Movie Reviews

Flight Of the Phoenix

23 July 2005

“History never repeats,” sang Split Enz in 1981… and again last week, thereby suggesting that it wasn’t strictly true. History DOES repeat! As if further proof were needed, the 1965 matinee flick The Flight of the Phoenix has been remade. Even with all the unused scripts gathering dust in the studio vaults, Hollywood still thinks that remaking good but unexceptional films (Get Carter, Alfie, The Thomas Crown Affair) is the way to go. Even with all the new actors, Flight of the Phoenix (minus the “the”) still doesn’t have anyone half as notable as the original star, Jimmy Stewart.

            Still, it isn’t such a bad film. Scott Frank and Edward Burns’ screenplay remains considerably more faithful to the original than, say, House of Wax, but it veers at key points, providing surprises even for those who recall the original film. Also, it is tighter and pacier than the original, which was considered slow-moving even 40 years ago.

            For the record, this is about a light air crash in the middle of the Gobi Desert (moved from the original location of the Sahara, for obvious reasons), and the bedraggled survivors’ plan to build a new plane from the wreckage before they die of thirst or get murdered by nomadic smugglers. The soundtrack is burdened by too many pop songs, which sound distinctly inappropriate. Fortunately, the cinematography by Brendan Galvin (aided by some good effective time lapse work by Donal Caulfield) is both splendid and terrifying, and the plane crash is truly spectacular.

            None of the characters are especially endearing at first. Thanks to the excellent cast, we somehow find ourselves caring for them. Dennis Quaid steps into Jimmy Stewart’s shoes, which is fitting. Like Stewart, Quaid is a specialist in bland, all-American heroes, now playing a far less likeable character. Peter Finch has been replaced as the token Aussie in the cast by a feisty Miranda Otto (and yes, she plays an Australian – or at least, someone with an Australian accent). Proven actors, like Hugh Laurie and Giovanni Ribisi, still manage to be surprisingly good.

            These are not natural heroes, but heroes by default. Perhaps, if you didn’t know that it was a truly unnecessary remake, you would think it was wonderful.