Director: Alex Tavakoli
Writer: Alex Tavakoli (Screenplay)
Starring: Scarlett Byrne, Gavin Stenhouse, Rick Cosnett, Morten Suurballe, Tyler Fayose, Carla Carolina Pimentel
Plot: Five plane passengers are unable to land after a mysterious disaster happened on the ground.
Tagline – What if suddenly the ground was gone?
Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: High Flying Thriller
Story: Skybound starts as five friends Lisa (Byrne), Kyle (Stenhouse), Matt (Cosnett), Odin (Fayose) and Roxy (Pimentel) are flying to Malibu for a new year’s party, because they are super rich and can afford a private jet. When the electrical power goes out and they lose radar, the group find themselves under threat first from within as a stowaway Erik (Suurballe) is on board but soon things get worse as they learn of a disaster on Earth meaning they can’t land for now.
Facing the challenge of where to head to land, the group must deal with their own problem with Kyle being wounded and the answers not looking easy to come about what happened on Earth.
Thoughts on Skybound
Characters – Lisa is the medical student on her first date with Matt, she is surprised to learn who is brother is and will need to use her own training to keep Kyle alive after he gets shot. Kyle is the playboy brother of Matt, he had his own shot with Lisa but blew it. Matt is the new guy in Lisa’s life, it is his family’s jet they are traveling in where his relationship with his brother is being pushed with situation with Lisa. Erik is the stowaway on board that does know his things when it comes to what is happening and how to stay safe. Odin and Roxy make up the numbers but we don’t learn too much about him.
Performances – Scarlett Byrne is good without being excellent in this role, you do struggle to buy her as a medical student. Rick Cosnett is good too but the truth is everyone is good without standing out.
Story – The story does come off very interesting, we have seen disaster movies from the ground, from space but never focused just on a plane, where the plane has no damage. The not knowing what has happened works for the film because we are as clueless to the events as the friends and only learn when they do. For a story this is a survival story that is interesting and well worth catching the ride.
Action – The action is how the plane must be kept in the air and how it avoids tragedy, it isn’t overly reliant on the action only using it when needed.
Settings – The film is set on the plane which makes for a fantastic setting for what happens on the mainland while they are flying.
Special Effects – The effects are weak but also not used too much, we don’t rely on the effects either because it is the tension on the plane which is the important part of the film.
Scene of the Movie – The learning truth moment.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – While the opening credits try to be new, I found them hard to read and poorly designed.
Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that surpasses any expectation going in, it plays everything out smartly in a way you could easily see be true for a stranded plane in a disaster situation.
Overall: Hidden gem of a thriller.
Rating