Airplane 2 - The Sequel poster & wallpaper

Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges

A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the Sun. Can Ted Striker save the day and get the shuttle back on track--again???

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54% liked it

66,423 ratings

PG, 84 min.

Directed by: Ken Finkleman

Release Date: December 10, 1982

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DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000

Stats: 1,986 reviews

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Julie Hagerty, Kent McCord, Peter Graves and James A. Watson Jr Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) Airplane 2 - The Sequel
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Flixster Reviews (1,986)

  • stopitgoaway
    November 6, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    Having said that however, I don't think this film is as bad as some other reviewers have stated. Sure they re-hash a lot of stuff from the first movie, but hey! It's still funny right? I think this movie has a lot going for it. Some of the jokes fall flat, but some are hilarious....( read more) You've just got to take the rough with the smooth.
  • SirPant
    September 17, 2009
    SirPant
    Fun but nowhere near as funny as the first film.
  • PvtCaboose91
    June 23, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    Boy: "Can I ask you a question?"
    Ted: "What is it?"
    Boy: "It's an interrogative form of sentence, used to test knowledge. But that's not important right now."


    The phenomenal success of Airplane! (re-titled Flying High! in Australi

    ...( read more)a) was the outcome of the sheer comedic brilliance of the talented "ZAZ" trio (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker). A spoof of the old 1950s disaster movies, the ZAZ trio reinvented spoof films and became the new luminaries of the genre: taking the crown that was previously secured by Mel Brooks. Needless to say, the success that the original enjoyed was going to be exploited in the form of a sequel. Initially, the ZAZ trio were anticipated to return for the sequel, but balked at the idea at a later date. Despite their endless protesting, the studio went ahead without their permission and green-lit Airplane II: The Sequel (the Australian title became Flying High II: The Sequel).

    The ZAZ trio resisted much financial temptation in their refusal to work on a sequel to their 1980 brainchild. After all, they squeezed basically every airport/airplane related joke they could into the first film and by the end had gags so abundant that they could have sufficiently filled three movies! Unfortunately, with the ZAZ trio stepping away, the task of writing and directing for Airplane II: The Sequel fell into the hands of Ken Finkleman. This guy had never done anything remotely noteworthy apart from writing a few episodes of the Dick Van Dyke show in the 70s and (*ahem*) Grease 2. This sequel is not so much a sequel - it's a mediocre rehash of the original movie that largely recycles a lot of the same gags, with the superior laughs disappearing pretty quickly. Finkleman is no ZAZ member; hence the gags he supplies cannot even come close to the quality or quantity of those from the first film. The original trio not being involved becomes pretty evident extremely quickly.

    Despite the ZAZ trio giving up their participation with this film, most of the original cast returned to reprise their roles. The only notable exclusion is dear old Leslie Nielson. This guy basically carried the first film and it's disappointing that he didn't return (although the ZAZ trio were grateful for his respect and loyalty, and rewarded him when casting commenced for their succeeding movies, most notably The Naked Gun).

    Because the original creative team weren't involved, this sequel shouldn't be judged as a follow-up to the brilliant first movie but rather an alternate reading: containing the same situations, same gags and fundamentally the same major plot points. The plot here is essentially identical to the first film, except the setting has been changed to a space ship. Years have passed since Ted Striker (Hays) heroically saved the lives of many airplane passengers in the events of the first movie, and now his life has been turned upside down again. He is sent to a mental ward after he was blamed for an accident that occurred when he was piloting a Lunar Shuttle that was in fact the consequence of the badly-constructed navigational computer. Now another shuttle is being launched into space and Ted must overcome his inadequacies and former girlfriend to save those aboard the shuttle before it crashes into the sun.

    Okay, so the jokes are seemingly more of the same and hence more predictable...but at least they're hilarious at times. The first 20 minutes contain all the best quality gags: some shots even containing 3 or 4 running simultaneously. The final hour unfortunately isn't as strong, with the gags growing monotonous and predictable. There are only a few laughs during this segment that are worth noting. The gags also aren't as memorable. After you finish the movie you will be unable to recall many instances that made you laugh.

    Overall, Airplane II: The Sequel is not nearly as brilliant as its forerunner...in fact it's not even close! The original charm has been lost, and ultimately relies too frequently on recycling gags that were used previously in the first movie. Still, despite these flaws...it will certainly make for entertaining viewing on a boring afternoon. What can I say? Some of the laughs are still good quality (both sight gags as well as witty dialogue), and I laughed 'til I cried. It even contains one of the best sight gags in history! (I'm referring to William Shatner's introductory scene)
  • SilentWarProductions2009
    September 27, 2007
    SilentWarProductions2009
    Directed by: Ken Finkleman.
    Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, William Shatner.

    When you hear of a sequel being made of 'One of the top ten funniest movies ever made' (which I completely agree with), you know its going to be risky, n...( read more)ot only trying to make the movie refreshing and new, but very consistent and funny....but when David Zucker and his team are also missing from the film, its not a good sign.....

    Thankfully, the film isn't all that bad, but it is nowhere near as excellent or as consistent as the original. Ken Finkleman takes the writing and directing duties this time around and he does fail more then he succeeds. He tries a little too hard to copy the first film in alot of the delivery of jokes and alot of them fall flat most of the time, but there are also some that do hit, a few very well (alot of them involving William Shatner, which is a surprise) and it kept me going through the short running time.

    To compare this film to the original, it falls very short, as it is not as consistent or as refreshing, it doesn't try to take any new route and that doesn't help the film. But having said that, there are some jokes later in the film that hit very well and the film comes out as average on my scale. Thankfully they didn't make any more sequels.
  • Deano78
    July 10, 2007
    Deano78
    A good spoof sequel to the first with more of the same gags.
  • Yelverton
    November 8, 2009
    Yelverton
    More of the same, but you'll still laugh as hard.
  • jackgbowman
    October 26, 2009
    jackgbowman
    funny, not as funny as the original, but funny.
  • ElCochran90
    September 16, 2009
    ElCochran90
    No need to turn it into sci-fi, but we can see how clearly Zucker redefined the contemporary comedy genre.

    46/100
  • ledfut360
    August 13, 2009
    ledfut360
    "So, you see, both Dunn and I were under Oveur, even though I was under Dunn"
    "Dunn was over Unger, and I was over Dunn."
    I think that exchange among the pilots has survived in my mind more than any other part of the movie -- except maybe William Shatner channeling Captain Kirk...( read more) into his Commander Murdock character.
  • mystiquewolves69
    July 23, 2009
    mystiquewolves69
    Not as funny as the 1st!

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  • What was the name of the main character in Airplane and Airplane 2: The Sequel?  Answer »
  • In the opening sequence of Airplane 2: The Sequel, which piece of "luggage" did the woman decide to take on board the space shuttle with her?  Answer »
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