Thursday, May 2, 2013

Flight - reviewed.

I had wondered why Flight didn’t do better at the box office.

It seemed like it had a decent enough plot – a pilot saving a crew in dire situation.

Turns out it’s no hero movie. After watching it, I can understand why it didn’t do well at the box office. It isn't exactly the kind of movie a family would go to.

Although the story wasn’t at all similar, it kind of reminded me of something along the lines of Girl Interrupted. There were a couple moments that made me laugh, but overall it was a slow and fairly depressing movie.

It started with Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) in a hotel room with a flight attendant, who goes full frontal for the camera.

As Whitaker and his lady friend make their way to their flight (despite being hungover and coked up), the movie shifts focus to a red-headed druggie (Kelly Reilly). She and Whitaker eventually cross paths, but they don't know each other at this point in the movie.

I assume someone with decision-making authority wanted to give us more of an insight to who this red-headed druggie is before she meets Whitaker. It wasn't needed though. In fact, it was kind of confusing.

It made me wonder: 'Why are we being shown this woman getting high when she's clearly not going to be on the flight?' Shifting the point of view wasn't needed.

After Whitaker makes his amazing plane maneuvering (saving several people's lives in the process, despite crashing the plane), the movie really becomes a documentary about alcohol.

That would have been fine if that's what I wanted to watch. I like to be entertained by movies though

If I wanted to watch a documentary on substance abuse, I'd watch one.

Throughout the movie, Whitaker, the union rep. and the lawyer for the union (Don Cheadle) all try -- at all costs -- to avoid taking any kind of responsibility for the crash. I'm sure there's some insight there as to what actually happens whenever there's a plane crash. There again, if I wanted to watch a documentary on sleazy lawyers and dishonest pilots, I'd watch it.

Maybe it's my own fault for not knowing what I was getting into, but even if I had known, I don't think I would have liked the movie.

The plot made sense, but I didn't care about it. There was nobody in the film who I sympathized with or connected to. I blame the writing for that.

Flight wasn't a nonsensical movie. All the editing choices (outside of the introduction to the red-headed druggie) made sense. It didn't leave me entertained or more well-rounded having watched it though.

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation - reviewed.
Skyfall - reviewed.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - reviewed.