Airport '77

Rating:
Summary: AIRPORT BOXSET
Review: Airport 77 is probably the series best film. Second to Airport 75. The music score is great. To me the special effects were great. I didn't see any dumb effects. The cast was so fantastic. I am surprised some of them even come out of their shells for a movie but i am glad they did. Jack Lemmon heading the distinguished cast with Christopher Lee, Jimmy Stewart, Olivia de Havilland, Lee Grant & Brenda Vercarro.

A luxury 747 takes off from Washington DC packed with priceless art and lots of VIPs on their way to Steves (stewart) musuem where they will donate their part of the art. Grant as a drunk wife, de Havilland kindling old love and playing a hand, Lee planning for future living and dealing the with his drunk wife, Lemmon flying the big 747 and wanting to marry long time girlfriend Brenda Vacarro, Brenda Vercarro playing the head stewardess and girl friend to lemmon.

Bring out a boxset and a extra dvd with lots of info, bios and deleted scenes. And visit the AIRPORT DATABASE for lots of info and speak on our forum!

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Airport Films
Review: Although this is not one of the best films I have seen per se it stands out as memorably daft but highly enjoyable. It stands as the best of the four Airport films and is complimented with a fine cast who do more than just play it by the numbers, tempting as it may be. It may sound silly - a plane crashing into the sea, sinking beneath the waves leaving the crew and passengers with the difficult problem of getting out - but somehow it works. An enjoyable piece of nonsense to wile away a couple of hours.

This is a good transfer DVD - the picture and sound are good. My only complaint would be the lack of features - no trailer, no biographies, not even a mention of its "siblings". Still, a worthy addition to my collection.

Rating:
Summary: "Airport '77" not a bad disaster flick
Review: Art thieves (one of whom is the co-pilot) hijack a luxury jet after they gas the passengers and crew. Complications arise when they crash it into the Bermuda Triangle, after flying more than 200 miles off course. Everyone regains consciousness as the jet is sinking, and then plots to escape as the fuselage can only hold out for so long. Pilot Jack Lemmon and passengers Christopher Lee and Darren McGavin lead the effort to get out alive. Not a bad effort in the disaster genre, with good performances and special effects. Lots of extra footage added for television, so fans might want to check it out then.

Rating:
Summary: A good AIRPORT sequel
Review: I like this movie for the inventive storyline, and the special effects are great for the time it was made in. The actors put real conviction into their roles. But this won't live up to "Airport" or the even better "Airport 1975". This is a great movie though. The DVD presents the film in widescreen, with a much sharper and colorful presentation than the VHS editions have presented. Hopefully Universal's re-release will contain some bonus features. It offers some suspense and is a great disaster flick. I recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A childhood favourite
Review: I remember this movie from when I was a little kid and it played on television like a mini-series, airing over 2 nights. I loved it then and was excited when my copy of the DVD turned up in my mailbox. I wasn't disappointed. Sure, the special effects are a bit dodgy, but this film was made in a time when movies were meant to be fun and didn't take themselves too seriously.
As with all the Airport movies, as well as all the disaster flicks I suppose, the stellar cast reads like a who's who of 1970's Hollywood. The plot is good, if not beleivable and the acting is strictly high camp and the movie itself is second only to Airport 75 out of the four movies in the series.
Once again, unfortunately, I was disappoited with the features on offer. It is a pity and an oversight as far as I am concerned, as all of the Airport movies had such big name casts and were such hits in their day that there was ample opportunity to flood us with tidbits and trivia.
If you enjoy nostalgia and all those old disaster flicks I would happily recommend Airport '77.

Rating:
Summary: Waterlogged Sequel
Review: If you are interested in this film, I would suggest looking into the AIRPORT TERMINAL PACK which includes AIRPORT, AIRPORT 75, AIRPORT 77 and THE CONCORDE AIRPORT 79. There have been some gripes about the cropping of one of these films in that set, but if you're just looking for a quick AIRPORT fix, it clearly fits the bill.

The decade of the seventies gave us many `disaster' films. None of them spawned a film and 3 sequels with the exception of AIRPORT. All along, the filmmakers had to consider "How do we make the next one bigger and better?" Having blown up a bomb on the first plane and crashing head first into a small plane in the second, what was next? Take the third film out of the air altogether and put it in the water. Well, it doesn't totally work, but all the AIRPORT films still retain a bit of charm that makes viewing painless and on occasion fun.

By crashing the plane into the ocean, the filmmakers have the opportunity to make the viewer feel very claustrophobic. But they miss that opportunity as they have created some sort of super plane that seems to have endless indoor space, lacking regular airplane seating. So, when they are underwater you feel relieved that they still have all that space and comfort surrounding them while they await rescue.

Of course, AIRPORT '77 has an All-Star Cast! Well, nowadays, that all-star cast is really just a collection of familiar looking people. Jimmy Stewart in a phoned-in performance as a millionaire tycoon and Jack Lemmon as the heroic Captain are the only big names. Sure, George Kennedy returns as Petroni but that is only as an AIRPORT staple.

'77 doesn't have Helen Reddy as a nun charming the passengers with a guitar, but they've got the next best thing: a blind piano player singing "Eyes of the beholder." It is one of the unintentional moments of hilarity parodied so well in the comedy AIRPLANE.

For the time, the special effects are pretty strong. They in no way compare with what would be done today, but the crash and the submerged plane are pretty impressive.

Finally, Airport '77 retains some of the Soap Opera elements that propelled the first 2 films in the series. Although, the characters are not as involving so their issues seem to be filler rather than real concerns.

Airport '77 is in no way a great film. Hardly even a good one. But it can sure be fun; especially on those late Saturday nights went you can't get to sleep... this'll do the trick!


