"FLIGHTPLAN"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jodie Foster as KYLE Peter Sarsgaard as CARSON Sean Bean as CAPTAIN RICH Kate Beahan as STEPHANIE Rated PG-13 Studio: Touchstone Directed by: Robert Schwentke Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I wasn’t a big fan of the film “Flightplan” when I saw it in the theater this past fall. It was a competently made movie, but in general Jodie Foster just really annoyed me.
Whenever I am faced with a film that I really didn’t like, it’s good to watch it again on DVD to see if the experience is different. Sometimes it causes me to reevaluate the film, although it usually doesn’t. But more often, the DVD is a good enough disc that it makes some of what I didn’t like in the original film forgivable.
The latter is the case with “Flightplan.” In watching the movie again, I found myself with similar emotions. I quickly tired of Foster’s acting. It was not exactly over-acted, just given too much focus. This is a general gripe I have with Foster in the first place. For example, “Panic Room” would have been much better if there was less intense Jodie Foster shots in it.
There were other things that didn’t quite fit, such as the motivations of the characters and exactly how things were pulled off. Otherwise, the story – although suspenseful – did bore me a bit. (Indeed, I was far more interested in the director’s commentary than the film itself.) But while I didn’t like the film any more than before, I gained a new appreciation for it by watching the special features on the DVD.
The film itself actually has a great premise. A woman and daughter board a transatlantic flight in Berlin, and half-way through her daughter disappears. Soon, the audience is left wondering if the daughter existed at all and if the woman is nuttier than a fruitcake. The idea itself is rather similar to something Hitchcock may have tackled in his day. Hitchcock loved to paint himself in corners and accepted the particular challenges and limitations of a location.
But where Hitchcock always fashioned a very believable plot, “Flightplan” does not. Instead, it asks for phenomenal suspension of disbelief, and while it’s trying to get you to believe in flying monkeys and the Easter Bunny, it manages to preach to you at the same time.
This is why no one has ever topped Hitchcock. He just had too much finesse.
As a run-of-the-mill thriller, “Flightplan” is passable, but not nearly as good as “Red Eye,” the other airplane suspense film that came out a few months ago. It pushes the right buttons, and if you can choke down the story and manage to suffer through Foster’s acting, it’s not that bad – definitely worth a rental for suspense fans.
However, the real slick part of this DVD is the special features. While it isn’t weighted down with a whole cargo load, the three it offers are excellent. Director Robert Schwentke delivers a very compelling and interesting commentary, focusing on the gamut of moviemaking topics – from casting and acting to special effects and sound design.
Two behind-the-scenes featurettes are available, but one is lengthy enough to be considered five separate ones. “The In-Flight Movie: The Making of Flightplan” is a movie in itself, taking the audience through the main stages of the film. The second featurette focuses on the design and building of the set – an airplane interior that is our home for most of the film.
Possibly the most intriguing topic was the visual effects, which involved many practical things. When visual effects mimic reality so effectively, rather than just being used for computer generated dinosaurs, is when a true mastery of the field is reached.
I stand behind my low rating for the film itself, but the behind-the-scenes and other bonus features is an fascinating examination of the filmmaking process.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French and Spanish language track. French and Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
