From today's point of view, I have mixed feelings about "Blue Thunder". One can definitely praise the fact that the whole "surveillance state" theme is still contemporary today. The handmade effects and stunts have also aged very well. And with Roy Scheider, the film has a competent actor as its lead as well. Furthermore, director John Badham manages to build up suspense occasionally, which makes the film entertaining overall.

However, there are many points that are annoying. For example, all the characters are one-dimensional and unsympathetic to the max. This is also true of the main character, Murphy, who displays an almost laughable disregard for other people's lives. And don't even get me started on the one and only female role. I'm really glad that we're a little further along these days in this regard. Finally, the film is a bit too long, in my opinion. Especially the scenes inside the helicopter drag on a bit and are unspectacular in contrast to the exterior shots. Combined with the rather implausible plot, this makes for a mixed bag of a film. It's still quite watchable today, but you really don't have to.