It's a shame that Martin Scorsese directed 'The Aviator', because any average Hollywood director could have made this film. Sure there are moments where Scorsese makes his presence known, but they are few and far in between. What we're left with is a great film to look at, but also one with a completely hollow emotional core. The fact that this comes from the director of some of the most powerfully emotional films of the last thirty years only makes it all the more disappointing.

The film tells the story of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), filmmaker and aviation enthusiast. He's inherited a fortune from a family business and sets out to make a grand epic film about World War 1 pilots. His obsessiveness over getting every detail right makes the film enormously expensive. When the film is completed, after millions have been spent, sound had been introduced. Hughes was so determined to make his film work that he reshot the film to include sound. The film was called 'Hell's Angels' and became an enormous success.

Fresh from his successful filmmaking adventure, Hughes sets out to make his name known in the aviation business. During this time, he bought Trans World Airlines, worked on new air designs for the Army, and set out to break speed records in his own personal planes. He was also successful at romancing some of the biggest Hollywood stars of the time, including Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett at the top of her game) and Ava Gardner.

There are definitely some spectacular moments in The Aviator. There is a thrilling action scene early on, where Hughes films 'Hell's Angels' from his own plane, with other planes whizzing by him. The scene has a 3-d feel to it that is really exhilarating. There is also a scene where Hughes crashes during one of his speed trials. The long and bloody crash is some of the most devastating footage Scorsese has ever presented, which is quite impressive considering his body of work.

Unfortunately, the film was unable to make its personal scenes convincing. DiCaprio gives it his all, and there's not really anything wrong with his performance. He does a great job of showing us the cocky, obsessive Hughes who's willing to spend and mortgage anything to get things done exactly the way he wants them. However, the scenes where Hughes goes off the deep end, repeatedly babbling phrases and hiding in a room naked, do not work at all. Its as if all the lavish production makes this attempt at genuine pathos seem insincere. These scenes are so overwrought and feel so disconnected from reality that the best they can do is provide some unintentional humor.

The film does pick up a bit in the 3rd act when it revolves around Hughes attempts to get TWA to fly commercial international routes. The head of Pan Am Airlines (Alec Baldwin) buys a ruthless senator (Alan Alda) and gets him to write a bill that will only allow one airline to fly international routes. When Hughes finally decides to stop peeing in milk bottles and gets his act together so he can challenge them head on, there is some good fun to be had. Unfortunately, this is just way too late.

There are some nice performances in the film that keep it from being a total waste. Cate Blanchett does a terrific job as Katharine Hepburn, injecting more into her character than the script really allows. Kate Beckinsale turns in perhaps her best performance yet with an elegant portrayal of Ava Gardner. John C. Reilly turns in another one of his patented reliable friend performances as Hughes' business manager. There are also some nice minor performances from Alan Alda (inexplicably nominated for an Oscar), Alec Baldwin, Ian Holm, and Danny Huston. As great as they are, none of them is able to inject enough life into this film for me to really care about what was going on.

Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest living directors. His last film 'The Gangs of New York', was heavily flawed, but I really felt the personal story. For all of its assets, 'The Aviator' fails on the basic level of getting me to care about the characters. It's spectacular to look at, but it felt like a bunch of spectacle without any depth. That's something I expect from the average Hollywood director and not the masterful Martin Scorsese.






Recommended: No