Movie Review: Plane

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable, if very familiar action thriller.

What makes this movie work is a likable main character and some fun action scenes. To be fair there is not a lot of depth to our main character but that doesn't mean he can't be quite likable. From the beginning, this film sets us up to like this character. He is a pilot who puts the safety of his passengers and crew first and makes sure everyone working with him feels comfortable, while at the same time he can be a little rough around the edges (he has a bit of a temper) and is not afraid to crack a few bad jokes over the speaker. This is the kind of movie character that we are almost predetermined to like and care about. That he is played with real charm by Gerald Butler doesn't hurt in the slightest. The basic plot is simple. A plane crashes in a very dangerous place filled with dangerous people and our hero needs to help keep his crew and passengers alive and safe with the help of a criminal, who has been arrested for homicide. I really liked that this movie doesn't try to over complicate things or do too much. There is little of the family drama that is often all over these movies, since this is usually the weakest element of these films. When there is this sort of drama, it is kept to the background and never takes up too much of our time. One could say this part seems underdeveloped, but I would prefer this over the awful and bland dialogue these movies usually make us sit through during those moments (and from the few scenes of family drama, it doesn't look like it would have been any better here). The story may not be anything original or thought provoking but it moves at a fast pace and doesn't bore the audience. Though there are too few action scenes in this film, those scenes are where the movie really shines. This is especially true of the final action scene which is truly excellent (if the rest of the movie was as good as the climax this would have gotten a higher grade). This climax does a wonderful job of providing all the action you could want and deliver, some really good suspense. It can almost make you forget that you could probably guess how the film will end. 

This movie does have quite a few problems though. One is that every character besides our main character is quite bland. They either have stereotypical personalities or none at all. This makes it so that whenever the film goes away from our main character, it is simply not that interesting. This is even true of the villains, who can just seem like stock movie villains at times. There is also the fact that this film is very similar to many other action movies and doesn't offer enough that would make it stand out from the pack. I am sure that many of us who see this film, will by next year, either completely forget about it or try hard to remember, "what was that movie where...?" 

This is not great cinema by any means, but for those who are just looking for a fun trip to the movies, this film provides just that.