---
title: "Blue Thunder: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/blue-thunder/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/blue-thunder"
critics_score: 63
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Blue Thunder (1983): what the critics said

Critics' score 63 from 8 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative.

The reviews lean towards qualified approval of Blue Thunder, with praise clustering around the helicopter action rather than the writing. Critics repeatedly single out the flying footage, practical effects and stunt work as reasons to stay with an implausible story, while the performances earn credit for keeping it entertaining. Slant Magazine offers the most enthusiastic reading, finding a subversive political agenda beneath the action and singling out Warren Oates for praise.

The main divide is over how much the script’s weaknesses matter. Variety finds enough momentum in the streamlined storytelling to overlook thin character psychology; other reviews flag weak plotting and predictability as more substantial limitations. The scores range from enthusiastic to negative, though most sit in the mixed band. The New Yorker supplies the clearest negative dissent, but the available material does not establish its specific objections; two further reviews also lack accessible verdicts.

## Slant Magazine — Budd Wilkins

Rating 4/5. 6 May 2026. 

Wilkins praises the film as a rollicking action picture with a subversive political agenda. He singles out Warren Oates’s performance and the film’s energetic practical effects and flying footage.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/blue-thunder-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-john-badham/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1982. 

Variety finds the film implausible but highly enjoyable. It praises the streamlined script’s momentum, noting that the thin character psychology barely matters.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/blue-thunder-1200425586/)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The review finds the weak script redeemed by entertaining performances and lively action. It particularly praises John Badham’s stunt work with the helicopter.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/blue-thunder-review/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 1983. 

The review's verdict is unavailable because the article could not be accessed. Its praised or criticized elements are likewise not visible.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/13/movies/blue-thunder-a-helicopter.html)

## Time Out — NRo

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page identifies itself as a review, but the critic’s verdict is unavailable. The visible description introduces Frank Murphy and his surveillance work, without revealing what the critic praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/blue-thunder)

## Radio Times — Joanna Berry

Rating 3/5. 

Berry calls it a slick, somewhat predictable adventure. She singles out its high-tech super-helicopter and surveillance gadgets.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-89rn2k/blue-thunder/)

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 1983. 

Kael’s review is critical of the film. I can’t verify from the available text what she singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/06/13/wrapping-it-up-2)

## Den of Geek — Mark Pickavance

Rating 3/5. 11 August 2009. 

Pickavance considers Blue Thunder an above-average action film, though its plot and Blu-ray presentation have notable flaws. He especially praises the spectacular, skillful helicopter flying and the principled ending.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/blue-thunder-blu-ray-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/blue-thunder.md