Esotropiart

It seems to me that The Flight of the Phoenix may have been made in the pattern and wake of all the reality TV show success of recent years. There are elements of "Survivor" and "Lost" all over the place. How would I know? I've never watched a full episode of either, but word gets around through the crazy fanatics everywhere. "Did you see what happened on Survivor yesterday?" It feels like I've watched them all. Don't get me started talking about reality shows; that is an entirely different blog entry! Or perhaps this movie is in response to the deserved success of Tom Hank's Cast Away from back in 2000.

Doing a quick Google search will reveal that this movie is a remake of a 1965 film with the same name and plot, starring Jimmy Stewart. Most people will tell you that the original version though antiquated was better conceived, with deeper characters. I don't really care either way, and I am not overly critical of such minor details. I thought Dennis Quaid did a decent job with this recent movie, and most of the characters "worked for me".

I cannot help but notice how the cast was selected. It seems a very diverse set of individuals with different backgrounds and nationalities. You have an American pilot, a Mexican cook, an Arabian, African American, British businessman, Scottish, not to mention the Chinese "nomads". While I am sometimes turned off by intentional racial inclusions just for the sake of being politically correct (like making Harvey Dent African American in Tim Burton's Batman, even though the character is traditionally white - and thereafter, he magically changes his skin color as Two-Face in a later movie!), I appreciate the diversity of this film. Diversity is beautiful in its natural occurrence (God made us that way) and doesn't always need to be forced or enhanced. The diversity of the characters in this film absolutely work for it. I can't imagine how boring a movie it would have been with a bunch of white, gun-slinging Americans. Each of the characters' unique perspectives makes up for the perhaps lacking depth of the film. Nevertheless, there simply isn't enough emotion in the film, and there is little concern built up, and it's no big deal to us as the audience if a character or two die off. And I personally couldn't really care less if the plane ever lifts off because nothing grabs my attention to make me distressed about their lack of well-being. Some examples of personality and introspection that could have been developed further: The Scottish guy remembering his wife and child, and the Mexican man (perhaps my favorite character) complaining that he is expected to be a mechanic when he is just a cook - yet he presses on just the same.

Though I have little specifics to criticize in Flight of the Phoenix, nothing really stands out as memorable. It is certainly not a movie that I will remember for years to come, and I will probably forget I ever watched it quite soon. Perhaps more time and money should have been spent making it of epic proportion, with depth of character and exciting plot design. It just seems too predictable and full of action movie stereotypes and mainstays. Even so, in such repetition there is enjoyment - especially today when we have the technology to create whole worlds and convincing, detailed models on the computer.