AIRLINE DISASTER
(not rated)
MOVIE: ** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Domestic terrorists take control of a passenger plane by holding the pilot’s family hostage. Bonus points for them for the pilot also being the brother of the President of the United States (Meredith Baxter). The President must make some weighty decisions on how to deal with the runaway jet while she also protects the people in cities where the plane could crash.
WHAT I LIKED
Before I start talking about the film’s story and characters, I have to give major points to The Asylum for landing Meredith Baxter and Scott Valentine in the same movie for a “Family Ties” reunion. Most viewers will recognize Mrs. Keaton, but few are going to recognize Mallory’s bad boy boyfriend in the pilot’s chair because he just doesn’t look the same. They may never share the screen in the same shot, but for a child of the 80s like me, this was one of the most entertaining aspects of this film.
“Airline Disaster” is a pretty standard disaster flick, playing out like a low-budget version of “Air-Force One.” There’s tension on the plane with Marshals trying to overtake the terrorists. There’s the President in a dark conference making the hard decisions. On the whole, “Airline Disaster” hits all the points it needs to for this kind of film… at least in principle.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Aside from some pretty awful geography set-up, “Airline Disaster” only has a few major problems outside of the low-budget direct-to-DVD flick it is. The biggest one for me is the overly dark angle the film takes when the terrorists capture the pilot’s family. “Airline Disaster” has the set-up to be a decent action flick, but it goes into R-rated territory by being a little too bloodthirsty with the terrorists killing some passengers and tormenting the pilot’s family.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD promises the following “Explosive Features” (though nothing exploded when I watched them): a making-of featurette, bloopers and trailers.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Honestly? Anyone like me who remembers the full cast of “Family Ties.”