Trailblazer Airlines has an under-sold flight taking off from Singapore to Honolulu, Hawaii on New Year’s Eve. Captain Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) and his co-pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An) are instructed to fly despite some bad weather over the Pacific Ocean because the flight is undersold and it’s the financially responsible thing to do. Naturally, trouble ensues and the pilots are forced to emergency land on an unknown island with zero radio connectivity and zero supplies. A local gang takes them hostage and it’s up to Torrance and extradited convict Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter) to save the day.
Butler is great and believable as a pilot trying to get back to his estranged daughter. The plot is interesting but, being an action movie, so much rides on whether or not the audience can let their brains escape into the events on screen. With that in mind, the special effects are subpar and provide a constant reminder – at least during the trouble-in-the-skies scenes – that you’re watching a movie. Lionsgate either used a group of special effects interns in order to save money or found the cheapest production team possible to do the job, doing a complete disservice to an otherwise entertaining film.
Other than the below average special effects and some cheesy lines here and there, nothing about Plane is “bad.” That said, this is a pretty forgettable movie. If someone asks you in, say, August what movies you saw this year, it’d be completely understandable if you forgot to list Plane.
The movie has its issues but, overall, if you want a turn-your-brain-off, fun action flick, this movie is for you. If you want excellence in film making – or even a stellar example of the genre – miss this flight.
JKG SCORE: 5.0
Untitled Film Project 