The Hindenburg - 2 stars out of 10

The Hindenburg - 2 stars out of 10

Interesting concept, poor execution.  I watched "The Hindenburg" for one reason - I wanted to see the blimp burn.  After sitting through a fairly interesting story that wasn't told very well (in spite of its big names), I realized that I could have just youtubed the actual footage and saved myself two hours.  The idea of anti-Nazi forces sabotaging this Zeppelin was one that I had never heard but managed to pique my interest.  The mystery of which passenger was the saboteur should have been thrilling; unfortunately, the combination of underdevolped static characters and a plot that moves slower than the blimp led me to focus my attention on anything but the film.  Most of the production staff should have been FIRED (Get it? The blimp burst into flames...) or they should've just gone for a rewrite.  The only redeeming feature were the vivid shots that brought this blimp to life (from a scale model that is now in the Smithsonian) and the scene where the singer (played by Roy Thinnes) mocked the Nazis.  Outside of that... the rest was rather deflating.  Names like Anne Bancroft, Burgess Meredith, and George C. Scott should be an indication of a well-acted film but the poorly written characters hindered their ability to entertain.  Even the disaster sequence, which was really good at first, managed to disappoint me as it constantly paused on half-way zoomed images for no apparent reason.  In the end, we were just left with a story full of hot air (or... hydrogen).  I hope that you enjoyed all of these blimp jokes because they surely provided more entertainment than this film can.  And if you didn't enjoy them, think of how much you would despise "The Hindenburg."