Review of Flight (2012) by Seth Y — 26 Feb 2014

Though it starts off very strong, Flight quickly turns into an extremely boring and dull movie. I was counting down the minutes until it ended. It's another massively overrated Denzel Washington film that fails to impress.

Pilot Whip Whittaker (Washington) is an alcoholic and drug user. When the flight he is piloting suffers an extreme malfunction midair, he somehow manages to pull off a miraculous crash-landing that saves a majority of the souls on board. At first, Whittaker is seen as a hero, being praised for skill. However, a deeper investigation into the incident reveals that he was drunk and high on cocaine while flying the plane.

To me, Denzel Washington has always been a guy who receives more praise than he actually deserves. I certainly don't think he's a bad actor or anything, but I've just never understood all the hype. The same thing applies to this film. While I think the performance is decent, it's nothing to write home about and it's extremely forgettable. I've seen much better portrayals of drug-addicted, alcoholic characters. Also, the great Don Cheadle is featured here, but he's extremely under-utilized. The only bright spot for me was the comedic elements of John Goodman. The few times he pops up, he provides a much needed breathe of fresh air in an otherwise boring screenplay.

Flight is perhaps one of the most overrated films I have ever seen. At first, I bought into the claim, thanks to an exciting first half hour. Unfortunately, the movie falls of a cliff after the exciting plane crash scene. As awesome as the special effects were, they don't make up for an extra 2 hours of excruciating boredom, drawn out dialogue, and uninteresting characters. I'll be a happy person if I never have to sit through this movie again. 1 star.