Not amazing but still pretty good.

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2013)

If you're judging this movie purely on the various elements of cinematic categories (such as acting, production value, plot development, etc.) it's an incredible movie. Denzel Washington delivers one of his best performances and that's saying something because he's one of the best there is or has ever been. The supporting cast of Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, and John Goodman is fantastic as well. The special effects were also done incredibly well. The plane crash was impressive and looked amazingly realistic. The movie, while really long, didn't drag either because the plot developed well and the characters felt authentic. So why the just pretty good rating? Because what's the purpose of a movie? To me it is to be entertained and I have always had trouble enjoying a film when the protagonist is such a detestable character, which Washington's was. There was also quite a bit of completely unnecessary nudity. Sure, Nadine Velazquez is absolutely breathtaking but was that opening scene really necessary? It seemed forced and more for shock effect than anything else. Nonetheless, this was still a very good movie and I think most people would enjoy it.