Product: Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Rating: 3.0
Lack of New Material Lets it Down
Two years after the hilariously funny, and new comic styled original came the sequel (inevitably I suppose) and sadly was nowhere near its predecessor in comedy or durability. Perhaps the lack of the Zucker team at the helm helped steer this vessel on to the rocks, as it certainly dived at the box office pretty rapidly. Don't get me wrong, this is still funny, but is really only a reworking of the original movie, only this time using a Space Shuttle as the doomed aircraft. The main characters are all back to reprise their roles with the addition of William Shatner (who's presence and role are one of the high points of the movie), but unfortunately the director just went with the same formula, and the lack of fresh material, makes the movie lumber. Fans of the genre will no doubt find plenty here to keep themselves amused, and the budget price means that your home collection can be completed quite inexpensively if you have the original, but otherwise this is a bit of a let down. I desperately wanted to give more but 3 stars is a stretch.