Reviews for the action movie Plane have now landed, so will this be the sort of landing where all the passengers clap? Or is Plane as disastrous a crash as the one that begins the movie? Thankfully, it looks to be the former, as Gerard Butler and Mike Colter make an engaging pair of heroes as they attempt to rescue hostages from a band of armed militants.
We begin with MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman, who praised Butler’s lead performance and declares that the Angel Has Fallen star continues to be a welcome action movie commodity.
“Butler gives Torrance believability in every circumstance. He's fantastic flying the plane, calming the frightened passengers, and then strapping on an assault rifle to take care of business. He has an emotional range with gravitas and a dominating physical presence. Important elements that accompany wicked gunplay to overall success. Butler continues to be a trusted action commodity.”
The praise for Plane continues with Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who commends the movie for being able to perfectly leap from plane crash thriller to escape movie to buddy adventure.
"Plane is a plane thriller that turns into a kidnap-escape thriller that turns into a Defiant Ones buddy thriller that turns into a mission-control thriller that turns back into a plane thriller. But the fact that it’s all those things at once works to its advantage. Jean-François Richet, the French crime-drama director (Mesrine) turned low-down expatriate action stylist (Blood Father), leapfrogs genres so that none of them overstays its welcome. The movie has a likable utilitarian quality, rooted in recognizable behavior, that almost seems to have come out of the pre-Sly-and-Arnold world."
IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha calls Plane “surprisingly grounded” and found a lot of fun in the action outing. However, it’s unlikely to ever be considered a classic of the genre.
"A surprisingly grounded action-thriller, Plane is a competently executed Gerard Butler vehicle about a pilot trying to rescue his crew from unnamed militants with the help of a dangerous fugitive. Its few hints of flair may not cement it as a genre classic, but they’re enough to make it momentarily fun."
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich meanwhile applauds Plane for taking passengers exactly where they want to go.
“Plane may not take you anywhere you’ve never gone before, but if you’re buying a ticket to a movie called 'Plane,' odds are it will get you exactly where you want to go."
It's not all positive, however, with Lena Wilson of The Wrap arguing that Plane does not find the sweet spot between silliness and seriousness.
"There’s no reason to expect awards-worthy content here. But Plane would be less mind-numbing if it took itself either a little less or a lot more seriously. Maybe this film would feel more gratifying if it focused on a few memorable characters and put them in real danger, or if it threw decorum out the window and went for some gonzo kills. As it is, Plane offers you what nearly every middling airline experience does: peanuts."
Finally, while Plane does not break new ground, Frank Scheck of THR could not help but be enamored with Butler and Colter and the no-nonsense action.
"The banally titled Plane doesn’t exactly break new cinematic ground, feeling like the sort of routine actioner that might have starred Rod Taylor and Jim Brown back in the ‘60s. But it gets the job done, which is more than you can say for most genre films these days."
Plane is Due to Land in Theaters on Friday
Plane begins when pilot Brodie Torrance saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island — only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.
Directed by Jean-François Richet, Plane stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Daniella Pineda, Yoson An, Remi Adeleke, Haleigh Hekking, Lilly Krug, Joey Slotnick, Oliver Trevena, and newcomer Kelly Gale.
Plane is scheduled to be released on Jan. 13.