If there was a movie that peeled the sheen away from flying that was associated in its early decades it was Airplane! (1980). It turned planes and airports to comical and absurdity. I enjoyed that movie a lot to wonder how it can be topped while following the same narrative. Airplane II: The Sequel was as enjoyable as the first by being more ridiculous than before.
In this parody comedy directed by Ken Finkleman, the crew and passengers are travelling on a maiden civilian shuttle to the lunar base. The shuttlecraft is cleared to fly even though it has not been tested properly and has several known problems. The test pilot Ted Striker (played by Robert Hays) gets framed and sent to a mental hospital. How he escapes from there to meet his sweetheart Elaine Dickinson (played by Julie Hagerty) to win her back while saving the passengers is the story.
I found it enjoyable that almost every frame in the movie had something humorous going on. We see terrorists walking through Airport security casually with rocket launchers, while the security staff are obsessed on seeing full-body scans of female passengers – and to think these full-body scans are now a common fixture in most US airports is sad to turn of the times we live. We see explosives easily sold in the newsstand in the airports. A rogue computer reminding us of the HAL-9000 from the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This is a film that you should keep for a dull day and it is sure to brighten it for you.
William Shatner as Commander Buck Murdock
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