Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
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The past few years have seen a number of films recreated from films popular during my youth. Flight of the Phoenix is one of those films. It is a remake of a 1965 film of the same name starring many Hollywood greats and personal favourites including Jimmy Stewart and Sir Richard Attenborough. I remember being enthralled by the original and so was keen to see the remake hoping to rekindle some of the delight I had felt some forty years ago and also to compare the two (wrong of me maybe but I am probably only one of many who did). So what did I think? Well, I did enjoy the remake almost as much as I did the original and as for comparison, the general storyline remained the same with just the time and location changes, the characters were in the main reproductions of the originals, the individual acting talents pretty equivalent but there was little chemistry among the cast members whereas this gave the original its captivation. Where the remake does shine though is in the special effects and cinematography with some impressive and stunning shots.
The storyline is centered around the tough and uncompromising pilot Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid). Towns’ job is to fly to oil rigs, close them down and return the equipment and workers to the company. Town’s latest assignment takes
him to the Gobi Desert to shut down an unproductive rig led by British white-collar worker Ian (Hugh Laurie) and the resolute hardworking geologist Kelly (Miranda Otto). The equipment loaded and the crew strapped in, the plane is ready for take-off when the strange character Elliot (Giovanni Ribsi), who just blew in one day, appears claiming a lift. Despite overloading the plane, Elliot is granted his lift. Towns and his co-pilot AJ (Tyrese Gibson) soon run into trouble, battling trough relentless sandstorms. Inevitably it crashes in the middle of the desert with no radio contact and very little water or food and the threat of desperados. As time goes on and the crew is faced with the prospect of likely death before rescue, emotions run high and arguments ensue. They need to find a way out and set about rebuilding the plane. But in the searing heat and with limited resources, this is not an easy task and of course there is that twist . . .
Director, John Moore has collected together an impressive yet largely unknown cast and presents some spectacular action scenes starting from the plane crash early on in film to a nail-biting ending. Moore manages to create a balanced action-packed yet psychological drama.
Screenwriters Scott Frank and Edward Burns are responsible for the updated script. Adapted from the novel by Elleston Trevor and based on the 1965 film, the storyline progresses steadily with something always going on; a character disappears during a sandstorm, someone sets out to find help followed by the reluctant pilot, the water supply mysteriously goes down and a there is even a hint of romantic flirtation between Towns and Kelly (the only woman) which sadly does not work. The dialogue, however, is laboured and at times slow with more than one character giving an unpersuasive inspirational speech of “hopes and dreams”. Characters are not developed to their potential and little sympathy for their plight is evoked.
David B. Nowell’s cinematography is superb with some amazing aerial shots, sensational sandstorms, a convincing plane crash, vast desert landscapes and some real visual surprises (which I will not spoil by revealing them). The actors mainly give commendable performances. Quaid simmers as the short-fused pilot with integrity. Ribsi aggravates as the mysterious, nerdy and increasingly power-hungry Elliot. Otto delights as the gutsy yet feminine Kelly. Laurie softens from the poker-backed English company man to a sensitive team-worker.
Composer, Marco Beltrami’s score maintains tension through the film reflecting the ups and downs of the action. Highlights are “Approaching Storm" that builds slowly to a roaring climax. "Frank's Plea," is sentimental and melancholy. The use of Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere" to accompany panoramic aerial shots is an unexpected perk and "Homeward" soars suitably to an impressive finale. The only musical downbeat was the inclusion of "Hey Ya!" by Outkast accompanied by the characters playing on make-shift instruments produced by various tools as they work on the plane.
The DVD features over 15 minutes of “never-before-seen footage" with deleted and extended scenes. However, it must be said that the deleted scenes were deleted for good reason. There is a film commentary by director John Moore, producers John Davis & Wyck Godfrey and production designer Patrick Lumb that although technically interesting becomes a little tedious. The best of the extras is undoubtedly, the Phoenix Diaries in which a documentary crew follow the cast and crew to Africa where the desert scenes were filmed.
Flight of the Phoenix is rated PG13 for some violence and language. The region 1 DVD was released on March 1st 2005.
Although, there was nothing new in the remake and no big surprises, I did enjoy the film. The action was fast enough to keep me absorbed. The characters although not developed as much as they could have been, were interesting. The soundtrack adequately represented the tension and reflected the action with some brilliant bursts of brilliance within the score. The cinematography was spectacular and succeeded in raising the film from the ashes: a phoenix did indeed fly.
Check out the official website with a trailer and details of the film and cast at http://www.flightofthephoenix.com/
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Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Excellent review. I really enjoyed this movie, can't understand why it recieved criticism. Definitely underated.
JeeanA 17.01.2007 23:06
This sounds fantastic! I've never gone wrong with your film reviews yet (hence the reason I've rated this an 'E') and although I've never heard of this I think it's going to be going on my Lovefilm list! Thanks for a superb review - and making want to see yet another film!
UKRushbrook 21.01.2006 18:17
Again, I believe you have reviewed the movie fairly. I personally like Quaid in just about everything he has ever been in with the odd exception. Keep up the good work. Ciao.
In a gripping tale of courage resourcefulness and determination the consequences of a ... more
plane crash strip bare the morals of the survivors. The pilot of the doomed aircraft Frank Towns (James Stewart) is an aviator of the old school used to seat-of-...
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Advantages: Giovanni Ribisi is great as Elliott, The soundtrack is pretty good Disadvantages: The script is simply dull. The movie is half an hour too long, Not enough character development, felt like a total waste of 2 hours
Advantages: Giovanni Ribisi is great as Elliott, The soundtrack is pretty good Disadvantages: The script is simply dull. The movie is half an hour too long, Not enough character development, felt like a total waste of 2 hours
![The Flight Of The Phoenix [DVD] [1965]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78519326.jpg "The Flight Of The Phoenix [DVD] [1965]")
![The Flight Of The Phoenix [DVD] [1965]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78508828.jpg "The Flight Of The Phoenix [DVD] [1965]")
Mar 23rd, 2005
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