That said, even in his live action movies, such as Castaway and Forest Gump, special effects have always been a key part of Zemeckis’ repertoire, and in this Flight does not disappoint.
But after a great take-off, Flight gets seriously grounded in the second half, becoming increasingly sombre and overtly religious to an almost ridiculous degree.
Denzel Washington plays airline pilot Whip Whitaker, a heavy drinker and drug user who wakes in a hotel room on the morning of a flight, surrounded by booze bottles, lines of cocaine, and a half-naked member of his crew. After reviving himself by finishing the coke, he’s off to work.
It turns out to be a hell of a day: part way through the flight, the aircraft goes into a sudden dive. Whip manages to take control as the jet powers towards the ground – and the action sequence that follows makes the plane crash in Castaway seem almost pedestrian. It’s safe to say you won’t be watching Flight as an in-flight movie.
But the story goes down with the aircraft – moments before impact, one of the wing tips grazes a church steeple, where churchgoers are gathering for a baptism ceremony.
The scene where the white-robed church members pull survivors from the wreck is the next example of religious heavy-handedness: a big deal is made later about the insurance term “Act of God”, and in case we still haven’t got the message, “God” is cited as possible cause of the accident by an official inquiry.
Whip tries to sober up to impress the inquiry, aided by a sympathetic company lawyer (Don Cheadle), but he repeatedly falls off the wagon, thanks to his drug dealer friend (John Goodman). To eradicate any doubt about what these characters represent, Goodman makes his entrance to the tune of “Sympathy for the Devil.” There’s also Whip’s new girlfriend, a recovering addict (Kelly Reilly), whose story arc amounts to being just one more damned soul.
The movie’s climax is a predictable testament to the power of confession – mirroring Whip’s inability to face up to addiction at his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings – and the resulting warm feelings of redemption.
In these last scenes Flight lifts off again, if only for few minutes, thanks to a powerful performance from Academy Award winner Washington. But it’s too bad Zemeckis didn’t pay more attention to his story, and not just his message.