Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 10, 2025

Ken Finkleman's "Airplane II: The Sequel" (1982) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Mike White; new audio commentary by television writer and critic Patrick Walsh; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is the entire blueprint that was used to put together Airplane II: The Sequel, which was released two years after its successful predecessor. It is true that several big actors, such as Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack, did not return for it, but quite a few, including Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges, did. Also, contrary to what some critics have argued in the past, Ken Finkleman’s writing is quite good, at times even great. Okay, so there are a few jokes here and there that miss their target, but only a dishonest fan of the original film would argue that this was not the case there as well.

The biggest surprise, and probably the reason Airplane II: The Sequel meets expectations, or at least as a sequel, is that the newcomers fill the gaps very well. I must mention two of them because they are right in the middle of some of the funniest material. The first is Chuck Connors, playing The Sarge, an appropriately loopy pro, who instantly misreads every situation that develops before him. There is one particular sequence with Connors where he throws away his cigarette and things begin exploding around him that is pure gold. It is almost too simple, yet very, very effective. The second is William Shatner, playing Commander Buck Murdock, whose IQ is off, too. Shatner is in another great sequence where he is briefed and… well, it would be better if I do not spoil it so that you can experience its original twist the right way as well. There are many more such sequences, all creating the type of laughs that feel right for an Airplane! sequel.

The setting for all of these laughs, however, is different. Sort of. This time, all the craziness occurs in the future, inside a space shuttle transporting passengers to a massive colony on the Moon and back. Ted Striker (Hays) gets on the space shuttle as a heartbroken passenger and, after a computer malfunction sends it toward the Sun, Elaine Dickinson (Hagerty) begs him to become a hero by redirecting it to safety. The catalyst of more than ninety percent of the laughs is, as you can probably guess, the silly drama inside the space shuttle, which is not all that different from the plane seen in the original film.

What does not work well in Airplane II: The Sequel?

It does not take long for the jokes to begin appearing repetitive. It is irrelevant whether they are good, mediocre, or bad because all constantly reject logic in the same way. In some areas, it becomes very easy to predict the curveballs or the goofy overreactions that are frequently planted around them, and without the element of surprise, plenty of material can appear average. Then again, repetitiveness is a common flaw in all sequels that do their best to emulate the strengths and style of the original films that inspired them. Also, the future seems underused. There are a few decent visuals here and there, but it is not enough to declare that the creators of Airplane II: The Sequel wanted it to be an appropriately funny and fine-looking film.

Some additional notable newcomers are Raymond Burr, Sonny Bono, Rip Torn, Kent McCord, John Vernon, Chad Everett, and Jack Jones.

Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Airplane II: The Sequel is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-30 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a gorgeous new 4K restoration of Airplane II: The Sequel on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. However, I viewed different portions of the film in native 4K and 1080p on the Blu-ray.

I have only great things to say about the 4K restoration and its presentation on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. It produces outstanding, healthy visuals that give the entire film a sparkling, very attractive organic appearance. There is only one sequence -- the hospital footage where Robert Hays and John Vernon are seen interacting -- that reveals a few small fluctuations. The rest looks either excellent or outstanding. The entire 4K restoration is beautifully and very convincingly graded as well. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set and wonderfully balanced. While the dynamic range of the visuals is superior in native 4K, I prefer how the film looks in 1080p on the Blu-ray. I feel that the HDR grade softens some supporting nuances a bit in areas where the 1080p presentation, rather surprisingly, performs better, but this is my personal preference. Again, the overall quality of the 4K restoration is on par with what was done for The Big Bus, which looks sensational now as well. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks immaculate.

Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I started viewing the film with the lossless 2.0 track, then switched to the 5.1 track, and then did various other switches again. It is instantly obvious that the audio has been redone as well. However, I am unsure if I prefer one of the two tracks for a particular reason. The 5.1 track opens up the dynamic field a bit better, plus some of the chaos on the space shuttle is slightly more active, but the film does not have any great action material that benefits a great deal from the upgrade. The 2.0 track performs equally well. While testing the two tracks, I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.

Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Mike White of The Projection Booth podcast.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by television writer and critic Patrick Walsh.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Mike White of The Projection Booth podcast.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by television writer and critic Patrick Walsh.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Airplane II: The Sequel. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Airplane II: The Sequel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

More of the same? Yes, pretty much, which is mostly good news. Why fix something that is not broken, right? On the other hand, it would have been great if Airplane II: The Sequel had explored the future like the second film in the Back to the Future trilogy. So, the original film is clearly superior, but there is enough to like in this sequel as well. Kino Lorber's combo pack presents a beautiful 4K restoration of it on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, recently completed at Paramount. RECOMMENDED.