Review of Non-Stop (2013) by Shane M — 02 Nov 2014

Enjoyable for Liam Neeson and action fans, but fails for anyone expecting more than an action movie that fails to keep the story coherent and tension high, and offer up a believable third (final) act. Non-Stop follows US Federal Air Marshall Bill Marks boarding a non-stop flight (hence the titile) from New York to London, and during the flight, he receives a text on his phone stating that someone on the plane will die every 20 minutes unless $150 million is transferred into a specific bank account ("specific" being the highlight).

The movie has a solid premise and the setup sets chills up the viewer's spine, but just like any other action movie, the premise is wasted on clichà (C)s or plain amateurish decisions. The film has a couple of tense moments and the pacing is solid, but later on, the story becomes convoluted and offers twists that seem forced in order to keep the pace high despite creating an uneven story that even becomes thin and implausible, just like any other action movie that's just plain average.

The results are bad, especially when it starts its final act, descending into forced tension and action sequences, proving that writers John W. Richardson (story and screenplay), Chris Roach (story and screenplay), and Chris Engle (screenplay) ran out of ideas and deciding to add in crap without explaining it, offering audiences a plot that became convoluted to just making no sense.

Even director Jaume Collet-Serra can't keep up with the story despite offering up commitment from his cast and tension at times. It's not only a waste of a good premise, setup, and talented cast, but also a waste of time.

However, the movie's not all bad, and there are a few redeeming factors that make this movie better than other action flicks. First off, the cast give off good performances, and adapt to the material well, despite narrative flaws, there are a few good action sequences and a few moments that offer up a few chills and frights for the audience, and there is a good tracking shot courtesy of cinematographer Flavio Martínez Labiano, though his camera work isn't even close to Oscar-worthy.

The film is an enjoybale action flick, but is too much of the same, thus offering little satisfaction for certain moviegoers. I wouldn't recommend it on a huge scale, but if you want to see it, do it.

I do not care.