The Aviator Reviews

A great movie

Posted : 2 years, 3 months ago on 30 January 2011 11:59

Even though this flick tends to be overlooked, out of the all movies DiCaprio and Scorsese have made together (including so far 'Gangs of New York', 'The Departed' and 'Shutting Island'), this is easily my favorite one. Indeed, I thought that the story was spellbinding, the directing, as expected, was just awesome and there was a great (Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Gwen Stefani, Jude Law, Frances Conroy). Above all, I thought that Howard Hugues was such a fascinating character. Of course, I have no idea if it was close to the reality but I just loved this portrait of this tormented genius who was suffering from this obsessions. It was definitely one of the most neurotic figure I have seen in a movie and the fact that he was handsome, rich and brillant made the whole thing even more spellbinding to watch. My only critic would be that towards the end the whole thing tend to loose focus and drags down a little bit but a part from that, it is, in my opinion, pretty much flawless. To conclude, I really loved this movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Scorsese's work.

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Aviator doesn't just fly...it soars!

Posted : 4 years, 4 months ago on 4 January 2009 07:57

''The way of the future.''

A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Howard Hughes

Martin Scorsese keeps it real with Avaitor. There's none of the foul language or gratuitous violence that characterized some of his most famous mob films, like Casino or Goodfellas. He has crafted a very interesting character study biopic of famous entrepreneur Howard Hughes, master of aerospace and maker of B-movies.



You see plenty his involvement in both enterprises in this piece Scorsese delivers. Leonardo DiCaprio seems a little too boyish to play Hughes when he is in his forties, but he clearly is so passionate about his role that you forget the little indiscretions such as age difference. He plays Hughes with so much energy that he makes the role all his own, making it pretty clear DiCaprio is having fun with this role. Those who dislike hammy acting, may think of DiCaprio as over-the-top, but I was positively taken by it. His portrayal of Hughes' various neuroses and compulsions make this a very compelling story to watch, mirroring Johnny Depp's portrayal of the equally odd and neurotic, surreal Ed Wood.

The other actors do fine turns. Cate Blanchett is fun to watch as the upper-crust actress Katherine Hepburn. She seems to be having as much enjoyment with her role as DiCaprio, and she's not afraid to ham it up as well. Kate Beckinsdale is fine as Ava Gardner, and John C. Reilly does a serviceable job as Hughes' long-suffering accountant.

''I care very much about aviation.''

Scorsese does a competent job attempting to portray his version of Howard Hughes' life. He tries to cram down the message of an eccentric man with huge visions that no one else can comprehend. He seems mad when he tries to re-do and innovate his movies or his aircraft. Sometimes his compulsive behavior gets in the way of his dreams, but in the end he deftly fights off the skepticism of his collaborators or the threats from the competition, in the form of Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. He, like Tim Burton's Ed Wood, is an oddball who perseveres and usually gets his way in the end. Burton's is the better movie, however, because it does not have the gloss of triumphalism that Scorsese's movie does. Scorsese tries to portray Hughes as a sympathetic and ambitious individual, and while he may have plenty of ambition, he is not exactly a more sympathetic individual than, say, his airline rival Juan Trippe. Viewers can see through the attempted good-guy image that Scorsese gives Hughes to see the battle between the airlines as one of survival of the fittest.

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to have replaced Robert DeNiro as Scorsese's muse, and despite a disappointing turn in the sub-standard 'Gangs of New York', DiCaprio shines here and really does well as the rich, yet troubled, Hollywood icon at the centre of this story. Scorsese seems to have a bit overboard with the cast, as several big names of the present appear as big names of the past. Cate Blanchett irritated me just as much as the real Katherine Hepburn did, which shows the greatness of her performance. Kate Beckinsale and, surprisingly, Gwen Stefani give life to two of Hollywood's golden girls: Ava Gardner and Jean Harlow as well, while smaller roles such as that of the charismatic Errol Flyn fall to the likes of Jude Law. This was the film's major selling point for me - there's something great about the big stars of today portraying the big stars of the golden age, and the way that Scorsese populates almost every scene with the big names of the time ensures that this is as much a film fan's movie as it is a multi-million dollar blockbuster. Critics can complain about a lack of substance as much as they like, but what I saw here was an excellently stylish take on one of Hollywood's most intriguing figures, and I don't hesitate to call this Scorsese's shot at a dazzling biopic epic.

