Movie Review – Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Thanks to the tremendous success and popularity of 1980′s comedic genius of Airplane!, two years later a sequel was released.
Airplane II: The Sequel was released in December of 1982. The movie cashes in on the popularity of the previous movie along with the nation’s sudden interest in NASA’s Space Shuttle program. The problem though, is that Airplane II doesn’t really offer viewers anything new (or really good for that matter).
Airplane II begins several years after the first movie. Technology has advanced to the stage where there is a colony on the Moon, and regular passenger service to there is about to begin. Airplane II follows the maiden launch of the Lunar Shuttle Mayflower One, the first spacecraft designed to carry passengers to and from the Moon. Naturally, the Mayflower One spaceship looks a lot like NASA’s Space Shuttle.
It turns out that things didn’t turn out too well between Ted Striker (played again by Robert Hays) and Elaine Dickinson (played again by Julie Hagerty) since the events in Airplane!. Elaine is in a new relationship with Simon Kurtz (played by Chad Everett), an engineer who helped design the Mayflower One. They’re engaged to get married soon.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
Meanwhile, we see a couple of business executives (one of them played by Rip Torn) discussing the launching of Mayflower One. It turns out that the engineers are being pressured to rush and have the Lunar Shuttle launch its scheduled service on time.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
We then see that Ted Striker is once again committed in a psychiatric hospital and under evaluation by Dr. Stone (played by John Vernon). Dr. Stone notices Striker getting upset when he shows him a recent newspaper talking about the upcoming launch of Mayflower One. Striker was a test pilot for the shuttles, and he still insists that he was framed and put into the hospital to silence him. Knowing about the potential dangers on the Lunar Shuttle, Striker escapes from the mental hospital and makes his way to the airport.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
Striker finds Elaine and tries to warn her about the problems on the Lunar Shuttle, but she refuses to listen to him. She thinks of it as another trick of trying to win her back. Unable to stop Elaine from boarding, Striker purchases a Lunar Shuttle ticket from a scalper and boards the doomed flight himself. Meanwhile, an engineer finds a problem with some wiring on the shuttle, but the company executives insist that the flight continues.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
Mayflower One successfully launches into space, and for the time being all seems well. The passengers (many are the same from Airplane!) are comfortable and enjoying their historic flight. Striker is busy telling fellow passengers the tale of his trial in court and how he believes that the company executives tried to frame him for the crash of a Lunar Shuttle test vehicle.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
The flight crew on the Mayflower One begin to notice some problems in the ship’s computer, so Captain Oveur (played again by Peter Graves) sends them to investigate. The ship’s computer fights back and the navigator and co-pilot are sucked out into space. Captain Oveur then checks things out himself, and the computer attacks him with a chemical gas. Once again, the passengers are without a pilot or flight crew as they hurl through space.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
Elaine is able to get Ted Striker into the cockpit to help fly the spaceship. He tries to fly it, but the ship’s computer has the Mayflower One on an alternate course directly towards the sun. Striker calls for assistance on the radio and again finds himself talking to Steve McCroskey (played again by Lloyd Bridges). Elaine and Ted learn from McCroskey that one of the passengers (played by Sonny Bono) is suicidal and has a bomb on board the spaceship. They have to somehow subdue him and take away his weapon.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
The suicidal passenger is captured, and Striker and Elaine use his bomb to attack the ship’s computer. They then have control of the Mayflower One and set a new course for Alpha Beta, the Lunar Base. Like in Airplane!, McCroskey seeks additional help to talk to Striker over the radio. This time we have Commander Murdock (played by William Shatner), Striker’s old commanding officer in the military.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – (c) Paramount Pictures
Commander Murdock has some personal issues himself, but he’s able to help talk Striker into a landing on the Moon. The Lunar Shuttle crashes on the surface, but the ship stays intact during the rough landing. At the end we see passengers disembarking via an emergency escape slide and then walking around Alpha Beta.
And that’s just about it to Airplane II: The Sequel.
So is the movie any good?
Nope.
Airplane II has a couple of decent jokes and gags here and there, but most of the movie feels like a recycled version of its predecessor. Julie Hagerty is more annoying this time around, Robert Hays and Lloyd Bridges seem like they’re just going through the motions and not putting any effort into it, and William Shatner’s role is just plain stupid. On top of that you get to hear Airplane!‘s successful jokes over and over again.
It’s hard to like Airplane II. Most of the first half of the movie is okay at best, but the second half really stinks. I’m not even going to get into all of the faults and technical flaws with the spaceflight in the movie. This is a poorly made comedy, and you have to grant it certain exceptions from the laws of physics.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) – movie trailer
This seems a little bit weird, but the movie’s trailer is actually worse than the movie itself.
Steve McCroskey – “Jacobs, I want to know absolutely everything that’s happened up till now.”
Jacobs – “Well, let’s see. First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and they bought Mercedes Benzes. And Prince Charles started wearing all of Lady Di’s clothes. I couldn’t believe it.”