Bland, overlong, clichéd and full of uninteresting padding.

Rating: 5/10 (26 June 2013)

Flight is a well produced film of which all its problems stem to the script. But the production value, which is relatively adequate for Hollywood using a crane in every scene, can't redeem its bland aspects. To be fair, the first act is pretty good with the unbelievable yet polarising plane crash scene. Even though there's not much character personality, it's a very well directed and tense sequence, unfortunately cut in by the redundant side character of Margeret. Afterwards, we're treated to a 90 minute character study of cliché after cliché after cliché. It's slow, it's boring and I could've slept through it and missed nothing. Every time it tries to do something unusual, it's ridiculous and played as eccentric. The biggest problem is the excess of side characters, particularly John Goodman and Kelly Reilly. Goodman is the epitome of its overblown ridiculousness and Reilly is unnecessary and uninteresting padding. Washington is serviceable, but the material doesn't give him enough to play with. Frankly I don't find any of his qualities relatable so it didn't have much of a chance to connect with me, but I didn't sympathize either. However, it does have a fascinating moment in the climax, with a great moral dilemma that they could have milked much earlier. Flight is a film that thinks it's mature and edgy but ends up unengaging and very plain. Hope Zemeckis can make films with energy again some day.
5/10