Rating: 
Summary: The Sequels Have Never Been That Great
Review: Since Arthur Hailey had his book "Airport" published which was later made into a movie in 1970, it became successful. The sequels that followed: Airport 1975 (1974) and Airport '77 (1977) did not have that big of a success, though the former fared better at the box office. I was not really that impressed with the latter in scientific terms. The plane crashes at sea and sinks to the bottom when only the forward cargo hold flooded. There was plenty of air inside the rest of the plane that, in reality, could keep it afloat for as long as it was available. The characters, like Airport 1975, overacted as well. Karen Wallace (Lee Grant) was an obnoxious alcoholic who was constantly rude to husband Martin Wallace (Christopher Lee) a professional scuba diver who drowns while accompanying Captain Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) to the surface to send out a mayday signal. She goes nuts and tries to open a door before she is subdued and kayoed by first stewardess and girlfriend of Gallagher, Eve Clayton (Brenda Vaccaro). There have been some sequels in the past that have meaning, but most are a waste of a movie watcher's time.
Rating:
Summary: The Sequels Have Never Been That Great
Review: Since Arthur Hailey had his book "Airport" published which was later made into a movie in 1970, it became successful. The sequels that followed: Airport 1975 (1974) and Airport '77 (1977) did not have that big of a success, though the former fared better at the box office. I was not really that impressed with the latter in scientific terms. The plane crashes at sea and sinks to the bottom when only the forward cargo hold flooded. There was plenty of air inside the rest of the plane that, in reality, could keep it afloat for as long as it was available. The characters, like Airport 1975, overacted as well. Karen Wallace (Lee Grant) was an obnoxious alcoholic who was constantly rude to husband Martin Wallace (Christopher Lee) a professional scuba diver who drowns while accompanying Captain Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) to the surface to send out a mayday signal. She goes nuts and tries to open a door before she is subdued and kayoed by first stewardess and girlfriend of Gallagher, Eve Clayton (Brenda Vaccaro). There have been some sequels in the past that have meaning, but most are a waste of a movie watcher's time.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, shame about the DVD!
Review: The Airport films are a guilty pleasure for me, and have been since I was very young. I finally got around to buying this DVD just recently and I was both pleased and disappointed. What was pleasing was seeing the film with clarity and in widescreen. All I had previously was an old 1980's VHS copy of the movie. So that was quite good.However, the DVD transfer is very disappointing. In the beginning where we see Philip Stevens (James Stewart), his jacket moves around something horrible (due to it being a checked pattern). The same thing happens throughout the film with other costumes, and certain portions have a digital overtone to them (there's a term for it but I can't remember what that is). The film itself is quite good - you get to see people like the aforementioned James Stewart, the delightful Olivia de Havilland (seeing her as a card shark in a scene in this film is vastly amusing!), Brenda Vaccaro (always talented), and a host of other stars. Jack Lemmon is also extremely good as the hero in this film - taking the role seriously and producing something different for him. A fairly gripping storyline that you should take for what it is. It manages to hold up without succumbing to the usual 70's disaster flick bad lines and formula - and I would hazard a guess that the stellar acting from the very talented cast is partly the reason for this. As James Stewart said, "It's an adventure film, and there have always been adventure films". Finally, what would have been nice on the DVD? The original trailer... the approximately 40 minutes of scenes that appear only in the Network TV version (which I have on VHS as well - a lot of gems there - even as an extra feature, it would be good)... and of course the original bios and photos that came in the original press kit (which I also have). Of course, a better transfer would be nice too. So I am hopeful that someday a new one will be released... until then, this is better than my VHS copy!
Rating: 
Summary: A lost treasure
Review: This film, like all of the Airport movies is loaded with stars (something that a low-budget film could NEVER do today). Jack Lemmon, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Grant, George Kennedy, Olivia DeHavilland, Kathleen Quinlan, etc, etc... While I must admit, the plot of the movie is rather fantastic, consdering a 747 hitting the water at 200 knots+ would break up. But, one thing that I am impressed with is the aircraft realism (the same goes for Airport '75). The production unit really went out of their way to represent the 747 in an accurate way. This film, along with Airport '75, utilized the American Airlines 747 flight simulators in Dallas, TX, thus providing the audience with a true-to-life cockpit environment. Therefore, this is a MUST for aviation buffs... My only complaint about this movie is the quality of the DVD...Despite being a below-average transfer, it offers no special features or deleted scenes. Anyone who has seen the TV version of this movie knows that there is a lot of extra footage, especially in the beginning. Hopefully, there will be another release somewhere down the road...Maybe a collector's box of all the Airport films?
Rating:
Summary: Better than some recent disaster movies!
Review: This is my favourite on the AIRPORT series(the second best being the CONCORDE - AIRPORT 79 for its sheer hilariousness - although look what happened outside Paris in the news today!) with some rather impressive special effects for its time. The plot revolves around an art billionaire Philip Stevens, played by JAMES STEWART, who invites an assortment of characters on to his private 747, piloted by JACK LEMMON. Lo and behold, his co-pilot(ROBERT FOXWORTH, who was also in THE PROPHECY and OMEN 2) has masterminded a hijacking, which goes horribly wrong when the plane hits an oil rig, ditches into the sea and settles underwater! Somehow the fuselage remains intact - who will survive! We can surely guess the outcome. Also there's a vet treating human injuries - this was done a year earlier for spoof value in Paramount's disaster movie send-up THE BIG BUS! Dear me! But this is a great piece of 1970s vintage cheese which will be enjoyed by all. The effects and underwater photography during the submarine-style rescue attempt are still superb, the plane interior sets are quite realistic for this type of movie and the cast of stars, as well as LEMMON and STEWART you get JOSEPH COTTEN, Dynasty's PAMELA BELLWOOD, Buck Rogers star GIL GERARD, LEE GRANT, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND and once again GEORGE KENNEDY as Joe Patroni, liasing with the US Navy(some great military action here as well!) with the rescue attempt. I saw this on TV not so long ago for the first time in ages, and it'll definitely be included in my DVD collection!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not good either.
