Try as it may, Airplane II: The Sequel never reaches the same heights of its 1980 predecessor as it is missing the magic of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker. The film was recently released on 4K Ultra HD by Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The Airplane II release comes with a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

In the near future, the Moon has been colonized, and the XR-2300 shuttle Mayflower One prepares for its first commercial flight from Houston. Ground chief The Sarge (Chuck Connors) distrusts the rushed launch but defers to airline management. Meanwhile, space center director Bud Kruger (Rip Torn) warns the commissioner that the craft has not passed government safety tests, though “the board” insists the schedule must hold. Computer officer Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) shares her concerns, but her fiancé, Simon Kurtz (Chad Everett), dismisses them, noting the reports came from her ex-boyfriend, test pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays), who lost credibility after a crash and subsequent breakdown.

Still haunted by his failure and trauma from the “Macho Grande” war, Ted reads about the launch and realizes his confinement at the Ronald Reagan Hospital for the Mentally Ill was meant to silence him. Determined to stop the mission, he escapes and confronts Elaine at the terminal, but she refuses to listen. Buying a last-minute ticket, he boards Mayflower One alongside Captain Clarence Oveur (Peter Graves), navigator/co-pilot Unger (Kent McCord), and first officer/flight engineer Dunn (James A. Watson Jr.). Once airborne, Ted recounts how Simon blamed him for the failed test flight while survivors of his earlier 707 crash defended his heroism.

As the ship’s AI, R.O.K. (voice of Ken Finkleman), overrides human control, chaos erupts. Captain Oveur dies, Unger and Dunn are ejected, and Elaine Dickinson is left to pilot alone. When Simon flees in an escape pod, air traffic controller Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) reveals that passenger Joe Seluchi (Sonny Bono) is carrying a suicide bomb. Ted uses the bomb to destroy R.O.K. and regain control, steering the shuttle toward the Moon. With the ship still damaged, help comes from Alpha Beta Lunar Base commander Buck Murdock (William Shatner), Ted’s resentful former comrade. Guided by Murdock, Ted crash-lands safely after shorting the controls with Elaine’s hairpin, and the couple reunites on the lunar surface.

Already having stepped in to write Grease 2, Ken Finkleman had big shoes to fill when replacing the ZAZ trio as writer and director of Airplane II: The Sequel. Several cast members return, but the absence of Leslie Nielsen is immediately noticeable. Finkleman’s screenplay leans on the same beats as the original, complete with flashbacks and Ted Striker once again forced to save the day after the crew is incapacitated. While the setup mirrors Airplane!, the sharpness and unpredictability that made the first film a comedy classic just aren’t there in Airplane II.

The film’s lackluster box office performance reflects how difficult it is to replicate the success of Airplane!. The original worked because of the ZAZ team’s precision timing and absurdist energy—qualities missing here. Though an Airplane III tease closes the sequel, it never materialized due to weak returns. The ZAZ team had been involved in early development, which explains the returning cast, but at some point they left the project and turned their focus to Police Squad!, taking Leslie Nielsen with them. Robert Stack doesn’t return, while William Shatner fills a similar straight-man role at the lunar base.

There’s no shortage of sight gags or one-liners in Airplane II, but too many feel predictable or recycled. The film doesn’t just echo the original—it retraces it. You might still find yourself laughing in spite of it all, but the spark that made Airplane! soar is missing. Airplane II: The Sequel coasts on the goodwill of its predecessor, and while it never truly gets off the ground—or over Macho Grande—it can still deliver a few laughs when you need them.

Bonus Features

• NEW Audio Commentary by Mike White of The Projection Booth Podcast
• NEW Audio Commentary by Television Writer/Showrunner Patrick Walsh
• Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Ken Finkleman
CAST: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr, Chuck Connors, Rip Torn, John Dehner, Chad Everett, Peter Graves, Kent McCord, James A. Watson Jr., William Shatner, Stephen Stucker, John Vernon, Al White, and Sonny Bono

Paramount Pictures released Airplane II: The Sequel in theaters on December 10, 1982. Grade: 3.5/5

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