Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

So much average

Absolutely Brilliant!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It was bound to happen eventually. The awesome Giovanni Ribisi who etched his talent into films such as; "Saving Private Ryan" (most moving death scene ever), "The Gift", "Heaven", "The Dead Girl", "Cold Mountain", and many others, succumbed to the weight of this giant sand turd, the remake of "Flight of the Phoenix". I saw the original in a theater in 1965 when I was ten. They should have left well enough alone. Or rather, I should have left well enough alone. The "buhya's", high fives, "and the crowd went wild" roars, are supposed to pass for dramatic tension and exposition. They don't. Dialogue is flat.Towns (Quaid): Ya think this thing'll fly?Elliot (Ribisi): It'll fly.Towns (Quaid): It better. Riveting.It's no knock on Giovanni Ribisi that he's terrible in this film. His character, Elliot, is actually altered in this remake from a cooky genius ('65) to murderous sociopath here. And yet, he's no worse than anyone else who is also terrible in this film; as is the writing, the jungle drum music score, and the ever so derivative "oogabooga - dead hand reaching out and grabbing a woman's ankle" moment. Yes, they filmed that. And then it made it out of the editing department. Can you just imagine what was left on the floor.If you're interested in a good film called "Flight of the Phoenix" check out the 1965 version.

Then again, I've never seen the original, so there's always going to be people out there who claim that the Dennis Quaid version doesn't compare. Maybe they're right, but, seeing as I never saw it, I can only say that this modern version is a pretty fun action/adventure romp.It's about a plane that crashes in the desert and there's no discernible help coming for them. Therefore they're left with the choices of just sitting there awaiting death, or rebuilding their stricken aircraft from scratch and flying out of there. Guess what… they choose the latter.However, it's not an easy task. Along with the natural lack of food and water, they have to contend with the elements, not to mention a tribe of gun-crazy nomads waiting to pick them off.There's a cast of about ten (including Dennis Quaid and Miranda Otto), so don't expect every one of them to be really fully-fleshed. A fair percentage are only there to find themselves lost in the desert or on the wrong end of a nomad's bullet. But, this isn't about character. Basically, the crew of 'stereotypes' are only there to fill a purpose, but so what – it's still fun! It's slightly longer than your average film (about an hour and forty minutes), but it never seems to drag. They crash pretty quickly and one disaster after the next moves the story along at a good pace.Okay, so when the history books are written about great action/adventure films, the remake of 'Flight of the Phoenix' will probably never be mentioned. However, that doesn't mean it's not a fun little ride if you're in the mood. Give it a go. If you find it on telly, or streaming for free on an online site its value is even greater.

"Flight of the Phoenix" is a 1964 novel, based on an incredible true story of survivors of a plane crash in the middle of the desert. If there was any way to do the book justice when attempting to make a movie out of it, it was in 1965 and starred James Stewart and Richard Attenborough. The film was a flop, yet has gone on to receive a large cult following.I like the overall look of the new film, but sadly this remake doesn't deliver anything decent enough via. acting or the tension that made the original so well loved. Dennis Quaid and Giovanni Ribisi are decent choices, but both are just a stone throw away from descending into awfulness themselves . Final Verdict: Do your self a favour and avoid, but I do recommend seeking out the original. 5/10.

Well what can I say about this remake? On the positive side it had great music. However, it had none of the grittiness of the original. These people are fighting for their lives not attending some summer camp!!I do despair of remakes and this one is no exception although it does try to follow the original plot reasonably closely.Hollywood thickos (aka executives) there is a reason why films become classics! You wouldn't try to recreate a Beethoven concerto or a Rembrandt masterpiece so why think you can do it with film?This should not be interpreted as criticism of the actors and actress; their performances where great.Watch the original as well and make up your own mind.