moonspinner55 Remake of Robert Aldrich's 1965 film about plane crash survivors in the desert, menaced by nomad tribe while attempting to rebuild the fuselage of their aircraft. Dennis Quaid plays the ornery pilot this time, picking up a wily group of oil-tanker workers in Mongolia, including a female (not a product of the original, but a nice touch here). They run into a hellish storm just over the border into China and fly too high, breaking up their C-119 and leaving them without much food or water. The whiplash crash-landing is an amazing bit of film, sudden and ferocious, but what happens after that is pure formula. If you're attuned to the survival techniques inherent in the plot, or to the testy camaraderie between the mates, you're apt to enjoy the film. The performances are certainly solid, however they don't lend much believability to the final scenes, which play like a Disney feature. ** from ****

SnoopyStyle An oil rig in the Mongolian Gobi Desert is getting shut down. Captain Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid) and co-pilot A.J. (Tyrese Gibson) are flying Kelly Johnson (Miranda Otto), her crew and the equipment back to Beijing. Elliott (Giovanni Ribisi) is a mysterious stranger who catches a ride. The plane crashes in a sand storm. Men die and supplies dwindle. There's no way to walk out. There is unlikely to be any search parties. Aircraft designer Elliot has an idea to build a new aircraft out of the wreckage but Towns opposes it.It's a remake of the 1965 movie. The premise has always been a bit ridiculous. The problem is that it's played for real. The unlikely scenario keeps diminishing the excitement. There are a few good actors and there is a bit of good tension among the group. I don't like Gibson and a little conflicted about Ribisi. The movie is generally forgettable.

George Roots (GeorgeRoots) "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.

mapr9 Okay. I have nothing against remakes and personally haven't watched the original in order to make a comparison. I have an issue with two main things, and I think it's what everyone has commented. First, the technical inaccuracies. Some of the action elements: the plane crash, the explosion of the fuel, the electrical storm… then the plot circumstances, the nomads/robbers, the fact they have a chick in the cast… all of these are considered unnecessary by most. I on the contrary, think that remakes are supposed to have a little somethin somethin to add. The elements are GOOD, except that they don't make the most out of them, or they use them in a non-logical way. I would have liked to see more of the internal-external conflict between the characters, and more hopelessness and despair, and that includes leaving the Hey Ya scene out. I would have wanted to see them physically strained too, or some more dying. I would have also loved to see the Phoenix's actual construction from scratch. I know, maybe building a plane out on the desert isn't that realistic but nevertheless, it's the main movie plot, so I guess we should have seen more of this. Having said that, Giovanni Ribisi totally aced this movie. Not only with changing his physical looks (showing commitment to the part), but also on his portrayal of a weird guy, who no one knows nothing about, who might as well turn out to be a serial killer, but who ultimately, ends up being the hero. Other than his looks and the fact that he's a model airplane designer, he's not German, and someone commented that it seems as if he's ashamed of his profession, unlike Krüger's character in the original, and seeing this as a bad thing. I beg to differ. You know that Ribisi's character is up to something, you just don't know what it is. This only adds an element of suspense. Plus, it makes sense. Had he told everyone he was a model plane designer sooner on, they would have never built the plane in the first place, probably. Of course, like the rest of the characters, a more substantial dialogue could've given more room for Ribisi to work on, but even with so little, Ribisi does a lot, and let's not forget… they could've invented something a little bit more revealing or fantastic about how he got to the oil rig in the first place. We see him a little arrogant, yet non-threatening in the beginning. Aloof and quiet while everyone else berates after the plane crash, and as a power hungry little nerd as they build the Phoenix. Then we see him lose it when it becomes apparent, he's the only person in the whole crew with common sense, and yes maybe, is a tad jealous that everyone prefers (to some degree) Towns, as their leader. The "Say Please" scene, is just genius. Beginning with a teary-eyed, snotty-faced Elliot, and ending with a "You-know-you-need-me" kind of glare, this is another moment in which he reassures himself not just as the gang's true leader, but the highlight of the movie. As if the crew are not hating Ribisi's character enough (and for no reason at all if you look at the cold hard facts), the bomb is dropped when they find out he's a model airplane designer. Elliot pleading for his life and shedding a tear when he sees the plane lifting off in the sandstorm is a great moment as well. Then, when Capt. Towns gives ALL OF THEM a "hopes and dreams speech", it seems as if Elliot himself has lost all hope. It is only during this moment I would daresay, we get to see the desolation that should've reigned all over. After barely making when pulling the plane, it is on this scene that we see Capt. Towns and Elliot reconcile and I love it. I don't know if that happens in the original, but I think it's just one of those "great movie moments" in which there's some sort of release. After the Phoenix miraculously takes off, we see him patting arms with Captain Towns, smiling, amazed, and excited. After all, it's his design; it's his creation flying. I always love it when they show the: "Where Are They Know" sequence in the movie, and I love the fact that Elliot at least gets the credit he deserves.I think both with the cast and special effects, this movie is a really good way to introduce new people to a classic. But had the producers wanted this to be a great movie, a BETTER SCRIPT could've even led them to an Oscar… I give it a 7/10 for the special effects and Giovanni Ribisi