STARFLIGHT - THE PLANE THAT COULDN'T LAND [Starflight One] - Andy's Blu-Ray Review

[AndyDursin]

STARFLIGHT: THE PLANE THAT COULDN'T LAND
3/10

Back in 2nd grade, I recall urging my Mom to let me stay up late and watch the ABC Sunday Night Movie STARFLIGHT: THE PLANE THAT COULDN'T LAND (115 mins., 1983) seeing as it had an exciting sci-fi premise and Lee Majors, just prior to starting up “The Fall Guy,” playing the pilot of a new “hypersonic jet” that can enable breakneck speeds for its passengers just outside the Earth's atmosphere. Unfortunately a number of circumstances turn Starflight One's maiden voyage into a nightmare – including the hiring of director Jerry Jameson, who must've been picked based on his work with “Airport '77” but fails to bring even that sequel's level of excitement to a shockingly glum, lifeless TV-movie redeemed only somewhat by John Dykstra's competent special effects.

Majors leads a predictably “all-star cast” but the Robert Malcolm Young script is less interested in the fantastic than a sleepy Majors having to choose between his wife (Tess Harper) and girlfriend (Lauren Hutton), while Hal Linden is onboard as the designer trying to guide the nearly-helpless Starflight One back to Earth. Robert Webber, Ray Milland (of course), Michael Sacks, Gail Strickland, future “Bernie” Terry Kiser and even Marlon Brando's sister Jocelyn appear – but the movie is DOA in terms of the fun factor, even down to Lalo Schifrin's uninspired score.

A new 2K master (framed in 1.66; note the movie was apparently theatrically released to some European markets) is on-hand in Code Red's Blu-Ray plus a trailer. As for my 2nd grade self, I was able to watch some of “Starflight” before my parents felt it wasn't worth it and sent me off to bed – luckily, they would relent and let me stay up for all of (the far, far superior) “V” once it aired on NBC just a few months later!