Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It is true that the "Airport" films are mere guilty pleasures where everything can be taken at face value. This second one out of four, is probably the most tolerable. The budget seems to have been put to better use than in the previous "Airport" film from 1970. Charlton Heston is cashing in on his He-Man image and only has to turn up to save the day. The rest of the cast - apart from George Kennedy - hardly get a look in which is what I expected. There is entertainment value in small doses but don't expect any surprises or twists to the tale.

For anyone who's seen that episode of 'Family Guy' where Peter is sent by Death to kill the cast members of 'Dawson's Creek' on an airliner and Karen Black lands the plane, this is the source of that reference!Now, on to the film!As a disaster movie, 'Airport 1975' is not that bad. It was made at a time when all of those clichéd "there's no one flying the plane" plot lines were still quite fresh. When television shows such as 'Charlie's Angels' and 'The A-Team' began to cash in on the gimmick with their own interpretations, you could tell that the plot device was getting stale!Charlton Heston and George Kennedy reunite in another disaster movie after the also much-lambasted 'Earthquake' (1974) and both of them get quite good roles, with Kennedy reprising his role as Joe Patroni from 'Airport' (1969).The plot is not as complex as that in 'Airport' and the characters are hardly as well-developed. However, this film still has a certain charm. Not only is it the source of that Karen Black joke, which has been much-parodied beyond the realms of 'Family Guy', but the flying scenes were conducted using an actual commercial airliner being piloted low around mountainous terrain! These kinds of films convinced modern luminary directors such as Christopher Nolan to film things for real, even though these films probably earned more in popcorn sales than for actual screen-worthiness.If that is not exciting enough, there are plenty of perilous decisions, stunt work and high-octane situations to keep you busy. Plus, a pleasant combination of well-known and television actors appear in the film, such as Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (long before lending his voice to Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred), Helen Reddy as a singing nun (it's not as bad as it sounds), Linda Blair (post-'Exorcist') and even screen icon Gloria Swanson in her final film role.Certainly not the most complex of the 'Airport' films and certainly not the worst - if you're looking for something to thrill you and you're not taking a flight the next morning, then watch this!!

I'm watching Aiport 75 and wondering where the action is. Part way through the movie you have person in small plane suffer a heart attack. His plane crashes into a 747. Now the 747 has a small hole in the plane and it's pilotless. Now who is going to land plane? For some reason they decided they were going to use a helicopter and try to land a pilot in the cockpit of the plane. It doesn't seem believable. If this did happen in real life I don't think that's how they would do it. They had a bunch of different passengers on the plane such as Gloria Swanson playing herself, Nun's that can even play guitar and a kid who needs a kidney transplant. I guess there was reason they needed all these different characters in this movie. It wasn't like it helped the movie much.I didn't realize this movie was the basis for the movie Airplane! Airplane is a lot like this movie but much funnier. They took Airport 75 and made another movie which is much better. I like these Airplane movies and would rather watch Airplane!. I have seen that movie many times and really liked it. I wouldn't say Airport 75 was that bad of a movie. It had it's moments where it was good.

This is the first airport's airplane movie. The authentic version of the plane's disaster movie of the 1970s. And the best of the whole airport series.The 1970 movie was an unusual day in a life of an airport. This round the new formula is clear and solid : A plane in calamity. Many different characters, mostly viewers. Attempts to rescue lead to a climax with a happy end. Afterwards, they tried to clone Airport 75 in the 1977 movie, then deform it in the 1979 one ! 3 matters did bother me. Firstly the list of cameos / the passengers didn't do anything but the relief, whereas there is no drama but the plane's drama, and anything else it is a triviality.Secondly, the way how the script skips several ways to make more thrilling moments that could have made the atmosphere hotter. To instance : the fuel is leaking and "we don't have enough", you see the lead's wife and son on the very plane however no special danger they suffer other than the main danger, the girl who needs a liver; there is no subsidiary thrill with her line; as if "her status is unstable, she requires immediate medical care", scared drunks on board with nothing to do but being scared; they could have done anything to threaten the peace inside the plane, the media's importunity does nothing but bugging (George Kennedy) and that's about it ?!,.. etc. Certainly, exploding situations like that, in the most exaggerated illogical yet entertaining ways, you can watch after 16 years in Die Hard 2 (1990), which makes Airport 75 more rational and believable in a way.Thirdly, the climactic moment wasn't done very well. I couldn't understand what the trouble in getting the plane on land was? I even couldn't get how (Charlton Heston) stopped it (that moment had been overstepped unfairly). All what he did was swerving it to turn it away from its headway; which is obviously so easy to an extent makes it unfit as a climax for all the excitement before it.(Heston) was so masculine and charismatic. He seemed cool with those shades. Originally, god gifted him with that look of "whatever hard I'll beat it utterly", he makes other guys like Tom Cruise perfect sissies. I suppose the 1970s were the last time to see 50-something-year-old lead in an action movie. (Karen Black) wasn't less charismatic. Aside from being a beauty (always believed that she's French-born), she managed to be convincing and serious. Something I miss with the beautiful dolls of today's movies as well. On the other hand, (Gloria Swanson) as (Gloria Swanson) was wrong, if not pathetic ! The movie is technically competent. I loved its amusing music, good editing, and fine directing. It has a reason to be distinct forever, among its fellow plane's disaster movies, which is the idea of the explosion of the cockpit with everyone in it. However, and despite the clever total tension of it, the movie is generally empty, and a bit poor when it comes to utilize rich areas it already has. Yes, it's the best airport's airplane-in-calamity movie to date, but, one way or another, it has the main lesion of not the plane's movies, rather the whole disaster movies : the script.