In Egyptian mythology, the Phoenix was a bird destroyed in the ashes, which then miraculously rose again. This well known story is reflected in Flight of the Phoenix as recovery from disaster against all odds - in terms of perseverence & determination - when all hope is extinguished the human spirit may still be reborn.

I really liked this film, because it gave me a lot to think about. They always say the most important thing about a good film is that you care about the characters, and in this film, you really will. It is an intelligent film, so not the sort to sit back & watch without much thought. It does have some good humour and some dramatic scenes. There is not too much gore, but its fair share of violent scenes, although at times little is actually visible of what is going on or the scene changes too quickly to take in the image.

The Story

A plane carrying returning redundent workers crashes in the middle of a scorching desert in Mongolia. One man falls from the plane & two people are killed instantly. Those two are buried as soon as the passengers are able to leave the plane, which takes a while because they must wait for a deadly sandstorm to end. The surviving passengers and pilot (Dennis Quaid) are left stranded with very little water. They must ration their water for as long as possible until help arrives, which could be a long time & the pilot suggests there is only a 5% chance it will happen.Then a passenger, not well-known to any of the group, suggests they can put their talents together & use the surviving parts of their plane to build a new one & find their own way out. He tells them he designs planes & it is perfectly possible. Of course the energy invested into building the plane, plus the heat, would mean they all need more water & therefore their supplies would run out faster. This makes the pilot dismiss the idea. However, if they do nothing & wait for rescue, since no one knows they are out there they may never be found & simply end up dying out there. Either way they risk losing their lives, but what should they do?

Indecision sets in, with the captain wanting to hold out & others determined to find a way out rather than stay & perish. Even once they persuade him to give the idea a chance, they all know they are taking a huge gamble with no turning back. They suffer sand storms, disappearances, threats from Nomads & bitter fights as they start work on the new plane, which is, appropriately perhaps, named 'Phoenix'.

Film qualities

The desert provides a scenic but harsh atmosphere & although there is very little to see on the surface, as the film progresses, it becomes a minefield of obstacles in the way of their survival. The graphics are simple, realistic & well fitted to the film. As I sort of mentioned before, the visibility is not too good during the more violent scenes, which I suppose provides the effect of how it would feel to be part of a group that is being hunted by a mystery creature/person. However, at times it can be pretty frustrating, because you really do not know what is happening.

Soundtrack

This has been made with good judgement, including some very 'Arabian' style music - sorry for being vague - which I really like, as well as strong beats to emphasise the survival situation. At one point we see the group decide to switch on a radio with the few batteries they have & on comes Outkast - Heya. Suddenly they all get up & start dancing about. Whilst this is quite a ridiculous scene - come on, you're working your guts off in a deadly hot desert with a miniscule amount of water compared to what your body needs, even if you really had the energy to dance, common sense would tell you to save it for speeding up building the plane. This is, however, a movie not intended to depress or be particularly realistic, so in order for the audience not to get bored & walk away I think it is a reasonable diversion from reality & a break for the characters from being victims of a plane crash.

Acting

Apart from their initial departure from the base, the film consists of all the main characters being placed in the middle of nowhere, so the interaction between each character becomes key element of the film. The captain, played by Dennis Quaid, can be regarded as the hero, although really there is no specific hero in this film.

Some characters provide humour to lighten up the film generally, whilst others play more intense roles. I have now seen this film twice. The first time I saw it, the characters were not individually memorable, but as a group, made a wonderful overall film. The second viewing gave me a chance to really appeciate them individually. This is not the kind of film that can be seen only once, however, the suspense element is naturally reduced once you know what will happen. Second time, I still felt I was getting to know & care about the characters which, in my opinion is a very good thing.

The only real flaw in the acting for me was that these are supposed to be people labouring away in intensely dangerous, hot conditions, yet as a viewer you simply cannot believe that is the case. They all seem to cope with each incident or task as though it were happening in England or somewhere cool with 'all mod cons' despite the fact they are ordinary workers thrown into this situation for the first time ever. The idea of surviving is certainly not implausible, but the idea that all the trauma, heat, exhaustion & hunger/thirst can be easily overcome - for me, is.

Classification

I first watched this when I was 21 & was able to appreciate it. I think 12 is a fair minimum age for this film & that as long as you are old enough to watch it you will be able to enjoy this kind of film. It is quite decent & as I mentioned above the film moves quite fast so that it can't really scare you. It's also nice to see that a film can be exciting without actually encouraging violence.

Sum- up

This film makes you appreciate the basics in life & our natural need to have something hopeful to look forward too. It also reminds you of what it is to be human. When strangers have no choice but to work together to survive it creates a strong bond between them, which was nicely shown in this film, without compromising on being realistic. There is some humour but generally this film is more of a drama - the type of film that draws your interest in & makes you think. Basically, it is entertaining, but has its serious side. Its the kind of film you won't forget. Well worth watching, whether its a rainy day or a dvd date.