As has been pointed out by fellow reviewers this is a bit of a clichéd/hackneyed film, full of hokum and nonsense.
This is true; however as a rainy Sunday afternoon film it isn't that bad. Yes, there are some really wincingly bad plot features: the Super Agent fired for one punch, the passenger coincidences that put them on this ill-fated flight, the ANNOYINGLY competent, plucky rookie stewardess (she was late for her first flight, yet when all this goes down her more experienced colleagues reduce to tears whilst she runs around like Halle Berry (another Executive Decision reference)). And the whole sub-plot with the White Supremacist although it started well, sort of got lost especially with the prison visit and faded to nothing. The producers were trying too hard at the Red Herring aspect.
Another thing, a handsome face means you are good, true, brave and to be trusted without question - cue Dean Cain saving them all.
Oh, and at the mind blowing running time of 2 hours and 46 minutes, this film was almost in real time for the flight. Even Lord of the Rings struggled to keep your interest over times like this, so this film had no chance. Maybe, a little editing could have saved some of the groans and heightened the tension.
Two good features of the plot were the "Chase the Ace" sequence with the vans at the beginning, nicely done and the concept of them parachuting out of the jumbo before it came in to land.
Next, in answer to points raised in previous reviews, the Nuclear Bomb was a fake (as was explained in the disarming sequence. They managed to get guns on board using the luggage carriers (luggage is scanned BEFORE it goes into them not after so it would be possible to unlock them and hide in there).
Finally, to the cast, most of them are faceless crowd workers with the occasional line of dialogue. Dean Cain is turning into a bit of a Julia Roberts in that his whole acting arsenal consists of a smile. Obviously, he uses his more than Julia to win over Men, Women, Good Guys and Bad Guys alike, but I would liked to have seen a little more depth in his character. Lea Thompson, how she ended up in that role I don't know. She was quite wasted in the role and looks as uncomfortable delivering some of those lines as she did in that male-fantasy tight short skirt. Definitely, not Desert Storm Combat gear. Anthony Michael Hall, well at least he put some effort into his role (wasted overall on the rest of the film). His role started off complex and menacing and then faded to shallow and two dimensional. A wasted opportunity.
So, like I said, not a bad rainy day film but could have been much, much better.
P.S. Does anyone else think that Anthony bears more than a passing resemblance to Steve McQueen? (Or am I suffering altitude sickness?)
This is true; however as a rainy Sunday afternoon film it isn't that bad. Yes, there are some really wincingly bad plot features: the Super Agent fired for one punch, the passenger coincidences that put them on this ill-fated flight, the ANNOYINGLY competent, plucky rookie stewardess (she was late for her first flight, yet when all this goes down her more experienced colleagues reduce to tears whilst she runs around like Halle Berry (another Executive Decision reference)). And the whole sub-plot with the White Supremacist although it started well, sort of got lost especially with the prison visit and faded to nothing. The producers were trying too hard at the Red Herring aspect.
Another thing, a handsome face means you are good, true, brave and to be trusted without question - cue Dean Cain saving them all.
Oh, and at the mind blowing running time of 2 hours and 46 minutes, this film was almost in real time for the flight. Even Lord of the Rings struggled to keep your interest over times like this, so this film had no chance. Maybe, a little editing could have saved some of the groans and heightened the tension.
Two good features of the plot were the "Chase the Ace" sequence with the vans at the beginning, nicely done and the concept of them parachuting out of the jumbo before it came in to land.
Next, in answer to points raised in previous reviews, the Nuclear Bomb was a fake (as was explained in the disarming sequence. They managed to get guns on board using the luggage carriers (luggage is scanned BEFORE it goes into them not after so it would be possible to unlock them and hide in there).
Finally, to the cast, most of them are faceless crowd workers with the occasional line of dialogue. Dean Cain is turning into a bit of a Julia Roberts in that his whole acting arsenal consists of a smile. Obviously, he uses his more than Julia to win over Men, Women, Good Guys and Bad Guys alike, but I would liked to have seen a little more depth in his character. Lea Thompson, how she ended up in that role I don't know. She was quite wasted in the role and looks as uncomfortable delivering some of those lines as she did in that male-fantasy tight short skirt. Definitely, not Desert Storm Combat gear. Anthony Michael Hall, well at least he put some effort into his role (wasted overall on the rest of the film). His role started off complex and menacing and then faded to shallow and two dimensional. A wasted opportunity.
So, like I said, not a bad rainy day film but could have been much, much better.
P.S. Does anyone else think that Anthony bears more than a passing resemblance to Steve McQueen? (Or am I suffering altitude sickness?)
