This movie was, to put it simply, a rollercoaster ride. It was hard not to have high expectations for the movie given the star-studded cast and I was almost relieved that the movie delivered what I expected it to – a terrifying and thrilling experience.

For those of you who did not watch the trailers nor read anything about the movie, let me give you a quick summary of the plot. Song Kang Ho plays In-ho, a police officer who decides to investigate on a terrorist threat which will supposedly happen on a plane – which unfortunately does happen… on the flight his wife is on. The film follows the main characters as they try to save themselves (and their loved ones). There’s the pilot Hyun-soo, played by Kim Nam Gil, Jae-hyuk played by Lee Byung Hun, a passenger who’s travelling with his daughter to seek treatment for her eczema, and the lead stewardess Hee-jin played by Kim So Jin. And of course we have the terrorist himself Jin-seok played by Im Si Wan.

[WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!]

Before we go any further, let me just give a heads up that if you’re already generally anxious about taking flights, you may wish to skip this movie because it can be really triggering. But if you love a thrill ride or just enjoy freaking yourself out, carry on.

Firstly, I just really want to give kudos to the director for the superb camera work and use of audio effects. I watched it in 2D but it almost felt like I was watching it in 4D because of the way the movie was shot – using gimbals and all. Also the sound effects were really well-executed to make the audience feel fully immersed in the experience. Which is why I mentioned earlier that some people should not watch this because it felt so real. That being said, after watching it in 2D, I really felt like I should watch it again in 4D to truly feel all the turbulence and movements throughout the movie. I might have slight masochist tendencies but it just sounds like it’ll be right up my alley.

While the movie was quite a fun watch personally, some people may find it a tad too long. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, it did feel like they were throwing in too many subplots and things got a little too crazy, and I just wasn’t sure how the movie was going to end. It felt very “doom and gloom”, and they had crisis after crisis, which they somehow manage to resolve quickly before the next crisis came. It did feel a little too much, considering everything was happening in the span of an 8-hour flight (or 16 considering they had to turn back).

One complaint though – I felt like they really under-utilised their talents! Jeon Do Yeon’s one of the main characters supposedly but we hardly see her do anything besides looking exasperated because of how helpless she was in trying to resolve the crisis. Also, Im Si Wan’s character died so early on that the panic on the passengers’ part felt a little too drawn-out. He did such a good job portraying the villain and I really wanted to see more of his creepiness. Not to mention, Kim Nam Gil slumped over the pilot’s seat for a while made me think he was dead but miraculously he survived!

So there were quite a few moments in the movie which had me tilting my head in confusion… but if you just leave logic outside the cinema hall before entering and go in expecting a fun watch, you’ll enjoy the movie. I guess that’s my tip – go in with zero expectations on the plot and just enjoy the ride.

I also wasn’t expecting to feel emotional during the movie because it’s just another blockbuster movie but I had to choke back tears at one point when the passengers called their family members one by one to say their goodbyes. I really thought that was how it was going to end until PLOT TWIST it didn’t. Unless you interpret the ending differently.

But I’m not going to tell you how it ends. You should watch it for yourself and just get ready to feel all the emotions! Oh and there’s some blood so be prepared for that. Because I totally wasn’t.

If you’ve watched the movie, share with us your thoughts!

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