Flightplan - A Movie Review

I boarded this plane with my daughter. We are searching every inch to find her.

Taking off for its destination, Flightplan arrived in theaters in 2005. After the death of her husband, Kyle boards a plane with her young daughter. Upon falling asleep, her daughter is nowhere to be found. Looking for her everywhere, crewmembers find no records of her daughter onboard.

Movies set on planes always have a riveting story. Flightplan is a gripping film. But it has missed opportunities. Choosing to invest in an angle that didn’t make much sense ruined the true intentions of the story.

Jodie Foster never fails in her strong performances. Having to remain in a constant state of panic, Kyle never gives up on her fight. Foster exhibits frantic emotions along with her love for her daughter. In my honest opinion, Foster is the best character in the film.

While Peter Sarsgaard is fantastic, his character could have gone in a better direction. That goes for most of the cast. Credits include Sean Bean as the captain of the plan (who was afraid of flying in real life!) Expect appearances by Kate Beahan, Michael Irby, Assaf Cohen, Erika Christensen, and Marlene Lawston.

Foster and Lawston made an endearing mother-daughter duo. They established a genuine relationship. I was impressed with how well they worked together, particularly in a tough moment in a crowded airport. Grieving a death in the family, they teach viewers how to cope.

Aside from Foster, the ensemble had the best characterization. Films like Flightplan are a wonderful example of how the ensemble matters. On a plane, you run into several personalities.

You may not like who you sit with, but it adds up to the entertainment. The passengers of the plane did an excellent job examining their behaviors and reactions to the situation.

Flightplan is a suspenseful film until the revelation of the true intentions behind everything. Robert Schwentke enforced notable direction out of the cast. It was his attention to the story that was a downside. He should have put better research towards the behavior of the flight attendants.

After its release, Flightplan got into trouble with The Association of Professional Flight Attendants for its depiction of the careless and rude attitudes of the airplane’s crew in the film. I agree. Their actions were unnatural. None of them made an effort to help Kyle find her daughter, instead gaslighting her.

The cinematography was well-achieved to convey the disarray of chaos. However, some of the angles and styles of the film copied Alfred Hitchcock. Flightplan is reminiscent of a Hitchcock film that was released in the 30s. I assume that writers chose a different ending so as not to make an exact copy from The Lady Vanishes.

Overall, the layout of the plane is eyecatching. I would love to be on a plane like this. Filmmakers did a fantastic job with all the sets. The plane is big enough, but as the film goes, the tight spaces make you feel claustrophobic.

Flightplan makes you feel the stress of the situation. The plot is anxiety-inducing especially when it takes place in the air. However, the reveal of what is really going on ruins the atmosphere of the film. The direction for this reveal is unsatisfying.

After multiple viewings, I noticed plot holes. The film could have gone through a deeper edit so certain aspects could have made better sense. The audience should have been kept in suspense a lot longer.

If you would like to check out Flightplan, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat on what happens next.