Review of Airport 1975 (1974) by Alberto G — 27 May 2013

The problem I found with the blockbuster Airport was that it was too focused on the character drama and didn't divert enough attention into the theme of a plane at severe risk of crashing, and the first hour was boring as hell with the film only picking up mildly after a bomb went off on the plane. The love story also seemed tedious, but the intentions were good as were the cast, although I was unfamiliar with many of them.

I was eager to see Airport 1975 because the cast were a lot more familiar, including a returning George Kennedy, and the plot sounded interesting and a lot more focused on the theme of the risk of a plane crash with more intensity and less cheap characters.

With Airport 1975 I found at first that the characters seemed more interesting due to having a girl in dire need of a kidney transplant and others, and the film developed them at the same time of developing the plane disaster themes instead of having to do it before the plane took off which provided for greater intensity in the story.

Also, the makers provided many more exterior shots of the planes and helicopters and such, and the entire setting was significantly more convincing thanks to that. Really, it provided just what I wanted when I watched the first Airport movie, but I find myself having enjoyed Airport 1975 significantly more due to the focus on the disastrous airplane drama as opposed to the events chronicling the characters within. I enjoyed Airport 1975 and I would consider it superior to Airport on many levels.

The actual plot dynamics following the airplane in trouble are rather well crafted since the various cinematographic styles and formalities are executed well, and the entire film is well acted, and the fact is it was very finely made on a low budget of only $3 Million.

Karen Black makes a fine lead as a stewardess forced to cope with an apocalyptic situation to save the lives of others, and the constant intensity in her stare and voice is very well executed, as well as the fact that her pretty face makes her a successful actress beyond just being a good looker. She was great.

And I enjoyed Charlton Heston because I mainly associate him with the roles of groundbreaking films (Ben-Hur, Planet of the Apes) or a cocky but strong leader of an 80's venture (The Omega Man), and here he takes on a role of the latter as a piece of an ensemble cast and the way he blends in with the rest is good, as is his performance.

George Kennedy was also great, although I don't know how Joseph "Joe" Patroni made a transition between head mechanic and airline Vice President between Airport films. But he was good, not as fun as a character but as a serious one he pulled it off very nicely, although not as good as in the first one because his Joe Pesci style comedic charm was what worked.

Helen Reddy was also good, as was Gloria Swanson, and although her role was minuscule and her character had a greater role than her, Linda Blair was decent in her performance.

Lastly, Airport 1975 is also great since the formulaic plot device it followed is straight out of the disaster genre, it ended up becoming an influence over the plot of the comedic Airplane! (Known as Flying High! in Australia) since it comedically parodied many of the characters to a good extent and was rather enjoyable, so Airport 1975 should have a greater legacy for that than for somehow ending up in the book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.

I mean, Airport 1975 isn't amazing, but it's significantly better than its predecessor which people seem to be unable to see.

It does have problems, namely falling into a formulaic story determined by the 70's disaster movie genre and therefore being somewhat predictable even though occasionally surprising.

Also, there's no real intensity in the story and that could have been enhanced if the filmmakers decided to use more of a musical score to put some shocks into perspective, but that was lacking.

Lastly, along with the implausibility of the plot, the story fails to explain what happens to Scott Freeman or his plane after the collision and it is left to the viewers imagination, but the unconvincing shot of the collision leaves the audience inquisitive. I'm assuming he died since he crashed his plane and had a heart attack, but he disappeared suddenly and I wasn't sure what happened.

So based on the standards set by the 1970's disaster genre and the low standards set after its poor but Oscar-Winning predecessor, Airport 1975 supplied sufficient entertainment and had a decent series of plot dynamics flooded by characters.