Review: This movie has a non-existent, recycled story to it. Mostly watchable by the strong performances of Jack Lemmon and the rest of the cast. If you want good acting, watch this movie. If you want a good movie, buy something else. The choice is yours.
Rating:
Summary: Rediculious
Review: This movie is absolutely the worst airport movie ever made. Technically it isn't even close to reality. The acting was predictable and terrible. Avoid this movie at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good and different disaster movie!
Review: This was the first "grown-up" (I.E. not kiddie fluff) movie I ever saw in the movie theaters. As such, it has held a special place in this movie-lover's heart. Recently, I saw this film again for the first time in 23 years. Seeing it again, I wondered if it would hold up after all these years and be as enjoyable as I remembered it. Often, a movie that was great when you were a kid suddenly becomes a steaming pile of crap from an adult perspective. To my pleasant surprise, this picture is quite good. What I like most about the flick is that it is different from other disaster movies. It features a hijacked 747 that crashes in the ocean, intact, and sinks 50 feet to the bottom. The creators of Airport 77 take an admittedly loopy idea and makes it work. One aspect that really sells the plot is the great cast. The lead is the great Jack Lemmon. As the pilot of the 747, he brings a lot of believability to his character. Lemmon plays a man trying his best to save lives in the face of a hopeless situation. Darren McGavin is the designer of the plane and really makes you believe that his character knows every square inch of the plane. The rest of the cast also delivers a fine job. The special effects were done the old fashioned way ( without CGI ) and are very convincing. Unlike its predecessor, Airport 1975, Airport 77 has a polished, big-budget look and feel. This Goodtimes Home Video DVD release presents the film in wide-screen and is a good transfer of this older release. Some bare-bones production notes are also included to give the viewer some background on the cast. I would have liked to see some behind the scenes info about the production of the film. The trailer for the flick would have also been nice. I understand that deleated scenes from Airport 77 do exist. In fact, they were added to the movie for TV broadcast. Sadly, they were also not included. At least, the movie is presented in wide screen so that the full sweep of this fun little epic is preserved intact. If you like disaster movies, seek out this little gem. It is not the greatest movie of all time, but it is one of the best examples of the genre. It belongs on the same shelf with The Towering Inferno, The Posidon Adventure and Titanic.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good and different disaster movie!
Review: This was the first "grown-up" (I.E. not kiddie fluff) movie I ever saw in the movie theaters. As such, it has held a special place in this movie-lover's heart. Recently, I saw this film again for the first time in 23 years. Seeing it again, I wondered if it would hold up after all these years and be as enjoyable as I remembered it. Often, a movie that was great when you were a kid suddenly becomes a steaming pile of crap from an adult perspective. To my pleasant surprise, this picture is quite good. What I like most about the flick is that it is different from other disaster movies. It features a hijacked 747 that crashes in the ocean, intact, and sinks 50 feet to the bottom. The creators of Airport 77 take an admittedly loopy idea and makes it work. One aspect that really sells the plot is the great cast. The lead is the great Jack Lemmon. As the pilot of the 747, he brings a lot of believability to his character. Lemmon plays a man trying his best to save lives in the face of a hopeless situation. Darren McGavin is the designer of the plane and really makes you believe that his character knows every square inch of the plane. The rest of the cast also delivers a fine job. The special effects were done the old fashioned way ( without CGI ) and are very convincing. Unlike its predecessor, Airport 1975, Airport 77 has a polished, big-budget look and feel. This Goodtimes Home Video DVD release presents the film in wide-screen and is a good transfer of this older release. Some bare-bones production notes are also included to give the viewer some background on the cast. I would have liked to see some behind the scenes info about the production of the film. The trailer for the flick would have also been nice. I understand that deleated scenes from Airport 77 do exist. In fact, they were added to the movie for TV broadcast. Sadly, they were also not included. At least, the movie is presented in wide screen so that the full sweep of this fun little epic is preserved intact. If you like disaster movies, seek out this little gem. It is not the greatest movie of all time, but it is one of the best examples of the genre. It belongs on the same shelf with The Towering Inferno, The Posidon Adventure and Titanic.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping But Not As Good As The Original Or Second Sequel
Review: This, the third of the "Airport" films, is weekest in storyline but great in casting. Jack Lemmon gave a very believable performance as chief pilot of the ill-fated 747, as did Christopher Lee as the staunch businessman with the alcholic, "neglected", socialite wife (Lee Grant). Other's in the cast were very supportive in their performances considering what they had to work with. The actual stars of this film were the navy rescuers who's performance was a real exersize of what they would have done if such an accident had occured in the ocean. Although this film lacks real substance it's fun to watch on a rainy day, especially if you have seen the previous films. The story is about a wealthy, but ill and dying, collector of many things ranging from art to antique autos (James Stewart playing the role comes off looking somewhat ill too, and he could have been as this was his last theatrical film). His grand, custom Boeing 747 is hijacked by crooks who want to steal his art collection being flown to a newly restored old homeplace he is turning into a museum in Florida. Along for the ride are many old friends and his daughter and grandchild being flown in style. One of the crooks screws up when attempting to land the 747 after gassing everyone unconscious. The plane crashes into the Bermuda Triangle and sinks. All of the passengers on the plane and the chief pilot are faced with how to rescue themselves before they run out of air to breathe while believing no one knows where they have crashed. Watch for the small cameo role of Chris Lemmon (Jack's son) as a fighter pilot looking for the sunken 747.
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