‘Flight 7500’ Proves Enjoyable and Surprising (Review)

Written by: Matt Molgaard

Directed by: Takashi Shimizu

Cast: Ryan Kwanten, Amy Smart, Leslie Bibb, Scout Taylor-Compton

I had virtually no idea what to expect from Takashi Shimizu’s Flight 7500, but a few associates told me it was worth a look, so I had to take the chance. That wasn’t a mistake, as the flick does actually produce a few surprises. If you glance at the film’s trailer and read into the synopsis it’s rather easy to formulate an idea of what the picture could potentially be about. But there’s a certain vagueness in those promotional snippets that will likely leave you with more than a single question about the film. If those snippets also inspire you to seek out the truth of the flick, don’t avoid the call – answer it.

Flight 7500 could have easily been another Snakes on a Plane, or Flight of the Living Dead. In fact, I expected a film reminiscent of the latter. That’s not at all what I got. There’s a constant tension that courses through the movie, and as some strange occurrences begin to unfold I found myself banking on a sudden zombie outbreak. I could just see that rotting flesh and those chomping jowls coming at me. But they never did.

I can’t spoil the finale of this film, because the truth is, despite a few likable characters and memorable sequences, Flight 7500 really does all come down to the final moments, when the big reveal smacks us in the face.

I’ll confess, the climax really, really caught me off guard. Thanks, Takashi – that’s not a common thing these days.

The cast is solid. I’ve been a Ryan Kwanten fan since Dead Silence, and Flight 7500 gives him plenty of room (this is Kwanten’s show, in all honesty) to shine. I appreciated that quite a bit. Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect), Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) and even Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween films) all turn in respectable performances as well. The acting front is impressive, no two ways about it.

I can’t leap to call the picture game-changing or genre defining. I can’t tell you you’ve never seen anything like Flight 7500, and I can’t tell you that the big reveal was arranged and plotted on uncharted territory. But I can and will happily declare it a movie worth watching. It’s a relatively fun film, and although I never saw the zombies I was so certain would climb from the cargo bay, I wasn’t at all disturbed by the twist that I did get. To be honest, I’m glad this wasn’t your standard undead pic. Flight 7500 may not be a masterpiece, but it’s better than a healthy chunk of genre flicks hitting the market these days, and if you’ve got a fear of flying, you’ll definitely find this movie a bit disconcerting.

Job well done, folks. Job well done!

Rating: 3/5