Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 8, 2025

Jerry Jameson's "Airport '77" (1977) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

That Jerry Jameson’s Airport ‘77 has serious issues is something even its most vocal defenders acknowledge, and they, it has to be said, are a tiny bunch. But these folks insist that the serious issues do not ruin Airport ’77, which is precisely what its many critics have argued over the years. The truth, as usual, is right in the middle.

Like the previous two films, Airport ‘77 claims a relationship with Arthur Hailey’s bestseller, but of the four films that borrow its title, it is the most detached from the original material. It is because the catalyst of all the drama in Airport ’77 is not an authentic disastrous event high up in the sky, but an unbelievable catastrophe on the bottom of the ocean. As a result, while plenty may seem similar, this time the math is very different.

Multimillionaire Philip Stevens (Jimmy Stewart) is moving his priceless art collection from Washington, D.C. to Palm Beach, Florida, where a brand new museum is ready to display it. He is using his private, fully customized Boeing 747, which is also bringing a motley crew of prominent guests. However, shortly after the plane takes off, one of the copilots (Robert Foxworth) and several criminals disguised as staff members, all wearing masks, release a gas that temporarily knocks off everyone, and then promptly redirect it toward the Bermuda Triangle, hoping to trick radar systems in Florida and land unnoticed on a deserted island. Once there, the criminals intend to unload the art collection and head to an unknown location somewhere in South America. But while flying dangerously low, the plane crashes and heads to the bottom of the ocean.

This is where the many serious issues begin to emerge.

Somehow, the plane remains intact, and after Captain Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) regains consciousness, it is revealed that it has a state-of-the-art pressurization system, which has temporarily transformed it into a submarine. Knowing that it is only a matter of time before the pressurization system gives up and they run out of oxygen, Gallagher and several passengers begin improvising, but a few also start panicking.

On paper, the cast is enormously impressive. Among the guests on the plane are Joseph Cotten, Christopher Lee, M. Emmet Walsh, Brenda Vaccaro, Olivia de Havilland, Kathleen Quinlan, Monte Markham, Tom Sullivan, and Pamela Bellwood, and George Kennedy reappears in Florida. Sadly, only Lemmon, Vaccaro, and Cotten are given decent material to work with, and it is not long before it becomes painfully obvious that Lemmon is badly miscast. On top of this, once the Navy discovers the plane’s location, the inevitable rescue mission goes through several entirely predictable phases. The combination of unrealistic material and mismanaged characterizations makes many parts of Airport ‘77 look seriously underwhelming.

However, the final act is somewhat enjoyable. Most of the aerial shots where the Navy flexes its muscles look quite good, and bits of the underwater footage and special effects are not bad either. But, ultimately, it is impossible not to concede that Airport ‘77 could and should have been a vastly superior film.

Jameson was paired with director of photography Philip H. Lathrop, who lesend one of the greatest action films of the last century, Walter Hill’s The Driver.

Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Airport '77 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 #1-23 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #27-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a new 4K restoration of Airport '77 sourced from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Also, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The opening credits had me a bit worried because several shots there exhibit destabilized primary blue combined with light tealing. However, the rest of the film looks either very good or excellent. Delineation, clarity, and depth remain very pleasing, and density levels, even in areas where special effects are used, are noticeably better now. Image stability is very good. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. As noted above, primary blue could have been managed a little bit better, but I would still describe color reproduction and balance as convincing. Indoor footage, where light is carefully controlled, can look particularly good. The HDR grade is gentle and effective. In many areas, it helps different visuals look significantly better. However, the 4K restoration also looks good in native 1080p, and the improvements it brings are in multiple areas, ensuring a much more satisfying viewing experience. (For the record, the new 1080p presentation is a significant upgrade in quality over the old 1080p presentation from this four-disc box set). I did not see any distracting large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames. However, I noticed several blemishes popping up, like the one seen in the upper right corner here. My score is 4.25/5.00.

Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I started viewing the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, but then switched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. After that, I again kept switching between the two tracks quite a lot. First, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds great. It is very healthy, and in areas with more elaborate action material, it performs as well as expected. I tested some of the same areas with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and I think it is fair to say that the sound is nicely expanded there. I am unsure if I could say the same about dynamic intensity. The rushing water and helicopters are slightly more prominent, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track handles the same areas very well. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Airport '77. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Airport '77. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Airport '77 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is not difficult to understand why so many people feel that Airport '77 could and should have been a significantly better film. On the other hand, it is not the monumental disaster some of its biggest critics have described, either. I do not think that the unrealistic material is what hurts it the most. It is the average material that the many stars are left to struggle with that does the serious damage. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a good new 4K restoration of Airport '77 on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. A separate Blu-ray release is available for purchase as well. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.