No blocks busted by this blockbuster, but PLENTY of blockages...on its path to cloud-nine stardom

Rating: 5/10 (9 March 2005)

So 5 out of ten...i.e. mediocrity at its best: the plot is neither unfolding apace, nor idiosyncratic enough to keep bums on seats--that's Leo's job and even he falters in reaching this his riveting on screen persona: his character is flat throughout, in terms of 'ounces of excitement and whispers of a thrill' (couldn't help quoting Anthony H.). At its most nail-biting moments (few and far between), the movie seems to choke, stopping short of white-knuckled gripping effusion. It all fizzles into that dreaded bottom line of any biopic: real-life drama translates into workaday cardboard in flea-pits. Success lies in that eluding hybrid: exaggeration + verisimilitude; and that's what slips through Scorsese's fingers--the sound reality check is flaccid when he fails to capitalize on it. His tunnel-vision seems to keep him oblivious to the Hollywood staple: the SPELL is crucial in 'spellbinding' and this means tension mounting towards a climax. The Aviator soars alright, but then it runs out of fuel and the viewer, suspended in full-blown animation, takes a nasty, anticlimactic nosedive. It doesn't hurt, though, especially if you've got Kate Beckinsale's plump...glamor to soften the blow.:)