Reviews (43)

Out of the era where craziness reined supreame
Out of the late 70s and through the earliy eighties came some of the greatest comedies that man kind has ever known. Amoung them the Sequel to Airplane. A satire film dedicated to mocking disaster films (like Airport), and in this case, space disasters as the cast and crew are off to the first settlement on the moon when a sabature reeks havick on the computer system. The computer goes hayware and once again Stryker must save the day. Although the plot of this movie is pretty much the same as the first there is a slugh of new gags, plus some old ones revisited that makes this movie a great companion to the original. Like the first the movie is filled with many-a-hillarious moments that will keep just about anyone laughing. There are a few time sensative gags that some might not understand if they were not around for that era, but not as many as the original or other movies from this era. I was very happy when I got this DVD. However a warning to parents: although this movie is rated PG it does feature some brief nudity and a lot of PG-13 level jokes. This movie is not appropriate for children despite its PG rating.

Lack of New Material Lets it Down
Two years after the hilariously funny, and new comic styled original came the sequel (inevitably I suppose) and sadly was nowhere near its predecessor in comedy or durability. Perhaps the lack of the Zucker team at the helm helped steer this vessel on to the rocks, as it certainly dived at the box office pretty rapidly. Don't get me wrong, this is still funny, but is really only a reworking of the original movie, only this time using a Space Shuttle as the doomed aircraft. The main characters are all back to reprise their roles with the addition of William Shatner (who's presence and role are one of the high points of the movie), but unfortunately the director just went with the same formula, and the lack of fresh material, makes the movie lumber. Fans of the genre will no doubt find plenty here to keep themselves amused, and the budget price means that your home collection can be completed quite inexpensively if you have the original, but otherwise this is a bit of a let down. I desperately wanted to give more but 3 stars is a stretch.

Nowhere Near As Good As The Original, But It's Still Funny!!
The redundantly-titled (on purpose, of course) AIRPLANE 2 - THE SEQUEL (1982) follows the rapid-fire, gag-a-second style of the original AIRPLANE! (1980) so well that, although it doesn't come close to matching the original for laughs, it's amazing that it was made without any input at all from the ZAZ boys (Jerry Zucker-Jim Abrahams-David Zucker) whatsoever---no writing, no directing, nada! It was in fact written and directed by just one man: none other than Ken Finkleman. I know, you're probably asking, Ken Who? Well, it seems that good ol' Ken is rather famous---more like *infamous*---for two mega-bombs of the '80's: GREASE 2 (made the same year, actually---1982) and WHO'S THAT GIRL? (1987). The fact that he took a beloved comedy that was still fresh in the minds of the audience members and dared to follow it up with his own vision, and made it this funny, is just amazing. (Now, if he only could have done that good a job with GREASE 2...)

Of course, AIRPLANE 2 - THE SEQUEL couldn't live up to the lofty expectations set by its predecessor, but that's okay, as there are some big-league laughs here. Robert Hays returns as the stone-faced, hilariously serious Ted Striker as he tries to prevent disaster on the First Passenger Space Shuttle To The Moon. Along for the ride, literally, are Julie Hagerty as Elaine, the flight attendant and Striker's ongoing love interest from the first film. Also making a return is (believe it or not) Lloyd Bridges as old Steven McCrosky (who must've picked a bad time to start guiding space shuttles), and Peter Graves as Capt. Clarence Oveur (thankfully, little Johnny didn't board this flight). Too bad Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) didn't come back for this trip; however, joining the crew in AIRPLANE 2 - THE SEQUEL are Chuck Connors as The Sarge, Raymond Burr as Judge D.C. Simonton, and William Shatner as Commander Buck Murdock. Shatner steals the show and gives what is easily the funniest performance in this film. Unless you've never seen Star Trek, you're bound to get the endless jokes!

In short, this is a really short movie. At only 85 minutes, with at least five of those minutes showing flashbacks to the first AIRPLANE!, this sequel doesn't give us very much. However, it still gives us plenty of hilarious moments, such as what happens at the end of a line of people, each one exclaiming "Striker," "Striker," "Striker...!" Also, it gives us Sonny Bono as the villain---c'mon, you can't possibly hate a movie that does that---plus, we get brilliant cameos by Rip Torn, Hervé Villechaize, and James Noble (the Governor on the TV show "Benson" for those who don't recall the name). Not only that, but David Leisure is back! (Although, instead of playing "First Hare Krishna" he's playing "Religious Zealot #1.")

