Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'Airplane II: The Sequel'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Comedy is one of the few genres, that I would venture to say sparks a valid debate to the whole matter of whether or not a sequel should exist for a popular film from said genre. After all, sometimes a funny movie is simply lightning in a bottle, with jokes so perfect that the only way another entry in the series can properly exist, is to either rehash everything we love about the first one or take the story in a bold new direction and let’s be honest, while those two things happen often, the critical response and the reaction from the audience is usually ugly once the movie in question hits theaters.
 
It’s a misstep we’ve seen from studios time and time again, even as recently as 2011 when The Hangover Part II tried to recreate the magic of the first film. And while we often lament those kinds of sequels, sometimes they are actually supremely watchable, and after having the opportunity to see a perfect and flawless iconic comedy on the big screen the other day, since the Alamo hosted a special screening of Airplane!, I felt compelled to continue a deep dive into this hilarious franchise and revisit the sequel/rehash of that incredible classic, Airplane II: The Sequel.
 
Now in this particular film, we jump ahead into the future, wherein mankind is moving toward the stars, since there is now a colony on the Moon. Which means that commercials flights are now available through the Lunar Shuttle Program and the maiden voyage of Mayflower 1, a shuttle filled to the brim with civilians is about to get underway. But there’s just one problem, the shuttle is nowhere near ready for a safe launch into space, and the lives of everyone aboard are in jeopardy. But thankfully, the man who saved that fateful fight bound for Chicago many years ago is on board this doomed voyage to space, and it will be up to Ted Striker to save the day once again…
 
Now I called this film a sequel/rehash a moment ago and well, that’s really the only accurate way to describe this film. Because for the most part, it’s more of the same from the first film, right down to even having Peter Graves reprise his role as Captain Oveur, and well, that’s a shame because there really was a grand opportunity to do something unique and special here with the film’s outer space setting. However, despite treading through some familiar territory, there are some original and fun moments to be found. The third act for example, goes off the rails in the right kind of way and William Shatner’s appearance as Commander Buck Murdock is a complete and utter delight.
 
If anything, Airplane II is actually a pretty watchable comedy and its greatest weakness is also its greatest strength since there is some sense of nostalgia and joy that comes with seeing the old jokes come to life once again. But, make no mistake about it, it doesn’t hold a flame to the original, but it is definitely a fun way to kill a couple of hours and you’ll definitely enjoy a healthy chuckle while you watch and really, the best way to approach this movie, is with an open mind and if by chance you haven’t seen this, check it out at least once, you’ll be glad you did since it will definitely put a smile on your face and let’s be honest, you could do far worse when it comes to somewhat unnecessary sequels…like say, Caddyshack II.

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