Flight Of The Phoenix [2004] [DVD]

Sadly, Flight of the Phoenix is just another duff remake. Despite massive advances in special effects and a moderately exciting last two minutes, this feels even longer than Robert Aldrich's much longer original, and the reason is pretty elementary: lack of characterisation and drama. Where Aldrich typically set his flawed protagonists at each others throats in a hostile environment that was driving them mad and dealt with the way the pilot who crashes off-course in the desert turns his guilt into anger at his passengers, this is mostly feel-good stuff, full of life lessons, spiritual slogans and far too much high fiving for any self respecting survival drama - at one point they even get down and boogie. A modicum of drama is thrown in at the last minute in the wake of the key revelation about the new plane's designer, but it's so little and so late that it totters on the edge of laughable. As a result, some good actors and Giovanni Ribisi (horribly overacting the old Hardy Kruger part minus the Nazi undertones) are stranded by committee filmmaking rather than the elements and poor piloting.

Strangely, for such a bland film, the making of documentary is surprisingly gloves off, showing director John Moore in full effing and blinding mode as he throws several fits (and he's not the only one). At least one of the extended scenes (involving a biplane) was good Enough to be in the feature, and the commentary throws up the odd interesting fact amid the mutual back slapping. The result is a modest extras package that easily outshines the film.

What is wrong with Hollywood. Have they not got enough storylines landing on their desks to drive new and dynamic movies.

This is another death and distruction of a fantastic story to fulfil the conveyor belt of 2 hour timefillers being produced. Itanlian Job, Assault on Precinct Thirteen. All are great stories and originals so brilliant. I don't mind remakes but at least give them the attention they deserve.

I recommend all to see the James Stewart original so that they do not have a blinkered view of a fantastic yarn.

The movie was of such poor quality that the music tracks were raised deafeningly in volume at periodic intervals not to increase the sense of drama, but to wake you from the coma induced by the corny acting and Americanised script.

Come on hollywood producers and directors start reading some books and paying the writers for the film rights.

This film is an absolute travesty! The original film starring James Stewart, Hardy Cruger and Dicky Attenborough is one of my favourite films. It is a wonderful study into the psychology of team work and how different characters react to one another when they are thrown together and have to bridge barriers in order to survive against overwhelming forces. The interplay is subtle and abrasive, it captivates and evolves into a feast of multi-dimensional idiosyncracies that are forced to converge. A brilliant drama. This remake, on the other hand is pure Hollywood trash. An almost sacreligious insult in order to make money. Why don't they leave classic movies alone? I've never seen a good one yet and this is no exception.
One of the many things that makes the original unique is the fact that there are no women in the cast. I am not a misogynist but I found this quite a nice twist. The producers of the remake obviously didn't think so.
"We need a love angle to pull in the punters" I hear them say. The Hollywood production line is back in action. Enter a sexy bit of stuff for Denis Quaid to not get on with at the start and then as the film progresses she finds out hes really a great guy and ends up drooling all over him. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Hardy Crugers character becomes a twisted misfit who makes everyone say please to him... another subtle character blown out of all proportion. Dicky Attenboroughs brilliantly crafted and acted character as the alcoholic intermediary that brings the new and the old together is replaced by a bone-headed black rapper!! We even get a bit of body-popping in the middle of the desert! How's that for realism? And of course, the special effects boys have masturbated all over the film! The crash at the start goes on forever and the encounter with the Arab outcasts is transformed from a mysterious, distant shadow that allows the viewer to use his imagination in true Hitchcockean style, to a long boring , throw in the kitchen sink, can't we jam another frame in there? we've seen it all before, shoot em up. (Yawn)
What has happened here is that in order to make money Hollywood have taken a classic masterpiece study of human behavior and transformed it into a bog standard, here we go again, action thriller complete with the usual one-dimensional wise-cracking characters, frame rate to satisfy someone with the attention span of a flea, same old blow-um-up special effects and last but not least, the ever-present ear splitting background music that coats the whole film and tries to compensate for the lack of contents therein. Never mind, I needed a new beer mat!