From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium, which reflects his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes from the film's 20-year period (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon

A lavish film about one of the weirder Americans of the last century. Having caught from his mother an obsession about the dangers of infections Hughes mental health deteriorates but he still manages to run and to defend his huge business empire. The film stops before he becomes the total recluse. Wealth and women do not bring happiness seems to be the lesson of this long film Dicaprio gives a stunning performance as Hughes. The aerial scenes are spectacular.

Before watching this film I knew nothing about Howard Hughes, about aviation, had no idea what this film was about other than a biography, when it was set, had never even seen a trailer. Yet, I had heard many positive reviews and curious to see what all the fuss was about I finally got around to watching the film, and was not dissapointed I did.

As I said before, I knew nothing previously about Howard Hughes so this film was interesting to me just to find out about the man, about his eccentrisities, his obsession with perfection, his his constant strive towards the future. Leonardo DiCaprio was believeable (though how similar he was to the real Howard Hughes I cannot comment), as was Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn (in fact, I'd say Blanchett's performance was some of the best acting I have seen in a long time).

The film isn't exciting, fun, it doesn't even capture the viewer and keep them enthralled in the story. It is long, and I often began to think 'is this film actually going ANYHWERE?' but it is worth a watch, especailly if you're interesting in Howard Hughes, or if not, if you enjoy biographical films, or even interested in hollywood at the time. I'm glad I watched it purely to find out about the man, but it is dark, and will leave viewers with a dark feeling looming over them, and I don't think I'd like to watch it again in a hurry. It is a brave film, some of the scenes seemed incredibly risky but were pulled off well, but there isn't really much more to say - I won't rave and say it was one of the best things I've ever watched, because it isn't, but it does deserve recognition (far more than it's had if I'm honest) and is a good piece of work. Give it a go, just don't expect to be overwhelmed.

You can't fault the production quality of this film, but it failed to grab me and it was dragged out for far too long. The characters were superficial, even DiCaprio's Howard Hughes, so I didn't care what happened to him in the end. Cate Blanchet is particularly irritating. I can't believe this film won awards!

This film told me nothing about Howard Hughes and I can think of many better ways to spend an evening than watching this film (one previous reviewer suggested root canal work, and I'm tempted to agree).

I am not a Di Caprio fan but I have to be fair - he really
gave a 100 % into this role.

There was a mini series called ' The Amazing Howard Hughes ' and
Tommy Lee Jones played Howard Hughes and he played a less sympathetic
Hughes compared to Di Caprio.

The Aviator was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and won five, including Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film.

Cate Blanchett { who I have never really been a fan of } was Outstanding and it was a joy to see her and she stole every scene.

Now I don't have a clue if there will be a Aviator II or Aviator III but this does cry out for a sequel.

Leonardo DiCaprio does an excellent job portraying Howard Hughes in this film. Tommy Lee Jones played him in The Amazing World of Howard Hughes was the first portrayal of him.

I most certainly took to this film watching all the characters' especially that of Cate Blanchett playing Katherine Hepburn. How great they all were.
I wasn't really interested in this one due to the planes, but the character's were absolutely astounding.