Flightplan Reviews

This film appears to have been born as a list of points to make to which a convoluted and ridiculous plot has been retrofitted. The result is a confusing film which doesn't engage me. Even when I watched it again, it seemed just as fragmented and disjointed as before.

Performances are passable though Kyle (Jodie Foster) in the opening shots appears so desolate it's hard not to (uncharitably) think that she's just been told how ludicrous the plot is going to be and she's tearfully wondering if there's still a chance that her agent can get her out of the gig.

This film could have been much better done with a proper plot, better dialogue and setting the whole thing aboard a cruise ship. So there.

Even though Jodie Foster is not anymore really one of the major leading ladies, I still have a weak spot for her so I always try to watch her more recent movies when I get the opportunity. This time, she showed up in a thriller and, at first, the whole thing was actually pretty intriguing. Indeed, in my opinion, the set-up was great. Basically, you have this woman who gets on a plane with her kid but then, she falls asleep and when she wakes up, the kid is gone. She looks for her child but when asking for help, everybody says she came on the plane alone and might be hallucinating... It was a great concept and, for a while, I got the impression I might be watching a rather smart and insightful psychological thriller. Unfortunately, the makers basically chickened out as they were not able to develop this set-up. Instead, they provided this very lame twist ending (it must be one of the most infuriating things in movie history… Those stupid twist endings at the end of every average Hollywood thriller…) and they pretty much managed to destroy all the great things built before. Basically, they dropped the whole psychological aspect of the movie, the only thing that made this feature really stood out from the rest. Indeed, the explanation provided is that she was right all along! There was indeed some kind of lame conspiracy… To conclude, if you remove the last awful 20 minutes, the rest of the movie is actually pretty decent and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Man this movie is confusing, but in a good way. It really makes you think, "Is this woman really crazy or is she telling the truth?" Jodie Foster was really good as the 'crazy woman'.

The movie leads us to believe that there is a big mystery behind all the unexplained things that seem to be happening to the lead character played by Jodie Foster. After a long time of building the suspense a lame explanation is revealed and the movie plummets, betraying the viewer and not even bothering to tie up all loose threads left behind.

It's a shame because it's a very atmospheric and promising movie up until that point. The director sets a dreamy mood with technological surroundings filled with brushed steel, fluorescent lamps and soft shades of green. This part can still be enjoyed but the plot itself disappoints so badly that I cannot really call this a good movie.