Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (1999)

You won't be disappointed!

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

I plan to ask my shrink why - why? - I watched this entire film (on HBO). I truly think I could've written a better script. I could have directed, edited, acted, rewritten the whole thing.What interests me is how movies like this even make it to HBO or cable? Tom Beringer, arguably the most known actor in the "film" walks (sleeps, really) through his part as the air traffic controller. The other characters are so wooden - they would have been better to have used blow-up dollies - the ones with their mouths totally open as the frightened first-time passengers.Well, enough. I'll never fly again. Or, watch doomed flight movies. This was no "Air Force One" and that at least had Harrison Ford and secret pod escape modules. Bill Clinton himself explained the AF1 was not equipped with such.I still need an answer as to why I watched this entire film. Perhaps I am mentally ill?

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs A group of passengers overcome their fear of flying and celebrate by taking a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles.However,in true style for a movie of this sort,things go wrong.Severe turbulence is encountered and some terrorists arrive on board...with some weapons they want to test.This movie was made a year before the tragic events of September 11th.Luckily,for it's sake,as had it been made then,it would have been banned on the grounds of bad taste.It's by turns implausible and contrieved,with acting and production values indicative of it's video production.The 1997 Ray Liotta original was hardly a movie calling for a sequel on either critical or commercial grounds anyway.It's only apt that a production team with a budget to make a video film would be behind it.**

"Fear of Flying: Turbulence II" does not pretend to be anything it is not. It is simply a formula airline-that-must-be-brought-down-by-passenger-taking-direction-from-the-ground-whilst-sitting-in-pilots-seat-where-said-pilot-is (insert one):dead/predisposed/poisoned etc.This runs along the lines of the great 70's era tragedy films like Airport '77, Towering Inferno and the like. "Fear" has plotted this along that very formula, so much so that the inevitable hero of the movies son races out onto the tarmac as the inevitable plane is safely guided to the ground at the climactic ending with music crescendoing and you knew this would happen all along. So what? I cannot deny I was truly entertained. The dialogue was humorous-intentional at times- and I did find myself and colleagues arguing about who the actual terrorists were on the flight through out the film-is it him? No, it's gotta be him! Of all the critically acclaimed movies I have seen, this one is not by far, but it is fondly remembered. Kill an hour and a half or so with this.

TURBULENCE 2: FEAR OF FLYING / (2000) *1/2 (out of four)By Blake French: "Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying" is an unusually stupid movie-but what can we expect from a straight-to-video action picture with few known actors and even fewer similarities with the original 1997 thriller "Turbulence." It's a shallow, incompetent movie with no brains and no thrills. The production contains many characters and a legion of plot twists, but they are meaningless to the actual story. None of those twists or characters contributes to the interest factor, and we are stuck watching utter insanity for almost two hours. This is not a smooth ride. The story centers on a group of ordinary pedestrians who recently completed a therapy program to overcome their fear of flying. They celebrate by taking a flight to L.A. Unfortunately a clan of terrorists hijack the plane. They carry with them a load of extremely dangerous chemical weapons. After killing the pilot, they threaten to kill the rest of the passengers if given any trouble. One of the passengers isn't going to go down without a fight, however, and he's ready to save the day. I watched "Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying" with great interest in how a movie so centered on an airplane could have no clue about the technical aspects of airplanes. Would any airline employee fire a gun inside a flying jet? Would it be possible for a young boy to run outside on the tarmac at a major airport with being stopped by someone? Is it possible to stand feet away from an open door on a jet going so fast? Can someone control the flaps from within the cargo hold? Are there really elevators aboard a 747? Can a handgun fire twenty-two rounds without reloading? This movie answers yes to all of those questions. I am no expert, but I beg to differ.Most of the characters are one-dimensional and thoughtless plot puppets who do nothing but utter howlingly bad dialogue. Although many of the characters have a great fear of flying, their fear somehow disappears once the terrorists take over the flight. Some of the twists are kind of fun and surprising, but many exist only to provide a split second shock. The action lacks aim. The direction lacks impulse. The movie lacks a point, and just about everything else. The actors in "Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying" don't really know what to do with their stereotypical characters because there isn't much for them to do. We can sense an inclination of talent involved with this production since the performances are fair and the set designs believable. But the script's stupidity is too distracting for any informed moviegoer to redeem satisfaction from this cluttered mess of an action picture. This is just another addition into the stupid hijack movie of the month series-but this one is more ridiculous than most.