DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com Awards & Recommendations at Amazon.com.
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Jack Smight
Cast:
Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy
Writing Credits:
Don Ingalls

Synopsis:
When a 747 in flight collides with a small plane and becomes rendered pilotless, the control tower must get a pilot aboard so the jet can land.

MPAA:
Rated PG.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA Monaural
French DTS Monaural
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 106 min.
Price: $34.98
Release Date: 6/14/2016
Available Only As Part of “Airport: The Complete Collection”

Bonus:
• Trailer


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BDT220P Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Airport 1975 [Blu-Ray] (1974)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 31, 2024)

In 1970, Airport launched the string of disaster movies that populated screens in the 1970s. Big hits like The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno and Earthquake all made their mark before we’d finally get another Airport movie.

That franchise picked up steam again in 1974 with Airport 1975. A 747 flight from Dulles Airport to LAX gets diverted to Salt Lake City due to weather issues.

Along the way, the pilot of a small aircraft suffers a heart attack and slams into the 747. This leaves the pilots dead or incapacitated so flight attendant Nancy Pryor (Karen Black) winds up at the controls.

Flicks like this always require audience members to suspend disbelief. However, most don’t go as far as 1975, which absolutely depends on the annihilation of disbelief for the viewer to enjoy it at all.

Where to start? I suppose the concept that there’s no one on the plane more qualified to fly it is a good place to begin.

Of all the passengers, there isn’t anyone with some experience at the helm of a plane – not even a Cessna? That seems tough to accept, but then again, in a world where Gloria Swanson a) plays herself, and b) meets with the Supreme Court, I guess we can swallow this.

Scads of coincidences abound, and the film takes some odd liberties. When Freeman’s plane impacts with the 747, none of the air traffic controllers seem very concerned, and the folks on the jet themselves remain pretty laidback about things.

On some occasions, they actually leave the cockpit unattended to deal with other matters! Nancy occasionally freaks out, but only as a plot device.

Oddly, the folks on the ground often exhibit much more passion than those at risk of death. Actually, the primary examples of this come from Charlton Heston and George Kennedy, the two men mainly in charge of rescue attempts.

They give master courses in overacting here, as they play their roles in three ways: angry, angrier, and angriest. I half expect Kennedy to yell at his ham sandwich for being too tough.

At least 1975 gets going a lot more quickly than the extremely slow-paced Airport. As I noted when I reviewed it, the original flick was more soap opera than disaster movie, so it concentrated on its bland character portraits and lacked much excitement.

For all its stupidity, at least 1975 delivers those particular goods since the filmmakers had the good sense to concentrate on the disaster elements. The crash takes place less than halfway through the movie, which means enough time to deliver reasonable exposition, but not enough for us to get bored.

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t think these movies should immediately launch into hysterics with little to no build-up at all. The subsequent Airport flicks take that path, and they become less and less satisfying.

I just don’t want to have to suffer through all the nonsense seen in the original Airport, at least not unless the rest of the effort presents real excitement.

Boy does 1975 require us to accept a lot of idiocy along the way, though. We find a very 1970s sense of sexual politics with some insanely heavy-handed flirting. It’s also amusingly convenient that gravely ill young Janice (Linda Blair) brings along a guitar so pop star Helen Reddy – as a nun! - can play her a tune.

The whole plot device of the sick girl in desperate need of medical attention seems especially shameless, though for some bizarre reason, the film largely ignores it. Clearly it sets up the urgency of this matter, but it never invests much in it during later portions. Other characters come and go without much notice as well.

But who cares? We watch movies like this for their disaster elements, and Airport 1975 gives us what we want – at least to a moderate degree.

It’s insanely cheesy, and not just because of the garish 1970s décor and fashions. I think a piece of fromage like this will likely appeal to fans of camp more than anyone else, but disaster aficionados may enjoy it as well.


The Disc Grades: Picture B-/ Audio C+/ Bonus D-

Airport 1975 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. While not stellar, the image held up fairly well.

Sharpness worked fine. Some softness crept in at times, a factor exacerbated by some light edge haloes, but delineation usually seemed appropriate.

No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects materialized. Grain seemed reasonably natural, and print flaws failed to become an issue.

Colors seemed satisfactory, as they displayed the movie’s garish Seventies styles. The tones didn’t jump to life, but they were acceptably accurate.

Blacks were fairly deep and firm, and shadows displayed reasonable clarity. Nothing here stood out as terrific, but the scan satisfied.

As for the DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack of Airport 1975, it felt wholly mediocre. Dialogue varied and could become a weak link, mainly due to lackluster looping.

That left some of the lines as brittle and awkward. Still, speech remained intelligible and didn’t suffer from substantial concerns.

Music showed adequate tones but lacked much range, and the same went for effects, which felt acceptable but occasionally a little rough. This was a passable track for a 50-year-old film.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD from 2004? Audio seemed a little cleaner but the lossless mix couldn’t do much to improve the source.

Visuals offered improvements in terms of delineation, colors and print cleanliness. Even with its minor concerns, the Blu-ray brought a clear step up over the DVD.

Almost no extras appear on this set. We get the movie’s trailer - and a spoiler-laden one at that. Don’t watch it unless you’ve already seen the film.

Airport 1975 goes down as the best of the series, though that doesn’t say a whole lot. Despite rampant campiness and stupidity, the movie manages enough silly energy to remain entertaining. The Blu-ray presents decent picture and audio but lacks bonus materials. It’s a goofy piece of fluffy fun.

Note that Universal makes Airport 1975 available only as part of the four-film Airport Complete Collection. This also includes the original Airport plus sequels Airport ‘77 and The Concorde… Airport ‘79.

Airport is sold on its own. As of February 2024, that’s not true for its three sequels, as those remain exclusive to this “Complete Collection”.

To rate this film, visit the original review of AIRPORT 1975

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main