Despite the very generic title, Plane is a kick-ass action movie that sets the bar fairly high for action movies in 2023. This is brought to us by Jean-François Richet who did the remake of Assault on Precinct 13 and there are some similarities with that movie here and to be fair, I mean that in a positive way.
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The Movie Review
What I loved about Plane was that it felt like an action movie we would have gotten in the 80s. It is loud, it is super violent and it is just a whole lot of fun. It may be rather predictable and the characters are not exactly super deep, but in a movie like this who actually cares about stuff like that? This is a pure adrenaline-filled popcorn movie that will entertain the hell out of you.
Now, if you have seen the trailer for Plane, you pretty much know 90 percent of the plot. Gerard Butler (300, Gods of Egypt) plays the role of a pilot that is told one of the passengers played by Mike Colter(Men in Black 3, Girls Trip) is a prisoner transfer. Of course, he is not exactly thrilled to be put on the spot by this, but he goes along with it anyway as he really has no choice.
Something goes wrong and the pilot (Butler) is forced to make a crash landing in the Philippines. Now, you see a bit of the plane crash in the trailer, but the whole way this scene is done is incredible. From the looks on the passenger’s faces, the shots from outside the plane, and then the crash itself, this is some very intense, edge-of-your-seat stuff.
At first, this is great, the pilot is a hero and things are great. However, the place this plane came down is like hell! An armed militia shows up and takes the passengers hostage and our pilot hero must team up with the convict to save the day. It is truly awesome stuff and just so much fun.
Gerard Butler and Mike Colter have great chemistry together and seeing them kick ass and murder people in creative ways to save the hostages was something I had a great deal of fun with and made me feel like a kid watching a Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or Van Damme movie from the late 80s.
I think that when Plane is a loud and kick-ass action movie; it is a 10/10 movie and one of the best I have seen in the last few years. However, there are two things that feel tacked on in the story. One is the boardroom stuff with the airline suits talking about what happened and what to do. The other is this weird stuff with Gerard Butler’s character’s daughter that feels very tacked on and unnecessary, both these “plots” slow the movie down!
Plane is a movie that showcases exactly what it is in the trailer! It is a badass action movie with two very likable and awesome leads kicking ass and saving the day. I think the stuff it does well by far outweighs the couple of plot points I did not like. If you love action movies I highly recommend that you not only watch this but make the effort to see it in the theatre if it is still playing where you live!