DARK FLIGHT DVD (2012)
SYNOPSIS: Ten years ago, a young air hostess, New, miraculously survived a plane crash. New insists that a vengeful spirit caused that accident, but her belief unsettled those around her and she had to go through a psycho-therapy. Now, the woman is ready to fly again. But on her first flight, New is struck by a disturbing feeling. The plane on which she’s working looks familiar, and New realizes that it’s actually the same aircraft that crashed ten years ago, though it has been repaired and repainted. New is gripped by terror, but there’s nothing she can do because the plane has already taken off, along with the same vengeful spirits that reside in it. Up in the air, the spirits are determined to take her life this time.
MOVIE REVIEW:
The idea of setting a horror movie on board a plane is a nifty concept, you have to admit- after all, at 35,000 feet above ground, your options of escaping are frankly up in the air. In fact, Parkpoom Wongpoon’s ‘The Last Flight’ in the horror anthology ‘4Bia’ demonstrated the potential behind such a concept, and if anything, should serve as a template for director Isara Nadee’s feature-length movie.
Unfortunately, Nadee seems more excited about making a movie in 3D than making a movie per se- which explains why this film, touted as the first stereoscopic 3D horror, largely fails to capitalise on its potential. To be fair, you can tell that Nadee has spent some effort creating scenes especially for the third dimension- although these consists mostly of cheap gimmicks with objects being thrown at the audience- but that rarely disguises the fact that this is a lazily shot movie that has little plot or character.
You might ask why either is necessary- isn’t it enough that a good horror movie is able to elicit scares and make you jump? Yes, the difference between a good and a great horror movie is one that bothers to get you involved with story and character, both of which are critical if the movie is going to stay with you when the lights come on. Neither element in ‘Dark Flight’ stands out, so really you aren’t going to remember much of the movie while it’s over.
How much you enjoy it while it lasts depends on your tolerance for ‘boo-scares’. Nadee goes for those a lot, accompanied with sudden noises or music, all in the name of taking you by surprise. It’s a tactic that works only if used smartly, but sadly this isn’t a movie with the smarts for it- so what you get are cheaply deployed jumps that grow increasingly annoying. More effective however are the ghouls in the movie, a combination of makeup and CGI that work to create an effectively creepy atmosphere.
Nonetheless, the movie undermines itself by throwing logic out the window. At first, it tries to inject some sense of realism by alluding to the fact that ghosts are merely energy without the ability to hurt or harm humans. And then just as you think it will make more sense than your average horror flick, it throws its own rulebook out the window and violates its very own principle. Worse still, there is little pattern to the haunting- save for some feeble backstory relating to the main character New (Masha Wattanapanich)- so it only gets more repetitive and illogical.
If it is any consolation, the cast seem fully aware of the histrionics the movie requires, and where the script allows, they bring some much-needed self-referential humour into the movie. Thank goodness really for humour relief in the form of a dreadlocked backpacker (Namo Tongkumnerd) and an effeminate male attendant (X Thiti)- without which the movie would have simply crashed in its own self-seriousness.
Even so, there is very little that keeps the movie afloat. This is through a through a B-grade movie in every sense of the word, from the scripting to the acting to the production design (clearly inside a studio set) to lastly the direction. Its main and perhaps only selling point is of being the first 3D horror movie in Thailand, but believe us when we say that it isn’t worth the fad at all- more so on home video where it is only released in the traditional 2D format. It still is entertainment however, but one that can only be enjoyed if you are willing to see just how low it manages to fly- yes, this is one dark flight indeed. .
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Take the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 if you are watching this- it’s like the equivalent of flying business class vis-à-vis economy and the well-placed sound effects will ensure just that. Visuals are clear and sharp.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
