Airport - 5 stars out of 10

Airport - 5 stars out of 10

"Airport" has a lot of stars but suffers due to its inclusion of too many main characters.  I understand that the writers wanted to feature the talented cast but there is simply too much time spent developing subplots that were not essential to the characters (like failed marriages and broken families).  The main characters do not need to have such convoluted, soap opera-ish lives and is too long (137 minutes) due to these tangents.  The film could have avoided some of its slow moments by eliminating Burt Lancaster's failed marriage and Dean Martin's wife.  I realize that this film is based on a book but each of those characters would have been fine without that extra drama attached.  Amidst an all-star cast, the most memorable performances come from Oscar-winner Helen Hayes (as the delightfully witty old stowaway) and Jacqueline Bisset (as the irresistable English stewardess).  While this film is credited as the first of the 1970's disaster films and provides wonderful intensity, "Airport" did not manage to begin the genre with a literal "bang."  The underwhelming lack of explosions makes it difficult for me to consider this a disaster film.  I expect an over-the-top cacophony of chaotic events, not one event that is nearly buried beneath layers of character development.  While it lacks the bedlam that you would expect from this genre, it is an entertaining story... even if just for Helen Hayes' sneaky stowaway strategies.