X
- 1983
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
- 1983
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
Summary The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.
Directed By: John Badham
Written By: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby, Dean Riesner
- 1983
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
- 1983
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
Blue Thunder
66
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.
Directed By: John Badham
Written By: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby, Dean Riesner
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
66
55% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
66
55% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
John Badham's exciting thriller about an L.A. detective (Roy Scheider) who battles against the government creeps who have created a monstrous helicopter to be used for 1984-style crowd control. Great action in a David-versus-Goliath story. [22 July 1983, p.10]
Expertly executed action flick that starts out fast and winds up faster. We've seen it all before, but the execution here supersedes the concept.
Blue Thunder hovers just this side of trash and the other side of credibility, but it propels a willing audience into adrenaline heaven.
Instead of connecting the film's action with Murphy's personal crisis, director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) gives us several aerial dogfights which seem to be drawn out only for the sake of giving the audience a bigger bang for its buck. The pacing and camerawork are gripping, to be sure, but in the end Blue Thunder achieves only the excitement of a good action movie. [14 May 1983]
The most coherent thing about the new action thriller Blue Thunder is its eagerness to succeed and its rabble-rousing spectacle of stunt flying and aerial combat. Blue Thunder, a chase melodrama with police helicopter pilots as the good guys, transposes the salty tone of The French Connection and Dirty Harry to a chopper squadron in Los Angeles. [13 May 1983, p.B1]
The script self-destructs, but the performances — including Daniel Stern as an expendable sidekick — are fun, and John Badham stages some super stunts with the insectile title machine.
When the action founders on cliches and implausibilities, there are only the characters to fall back on. And this time, they're papier-mache. [13 May 1983, p.C2]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
7.6
79% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
21% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
7.6
79% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
21% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Columbia Pictures,
Rastar Pictures
Release Date May 13, 1983
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating R
Tagline The Skies Will Never Be the Same!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Jupiter Award
• 1 Nomination
