Ther Aviator is good, but needs editing.

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2005)

The Aviator - A story about the life of the slightly disturbed aviation pioneer/businessman/film maker Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his battle to own the most powerful and cutting edge airport company in the world. There are many excellent performances in this, and with such a big list of A-listers chances are everyone's got a favorite actor in here. Leo gives the best performance I've ever seen him do as the verminophobic, psychologically scarred perfectionist Hughes, who has a thing for soap, teenage girls, and milk (besides planes and throwing millions of dollars left and right). On a side note, Leo is so lucky; he's gotten to have film sex with so many women, including Kate Winslet and Jennifer Garner, over the course of all his films (I think that's the primary reason he Executive Produces this, so he gets to do that more now that he can't play 17 anymore). Cate Blachett plays Katherine Hepburn with amazing accuracy. Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin both play believable rivals. John C. Reily, bless him, is a wonderful character actor that should be more appreciated (You've seen him in Chicago). Ian Holm plays Hughes's assistant (a weatherman) with enthusiasm and I enjoyed his sidekick part. Willem Dafoe even has a cameo part.
*SPOILER AHEAD*
This movie has some thrilling (and, when Leo gets completely thrashed in one colossal plane wreck, chilling) plane scenes and has a very good story to tell. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell it very well at some points. This movie clocks at a very long 2 hours and 46 minutes, but it feels longer than that. Martin Scorsese needs to hire some actual film editors for his nest movie, because it felt like he hired some giggling teenage girls that want to see Leonardo's naked scarred body 10 times in a row.
A very good story that would've been better had it been told a little bit faster and edited better. Length tiffs aside, this gets an A- and I'd advise you all to rent it so you can pause during the movie and do other stuff for awhile.