Rating of
2.5/4
Review: Flight
MikePA - wrote on 12/27/12
Robert Zemeckis' return to live-action after almost a decade is ambitious and competent if not terrifically good. The first 45 minutes of Flight is remarkable - fascinating, engaging, and features a spellbinding plane crash sequence that may be my favorite action sequence of the year. Unfortunately, I lost my grasp in the second and third acts. The rest of the film didn't quite work for me. Zemeckis failed to deliver the powerful punch that the film needed, and emotionally it is unsatisfying. There are also a handful of unneeded scenes that could have easily been cut and left in the editing room. It really made for such a boring and slowly paced film. However, Denzel Washington is terrific as Whip Whitaker. The movie may have been mediocre, but Denzel better find himself a brand new tuxedo for Oscar night.
Flight is worth a rental for Denzel Washington's brave performance and the fantastic first act. But I thought the big dramatic moments missed the spark that would have made the film work emotionally.
2.5/4
Recent Comments
Robyn - wrote on 03/02/13 at 01:39 PM CT
Flight Review comment
Despite an Oscar worthy performance by Denzel Washington, the films too heavy-handed, redundant, and never quite takes full flight. The title of the film is deceiving in that it is more so about the descend (in more ways than one), and the resilience of the human spirit.
For the first half-hour or so, "Flight" keeps us rapt with thrilling action and a troubling moral quandary. You strap yourself in for the next two hours and prepare to give yourself over to the in-flight entertainment. But …
