"So, what was the point of the story?"

Rating: 5/10 (30 April 2005)

The first response I got from a friend after coming out of the movie was "so what was the point of the story?" The Aviator is exactly that statement. There is so much going on in the story, but none of them built up to a satisfying ending.
The story is too broad and the conversations too long, leaving my eyes wandering off the screen every 15 minutes, and when I come back, guess what, the plot has taken a 90 degree sharp turn into a different direction. It's like, wait! I thought it's about his courtship with Hepburn and his love for aviation, but how come now it's about his sexual infatuation with 15-year-old girls and germ phobic? Next thing you know, it's about urine in milk bottles and corrupted post war senators...
For all I care, I enjoyed the character of Hepburn (unfortunately vanished without a trace 1/3 into the story), the awesome test flights and crashes (only great paced editing), the court hearing, and the super comic moments with Ian Holm.
Overall, this movie is an hour too long, and need to be more focused on a central theme.