Rating:
Summary: A piece of history
Review: Ignore the reviews of those who gave this movie only one or two stars. Granted, this is not the best movie ever made but it is a piece of our ever-evolving movie history. It is in no way useless or "ridiculous" as other Amazon.com viewers have stated. (I should also add that those who write reviews should spell "correctly." I've always said if you don't know how to spell a word, look it up in the dictionary.) As for this movie - it is an historical treasure. How can it possibly be anything but a treasure with wonderful actors such as Jack Lemmon, Gil Gerard and Jimmy Stewart! If you are wanting 21st century special effects - forget it. You won't find it in this movie. However, you will find a piece of marvelous nostalgia - historical movie magic in all its 1970s style glory! Ignore those who call this movie worthless. Some people take life way too seriously. These are the same people who take movies way too seriously. Some are meant to be for entertainment only. This movie entertains just as well as any other classic Airport movie or any other disaster movie for that matter. If you are a highly critical snob, you won't like this movie. If you lived in the 70s and want a piece of history just for the fun of it, this video is not a waste of money. Loosen up, relax and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: A good AIRPORT sequel!
Review: In this film, a 747 crashes to the floor of the sea, and its passengers wait and hope that their pilot's skills will lead him safely out of the plane to get help. This was a good sequel with Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, and Brenda Vacarro in strong roles. It may not live up to "Airport" or "Airport 1975", its 2 predecessors, but it surely is near it and is worth watching!

Rating:
Summary: What hurts is the cast...
Review: Millionaire James Stewart ("First I collected bicycles, then Renoirs") sends his collection of paintings across the atlantic. His Boeing is a de luxe model: sumptuous main lounge, bedrooms, even a library is on board. The passengers are adequately moneyed. Stewarts daughter (Pamela Bellwood) is shocked to hear that daddy is dying, Olivia de Havilland meets her old flame Joseph Cotten, even a critic is on board ("My reviews are never meant personally"). A blind singer sings "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". Christopher Lee is a kind person: he wants to "harvest the seas for food and save millions of people from starvation". His wife (Lee Grant) is not so kind: She drinks. Her lover is on board, too...

All those passengers are in good hands: Jack Lemmon is their pilot, and how staunch he is even though his girlfriend (Brenda Vaccaro) hesitates to become the mother of his children and give up her career. But the co-pilot (Robert Foxworth) and some crew-members are traitors: they hit poor Lemmon on the head and gas the passengers. One by one, De Havilland, Cotten & Bellwood sink unconscious to the floor and the gangsters steal the rings from their fingers. When they wake up they find themselves at the bottom of the sea: Foxworth was better as gangster than as pilot...But the U.S. Navy is very competent. Besides, they have George Kennedy...

I have no intention to reveal the outcome of this gripping adventure. Only so much, that the biggest fun that can be had from this film is the performance of actress Lee Grant who tries to combat the hardships of her role with the help of method-acting.

Most critics deplored the dialogue. It's "Jesus Christ" and "Oh, my God" but do you prefer intellectual babble in this kind of film? No, what hurts me most is the cast. Not George Kennedy or Christopher Lee, such films were their daily bread, but...Olivia De Havilland...and she was still face to face with THE SWARM...James Stewart looks concerned and has every reason to be: his next role was as dying old man in his bed in an undesired remake of THE BIG SLEEP...

How Jack Lemmon managed to land in this mess is quite a story: I think it goes back to the sixties when he refused two parts he should have played: a passionate billard-player, he would have been perfect as THE HUSTLER and if you watch his performance in DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES you will discover that he had the right fanaticism for the part. The other role he refused was George in WHO'S AFRAID OF vIRGINIA WOOLF(Not for artistic reasons, just because Jack Warner offered him not enough money). Please watch him in HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE, gloating over his wife's misfortune, rolling his eyes with malevolence - a study in sadism. Oh, he would have been perfect in VIRGINIA WOOLF, different from Burton, of course, but perfect for George. That he refused those parts did not hurt his career at first. Most of his sixties films are delightful. But by the end of the decade it became evident that he missed the opportunity to extend the range of his roles. A series of filmed Broadway plays narrowed his career even further. Again: delightful films, but they were getting out of fashion by 1975. He tried to liberate himself, made a bold step, and the result was ALEX AND THE GYPSY. Whatever critics may say, this is one of those audacious performances he should have risked more often. The film was a flop. In his desperation he tried to play it safe by accepting a role in a popular hit. The very moment when he signed his contract for AIRPORT 77 he insulted his fans. It's not that his performance is bad, all this pseudo-scientific jargon comes smoothly from his lips, but Lemmon's audience had gourmet-tastes and he served them fast-food...The film nearly ruined his career, but this time he reacted more wisely: he refused to make more junk, he did not sell his skin to television but returned to the stage instead. He did some serious work and had a deserved Broadway hit with TRIBUTE. In the meantime he waited for the right role. He had to wait for nearly two years, but the right role came: it was THE CHINA SYNDROME.

Rating:
Summary: Soooooo good
Review: Ok, it really wasn't that good but.... this movie has the distinct honor of being the 1st film I ever went to see again immediatly after it ended (I was 12 yrs old, fer cryin' out loud!) So many years have past and I figured, hell-why not? I go and buy a copy on DVD and... am really pleasantly suprised. There are some really good performances (Lee Grant, Christopher Lee, Jack Lemmon) and some not so good. Good special effects and second unit photograhy. Plus, the story is not all that ridiculous...it "could" happen. Now having said this I must add that when I watched it, I was seriously faded and the only thing that kept it from being a 5 star rating was that I forgot to order a pizza and my soda was kinda flat. Good times!