On the surface, the premise was simple but had a fair amount of promise: after a plane crash in the Mongolian desert, the survivors under the leadership of the pilot, Frank Towns, and an eccentric aircraft designer named Elliot band together to build a new plane from the wreckage and fly to safety. Naturally, the potential for character development here is considerable: just imagine the friendships that will be forged, the fights that will break out and the tensions between the small band who know it is a case of do or die. Add the harsh and unpredictable setting and you have the makings of a very absorbing picture.
So why isn't it? >Sigh< Well, the film appears to suffer from what I term "Super Supporting Actor Syndrome" where the lead character is effortlessly upstaged by the supporting actors. Dennis Quaid's action credentials are impeccable, and he's no acting slouch but in this film as Frank, the leader of the survivors, he's so much a card-board cutout it isn't even funny. Flint eyed glare? Check. Inspirational speech when things are at their bleakest? Check. Macho restraint? Check. Square-jawed... you get the idea. Plus having witnessed Miranda Otto's dazzling turns in Lord of the Rings, I was left cursing a script that gave her virtually nothing to do as the token woman except stare adoringly at Frank for much of the film.
Okay, now I've got all that negative stuff off my chest, on to the film's redeeming factors: the supporting cast are far more interesting and acted with far more depth, though most characters remain underwritten (Hugh Laurie, currently conquering the small screen in "House" is criminally underused, though as good as ever). I thought the fiery Rodney and the rather creepy Elliot were the standouts, though they all do decently. Plus there are some genuinely jumpy moments: the lightning storm, oil explosion and a deadly encounter with some native tribesman being the notable ones. And Elliot grows ever more ruthless as the film progresses - the moment where he shoots a wounded tribesman in the head in cold blood is perhaps the most shocking moment in the film. Plus it seems he might have lied about being an aircraft designer ...
But I'm afraid that in the end a few good characters and a few good moments do not necessarily make a good film. Diverting enough to be worth a watch if you catch it on TV, but don't spend your hard-earned cash on it.
So why isn't it? >Sigh< Well, the film appears to suffer from what I term "Super Supporting Actor Syndrome" where the lead character is effortlessly upstaged by the supporting actors. Dennis Quaid's action credentials are impeccable, and he's no acting slouch but in this film as Frank, the leader of the survivors, he's so much a card-board cutout it isn't even funny. Flint eyed glare? Check. Inspirational speech when things are at their bleakest? Check. Macho restraint? Check. Square-jawed... you get the idea. Plus having witnessed Miranda Otto's dazzling turns in Lord of the Rings, I was left cursing a script that gave her virtually nothing to do as the token woman except stare adoringly at Frank for much of the film.
Okay, now I've got all that negative stuff off my chest, on to the film's redeeming factors: the supporting cast are far more interesting and acted with far more depth, though most characters remain underwritten (Hugh Laurie, currently conquering the small screen in "House" is criminally underused, though as good as ever). I thought the fiery Rodney and the rather creepy Elliot were the standouts, though they all do decently. Plus there are some genuinely jumpy moments: the lightning storm, oil explosion and a deadly encounter with some native tribesman being the notable ones. And Elliot grows ever more ruthless as the film progresses - the moment where he shoots a wounded tribesman in the head in cold blood is perhaps the most shocking moment in the film. Plus it seems he might have lied about being an aircraft designer ...
But I'm afraid that in the end a few good characters and a few good moments do not necessarily make a good film. Diverting enough to be worth a watch if you catch it on TV, but don't spend your hard-earned cash on it.