Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

Two things strike me about this movie. How much better it holds up than my memory of it, and also how much worse it is compared to the original.

ZAZ exhausted every single airline-related joke the first time around, so they elected not to return for this studio-mandated sequel (as they were busy developing Police Squad! with Leslie Nielsen). Plot-wise, it's exactly the same, except now the plane is a space shuttle and all the passengers are heading to the moon for some reason. Yeah, it's completely stupid. The '80s were wild.

The result is uneven to be sure, but are enough gags crammed in that even when they don't land, it remains partially successful. It just goes to show, not anyone can make these movies funny. It's a case of flying too close to the sun.

2 drinking problems out of 5

Airplane! (1980)

From the brainchild of ZAZ (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) comes a spoof classic that is so immensely quotable and laugh-a-minute funny, it belongs on the pantheon of great comedy movies. What began as a humorous send-up of disaster films such as Zero Hour! (1957) and the Airport series ended up as the blueprint for every parody movie to come. It comes at a time when serious actors like Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges weren't afraid to take the piss out of themselves. Of these, Leslie Nielsen (known for dramatic roles at the time) made his transition to deadpan comedy icon. Packed to the brim with slapstick, sight gags, puns, one-liners and clever wordplay, it's a relentless barrage of lowbrow silliness that is still considered one of the funniest films of all time.

5 Shirleys out of 5