more dramatic parts felt somewhat lukewarm.
Complaints aside, this is still a very good film. First of all, it is amazing to look at, the scenery is gorgeous and the costumes are sumptuous. The music is also a delight, beautiful and poignant, dramatic and haunting in others. I loved the small clips of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, orchestrated here and it works(it was originally written for organ you see), and Tchaikovsky's 5th and 6th Symphonies, the latter of which has a final movement that is so heart-rending as it always reminds me of death, don't ask why though. The Aviator is brilliantly directed by Scorcesse, and the script does have moments of meaningful power. And the acting is pretty exceptional. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his better post-Titanic performances here, he proves he is more than a person that is all looks no talent, for he really is brilliant as Howard Hughes. Cate Blanchett is wonderful as well as Katherine Hepburn, and Kate Beckinsale surprised me. Like DiCaprio, she too proves that she is more than a pretty face by giving a really good account of herself as Ava Gardner while looking absolutely amazing in the process. In a smaller role, Alec Baldwin was also enjoyable.
Overall, not absolutely outstanding, but The Aviator is a very striking, ambitious and compelling biopic. 8/10 Bethany Cox