Listen, I wouldn't recommend spending the proverbial arm & a leg on this DVD, especially because, like its predecessor, it offers absolutely nothing in the way of extras. But, at the price for which it's being offered on Amazon, I'd say that it's well worth it.

RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF AIRPLANE!

Not Anywhere Near The Original
Let me start off by saying I loved the first Airplane and consider it to be the best comedy ever. So I'm not a hater of the genre. When I first saw Airplane about two years ago I laughed until I cried. Just days after seeing it I was in an electronic store and saw Airplane 2 on DVD. Assuming it was made by the guys that made the original I bought it, oh how wrong I was. This is nothing but a sad attempt to copy the success of the original. Paramount asked the Zuckers and Jim Abrahams to do the sequel, when they declined saying there's not enough jokes left to do a sequel Paramount just hired some other guy to do it. The result, Airplane 2 crashes and burns.

Warning: There's Something Missing...
I won't waste time with complimenting or insulting this movie. I love it...just not as much as the origional. What really bothered me was the absence of several scenes. I kept having the funny feeling that I was missing something (I hadn't seen the movie in 10 years) and then it dawned on me. After the credits we see "Airplane III" and then it shows William Shatner say, "That's just what they'll be expecting us to do.". I had scene this snippet in a scene years ago when I watched Airplane II.

I then realized that some very funny stuff had been left out of the movie. The origional or even TV version had several more scenes that were simply deleted in the DVD version. I'm guessing maybe 10 to 15 minutes are missing. I can't even begin to comprehend why these scenes were deleted. We're obviously not worried about time constraints on a DVD.

I am very disappointed with this version simply because of the deleted material. I really enjoy this movie, but would have enjoyed it a lot more had the whole movie been included. Perhaps they should sell it with a warning stating that you're not receiving what you expect. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Arcane anatomical differences between the sexes?
Something weird keeps happening in this movie. Everytime Princess Hundra or some other female character kick, hit, or grab a man between the legs, the man falls down, can't get up, and loses the fight he'd just started against the gal.
This happens countless times in this movie and is most unusual. Hm. I'm not sure what to make of it. Have these movie makers stumbled upon some ancient, esoteric, mysterious difference between men and women? Some strange anatomical aberration that men have between the legs that women do not?
If so, then I would highly recommend this film to female self-defense experts, as this could revolutionize the roles between the sexes completely. We're talking a whole new, and much more easy to master school of martial arts here: There may never be such a thing as rape again, and men may be the ones staying home from now on, doing the cooking and cleaning. This is big, big stuff happening here. Some heavy duty revelations mayhaps.

HOT HUNDRA!
This feminist version of Conan the Barbarian from the 80s got lost in the shuffle when the director, who had a distribution agreement with Universal, went behind the studio's back to see if he could get a better deal. He should have just taken Big U's deal so people could get to see this cool movie. Laurene Landon is hot as the title character out to avenge the pillaging of her tribe. Does her own stunts and swordplay. Landon is a terribly overlooked action actress. Maybe this dvd release of one of her best films will give audiences a chance to see her shine. What we need now is a dvd release of her follow-up, the serial tribute Yellowhair and the Fortress of Gold. Here's to a Laurene Landon revival! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

B (or C) Movie Western
Pretty standard movie for the era, involving brutal tortures of gold hunters in the opening scenes, the twisted, comical Spanish/Mexican general as the evil villian, "noble" savages, a lost inca temple, humor, a tough (and very plain) leading lady, an easy-going western hero, this is a Western adventure. Bar fights, stage coach chases, running out of ammo, snakes in tumble weeds hured at the enemy, neither nudity nor sex - wasn't anything new for westerns. Acting was sometimes cheesy, film was not always perfect but was okay, it starts as if it's part of a cliffhanger series ("Last time our hero...") and ends as one. Hard core western fans might want to give it a try and people wih simple tastes. I was tempted to give it 2 stars - it's pretty vanilla - but I don't watch movies I don't think I'll like. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

