Plane – Film Review

Pilot Brodie Torrance saves passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island — only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI.

With the release of M3GAN, Sick, The Old Way, and now Plane, it seems that we may be finally leaving behind the “January movie,” if you know what I mean. It’s notorious that Hollywood usually tends to dump the worst movies possible in the month of January to essentially bury them.

Not many people are going to remember the films that came out in the beginning of the year by the time the year comes to a close, and so studios take that as an opportunity to simply get rid of all their garbage before the “real” movie season starts. It’s easily the worst month for film. Except for this year… it’s actually kind of good.

Jean-François Richet‘s Plane is most definitely not a great film but it’s certainly a good movie. The actual substance of this movie is practically non-existent as it’s basically just an over-the-top action spectacle that is sure to be a genuine crowd-pleaser sure to rake in a ton of dough.

And honestly, I hope it does because even though this isn’t a movie I can see myself rewatching many times, it’s still one that was competently directed. The stakes are present in the story, and the performances are all good, but especially from Gerard Butler who takes over the entire movie.

If it wasn’t for his lead performance in the role of Brodie Torrance, this movie wouldn’t have the same appeal. It’s kind of the same idea with Liam Neeson in the Taken franchise. Sure, those movies can be fun thrillers but the real reason why people go to see them is to see Neeson acting badass and saying one-liners. This is the same thing.

There are moments sprinkled throughout with palpable tension that honestly surprised me because I didn’t expect this movie to be as gritty and no-nonsense as it was. Usually movies like this one or the aforementioned Taken tend to lean a little bit to the goofier side but not Plane.

In terms of themes present, there isn’t much to discuss but one could make an argument that the film is about how far humans will go in order to stay alive. It also shows how far people would be willing to go to save another human life. It never goes as deep as it could’ve, but it’s still appreciated.

This is definitely not a movie that I’m going to remember by the time the end of the year rolls around, but it’s nevertheless a movie that I had a decent amount of fun with even if it’s definitely nothing special. So far, though, this has been one of the most surprisingly good January’s ever.

Plane features a captivating Gerard Butler performance and has palpable stakes and entertaining moments, even if the overall viewing experience will be rendered quite forgettable in the long-run.