2008 Woodie Awards
'Flightplan' sufffers a crash landing
Trent Orris
Issue date: 10/13/05 Section: A&E
- Page 1 of 1
Warning: There are spoilers in this review. If you don't want to know how "Flightplan" ends, read no further.
However, if you are still reading this review, then you will be happy to know that you're not missing much: "Flightplan" is not worth your time or money.
Jodie Foster stars as Kyle Pratt, an airplane engineer who is taking her recently deceased husband's body back to America for a funeral. Somehow, she manages to lose her daughter on the plane she helped design (to be fair, it is a very big plane.)
After a short search, the pilot informs her that her daughter's name is not on the passenger list and it is possible she imagined her daughter coming aboard in the first place. Pratt becomes panicky and paranoid and spends the better part of an hour looking very upset and accusing other passengers of kidnapping her child. After a while, she begins to question herself about whether her recent loss has in fact caused her to become delusional.
It's possible that a story about a woman imagining her child's existence could be an interesting premise for a movie. It was attempted in "The Forgotten" and failed. Unfortunately, "Flightplan" suffers from the same fatal flaw as "The Forgotten" - a ridiculous plot twist. As it turns out, Pratt really was right. Her daughter really was kidnapped and hidden on the plane. The crewmembers really were conspiring against her. The movie suddenly shifts from a psychological thriller to a Jean-Claude Van Damme film, complete with the bad guy getting blown up in the end. Instead of a compelling story about Pratt's psychological state, it's a 'they-stole-my-kid-and-now-they're-gonna-pay' snoozer.
It's unfortunate that a talented actress such as Foster could manage to get herself involved in a movie with so much unfulfilled potential and plot gaps as "Flightplan." Thumbs down.
However, if you are still reading this review, then you will be happy to know that you're not missing much: "Flightplan" is not worth your time or money.
Jodie Foster stars as Kyle Pratt, an airplane engineer who is taking her recently deceased husband's body back to America for a funeral. Somehow, she manages to lose her daughter on the plane she helped design (to be fair, it is a very big plane.)
After a short search, the pilot informs her that her daughter's name is not on the passenger list and it is possible she imagined her daughter coming aboard in the first place. Pratt becomes panicky and paranoid and spends the better part of an hour looking very upset and accusing other passengers of kidnapping her child. After a while, she begins to question herself about whether her recent loss has in fact caused her to become delusional.
It's possible that a story about a woman imagining her child's existence could be an interesting premise for a movie. It was attempted in "The Forgotten" and failed. Unfortunately, "Flightplan" suffers from the same fatal flaw as "The Forgotten" - a ridiculous plot twist. As it turns out, Pratt really was right. Her daughter really was kidnapped and hidden on the plane. The crewmembers really were conspiring against her. The movie suddenly shifts from a psychological thriller to a Jean-Claude Van Damme film, complete with the bad guy getting blown up in the end. Instead of a compelling story about Pratt's psychological state, it's a 'they-stole-my-kid-and-now-they're-gonna-pay' snoozer.
It's unfortunate that a talented actress such as Foster could manage to get herself involved in a movie with so much unfulfilled potential and plot gaps as "Flightplan." Thumbs down.