TALK ABOT BIG TYM
THIS IT IT. KENU REEVS EART YOU HEART OUT. THIS MOVY MAKS ME BLOW TEARS INTO PAPR AFTR IT MAKES YOU BLOW CHUNCS BECAUS OF BIG BELY AIK..../ ") I THINK THIS MOVY GOT AWARD. YOU MAY GO HOME IF YOU NED BUT IF NO STICK HERE AND SIT IN CAR FOR LONG TYME WITH THE MOVY AND BELY~!!~!! BROUGHT HOME FROM DUMPSTR AND THINK IT WAS WORTH. BRING IT ON HOME GRAMPY WIT FIIIGHGHGHYTYYYHJGGHY MONKY STATUES. BIG LAUGHS NEXT WHEN THE BIGMAN GETS HONKY ON HONKYTONK ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The best horror film of it's kind.
New York city is being terrorized by a series of murders and the public breaks into panic when the killer is a cop. Yes indeed, this is a film with a story that has not bee used befor, something new, and director William Lustig (MANIAC) and writter Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE) make this a good B-movie if youare looking for action, a few scares, and good acting. MANIAC COP 2 and 3 are good (but not as good as this) movies if you can find them.

1987. TWE. 92 MINS.

Rated R for Language and Some Strong Horror/Action Violence.

You have the right to remain silent, FOREVER
I found Maniac Cop to be a great action/horror film. Director William Lustig continues his crusade to make good flicks(like Relentless,Uncle Sam,and the classic Maniac). This film is among his best. Robert Z'Dar(a truely underrated actor)plays the psycho cop who stalks the streets of NY. Tom Atkins(Halloween III)is on his trail. Maniac Cop's sequels were not on par with the original, but all three films are worth a look, especially the well done original.

out of print?
This is a great cult flick! I can't believe it's out of print! What the heck is wrong with these people? Don't they like to make money? Re-master this puppy and get it on the shelves!

At least Bruce Campbell's in it...
And believe me, that's about all this movie has going for it. It's your typical low-budget freak/monster B-movie. There is little to nothing in the way of originality in this film and should be avoided by anyone who doesn't love B-movies. It lacks the humor and imagination of many other movies of this genre.

Having said that, though, it does star Bruce Campbell (star of the Evil Dead trilogy) as the hero and just about any movie starring BC is worth watching at least once. There's nothing terribly exciting about his performance here, but... it's Bruce Campbell.

It should also be said that this DVD comes with some excellent extras, considering that it's such a low-budget, relatively unknown, cult film. With many DVDs of this genre, you're lucky if you have any special features at all. Deleted scenes, trailers, commentary, etc. A very nice surprise.

DVD review
If you loved EVIL DEAD you will like this movie.
The DVD has a better quality than the old VHS, but it still could have been better.
The film is shown widescreen (1.85:1) and is not enhanced for 16x9. The quality is ok, but for Elite standards. A lot of the colors seem faded but this could be due to the age and budget of the film. A lot of the night scenes are too way too dark and grain can be spotted in several scenes. The laser had a much better brighter transfer. The sound is Dolby Digital Surround and sounds nice, but it seems to be Stereo and not Surround. The spoken word and music score is crystal clear with no pops but your speakers don't get much work.
You get the films original theatrical trailer, which is shown widescreen. The picture quality on the trailer hasn't been cleaned up. There is a lot of grain and most of the picture is very dark. You also get two television spots, which are shown full frame and both look like the trailer. Each is dark with grain running through them. You also get a trailer from France that is spoken in French with no subtitles. The picture looks a looks a lot worse than the previous trailer. There is also a Spanish radio spot, which is spoken is Spanish with no subtitles. There are also six extra scenes that were filmed for Japan television. These scenes are nice but don't add anything special to the film. Finally, there is an audio commentary with director Lustig, producer Cohen, Bruce Campbell and Jay Chattaway. The commentary is one of the best out there. Everyone is constantly talking and a lot of great stories are told about the making of the film.

Overall A fun movie if you don't expect too much out of it. The video is somewhat disappointing but the audio is nice. The extras are definitely the best thing about this DVD. ... Read more