''Men can't be friends with women Howard. They must posses them or leave them be. It’s a primitive urge from caveman days. It’s all in Darwin. Hunt the flesh. Kill the flesh. Eat the flesh. That's the, ah, male sex all over.''

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A waste of celluloid.

Posted : 5 years ago on 14 May 2008 12:18

"The way of the future..."

Martin Scorsese established himself as one of the best directors in Hollywood. With each new movie the crazed Scorsese fanatics praise the movie like it's the second coming.

When I watched The Aviator I was never a fan or hater of Scorsese. I am fond of some of his movies for sure. GoodFellas in particular is still a superb piece of movie-making. I had heard so much appraisal of The Aviator and decided that it was time for me to see what the ruckus is about. Unfortunately my viewing concluded with feeling of dissatisfaction and boredom.

This biopic of eccentric rich lunatic Howard Hughes is 3 hours of complete and utter monotony! After about the first half an hour I was already tempted to drift off to sleep. But I kept telling myself that there must be something interesting about to occur. Nothing interesting or engaging ever did occur. When the film ended I was glad that I could finally roll over and go to sleep. I watched this film with my parents. We sometimes have conflicting views on the quality of a movie. With this film we all agreed strongly that The Aviator is pointless and extraordinarily boring! In my opinion I can't see anyone being interested unless they're a specialist in aviation.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes as the film chronicles his life during the 1940s. As the film opens he's in the middle of making a movie called Hell's Angels. That's the only interesting part of the movie. I thought that the first half an hour was quite captivating. The filmmaking process had me interested because it had an interesting story to tell. But from there everything went downhill; I didn't see any evidence of a plot, I never found anything at all interesting.

The Aviator is stretched out beyond all belief, dull and devoid of any life. DiCaprio is tragically distracting in the title role. He has done some mediocre work in the past, and some good work. We can add this film to his list of mediocre performances. Everything seemed so forced and contrived. He tries but modestly fails. That's the bottom line. Cate Blanchett, on the other hand, was truly magnificent in her role. It's just such a shame she disappears after the first half. Blanchett was understandably presented with an Oscar. She was flawless. Maybe if Scorsese used her properly she could have saved the film.

The screenplay must have weighed a tonne. It's loads and loads of dialogue lacking any emotional spine. This makes the film seem very shallow, disingenuous and cursory.

I thought that the cinematography and the special effects looked fantastic. I was disappointed with the limited opportunities to showcase such breathtaking cinematography. It seems that there was potential in every aspect of the filmmaking; it's just that Scorsese under-uses all his solid resources.

The Aviator had everything going for it - it's a biopic of an extraordinary man with a good cast and a great director. But it is not in the least bit entertaining or interesting. This is another classic case of focusing on aspects of the story rather than the entertainment value for the viewer. Leave this one on the shelf...for your own good and well-being. Overrated, over-hyped, long, convoluted and incredibly boring. The Aviator will put you to sleep. (People who suffer from insomnia...go buy it!)

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OK, he's crazy. I get it.

Posted : 5 years, 10 months ago on 21 July 2007 09:40

Howard Hughes was a brilliant, rich lunatic. And this movie made me realize that he was probably always mentally unstable (where I thought he had gone crazy later in life). I thought the acting was very good, and although I am not a fan of Leo, I really believed he was Howard Hughes. My problem with the movie was the length. I think Scorses could have made his point about Mr. Hughes mental problems with much less film time. There have been many movies about OC people, and I think the general public understands it fairly well. I felt like I was being talked down to about it. It was far more interesting to see how the people in his life had to deal with it. I think they could have cut an hour off this movie and I would have liked it better.

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The Aviator

Posted : 6 years, 5 months ago on 6 December 2006 12:02

Martin Scorsese's portrayal of Howard Hughes is by far one of the best biographies I have seen on the big screen. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant with his on-screen transition into the later, more crazed years of Hughes' life. Although this movie displayed the known historical background of Howard Hughes and his rise in the aviation world, I would love to see a movie based on his involvement in the Gemstone Files of Bruce Roberts.

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