Maybe next time we should land on sea

★★ 1/2 out of ★★★★ (👍)

Plane (2023)

Runtime: 107 minutes

MPAA: Rated R for violence and language.

Before we get to the review, let's talk about the title. Yes, it's important.

"Plane".

I've heard cries from critics and audiences that the title is so mind-numbingly bland, and that the studios could have come up with a better title. However, as I'm gathering information from IMDb.com, I've learnt that it was actually Gerard Butler, our main star, who convinced the studio to keep the title simple, so you've got "Plane", as if Avatar was titled "Blue Creatures", or Whiplash as "Drum".

Like Liam Neeson appearing in an excessive amount of second-rate action movies, Gerard Butler is quite close to following that path, with the "Olympus/London/Angel Has Fallen" trilogy, "Den of Thieves", "Hunter Killer", "Copshop", and counting. Quite fortunately, "Plane" probably ends up being in the higher end of the spectrum, with good tension, good pacing and a couple of thrilling action sequences.

However, "Plane" does start in quite a dramatic way, though. Butler plays Captain Brodie Torrance, who's about to pilot a flight from Singapore to Tokyo to Hawaii. It's New Years' and he wants to meet his daughter Daniela (Haleigh Hekking) to spend the holidays. We're also introduced to co-pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An, from "Mulan"), and quite a small number of passengers, one including a criminal named Louis Gasparre (Mike Colter).

In a sequence of exaggerated events, bad weather causes lightning to strike the plane, causing its power to shut down. Dramatic or not, we're thrown into the first intense sequence where the pilots scramble to figure out where and how to land. Fortunately, they spot an island and make a safe landing, but a little later, the pilots believe that, through calculation, they may have landed on a dangerous island in the Philippines, a place that isn't governed by authorities but instead run by criminals and separatists.

It all unfortunately proves true, though, as surviving the landing was only the beginning of this wild ride. The passengers of the plane and kidnapped and held hostage, and Torrance, along with our unexpected hero of the day, Gasparre, are the only ones who can save the passengers from the notorious gangs terrorizing the island.

From a standpoint purely towards entertainment value, "Plane" is sufficiently entertaining. The film slowly amounts tension, presenting us deeply uncomfortable scenes and consistently summoning all characters in dangerous situations. At the same time, the cinematography is intentionally shaky to suggest the raggedness of the events, or to match with the turbulence of the plane as if the audience was experiencing it in real-life.

There are also many rousing moments where our main stars get into action and efficiently take down the enemies, as well as well-selected scores throughout, especially towards the climax, where the usage of heart-beating perfectly matches the state of the viewer. If "Plane" criss-crosses between two subplots, it's at least edited smoothly and is clearly told in chronological order. We also get to know about some disheartening truths about airlines that risk safety for financial benefits.

"Plane" also excludes scenes that are solely brutal or drag the runtime, which was something I didn't expect. This makes the pacing slick throughout, but at the same time, the narrative is also pretty thin. Quite little happens throughout the plot of "Plane", with the film treading through its mid-section without fully building the world and characters around it. Sure, there are a few conversations where the characters start to learn about each other, but for the most part, we know disappointingly little about most of them. In particular, one of the main characters, Samuel Dele, is quite underdeveloped as he only does limited things in the story without making us care much about his fate or otherwise.

If we perhaps can't relate to the characters or how they're feeling, fortunately, the situation presented by "Plane" makes us understand their struggle, as imagining ourselves in their shoes would be utterly horrifying.

The second act also ends in Deus Ex Machina, with our main star being miraculously saved in time by a rescue team, allowing the plot to glide smoothly to the Third Act. An emotional scene also cuts through in between the acts, which feels badly timed and jarring. It's glossed so carelessly that before we get to really feel something, we're forcefully cut to the climax.

The last act involves the showdown between the good guys and the bad guys. It may devolve into a standard shootout; but ends satisfyingly without more twists and turns in the final minutes, as the mid-section suggested that one party had evil intentions. Ultimately, the viewer and movie and can agree that the entire journey was one hell of a ride.

If the narrative in "Plane" is somewhat thin, "Plane" is perhaps tense and thrilling enough to make you overlook some of its problems. Perhaps you'll have an interesting conversation with your family about why you may not want to board that next flight.