IMDb > Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Flight of the Phoenix
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Flight of the Phoenix (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 25 | slideshow) Videos (see all 16)
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) -- Survivors of a plane crash in the Mongolian desert work together to build a new plane.
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) -- The crew starts working on building the plane.
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) -- Theatrical Preview
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) -- Survivors of a plane crash in the Mongolian desert work together to build a new plane.
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   16,977 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 20% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Lukas Heller (1965 screenplay)
Scott Frank (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Flight of the Phoenix on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 December 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
The only way out is up more
Plot:
Survivors of a plane crash in the Mongolian desert work together to build a new plane. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(11 articles)
Twilight: ‘How It Should Have Ended’ Sees Starz
 (From Tubefilter News. 20 November 2009, 9:05 AM, PST)

Set Visit: Step Into the Incredible World of Legion
 (From MovieWeb. 18 August 2009, 8:45 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A big disappointment more (195 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dennis Quaid ... Frank Towns

Tyrese Gibson ... A.J.

Giovanni Ribisi ... Elliott

Miranda Otto ... Kelly Johnson

Tony Curran ... Alex Rodney

Sticky Fingaz ... Jeremy (as Kirk Jones)

Jacob Vargas ... Sammi

Hugh Laurie ... Ian

Scott Michael Campbell ... James Liddle
Kevork Malikyan ... Rady

Jared Padalecki ... John Davis
Paul Ditchfield ... Dr. Gerber
Martin Hindy ... Newman (as Martin 'Mako' Hindy)
Bob Brown ... Kyle

Anthony Wong ... Lead Smuggler
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some language, action and violence.
Runtime:
113 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The production built a "Phoenix" that could be taxied, but were unable to safely build a flying version economically. Mindful of the original production which did build a "Phoenix" that could fly, but was structurally unsound and crashed killing stuntman Paul Mantz, the flying scenes were done using a radio controlled model and computer graphics. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Captain is hailed as an extraordinary pilot who manages to save an aircraft that "not many pilots could save". However, at the time of the initial engine failure, he takes absolutely no action to shut down the engine or to feather the propeller. more
Quotes:
[after having shot a wounded nomad who the group is debating whether to help]
Elliott: Well, that settles that.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Gimme Some Lovin' more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 71 people found the following comment useful.
A big disappointment, 19 December 2004
3/10
Author: Greg (gregmoroberts@yahoo.com) from Oakville, Ontario

Back in 1964, Robert Aldrich stranded James Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch in the desert after their plane crashed in the film Flight of the Phoenix. The movie was about a group of unluckies that band together to rebuild a new plane from the working parts of the wreckage. The film was fairly well done for its time and even grabbed two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Ian Bannen) and Best Film Editing.

But were we really lobbying for a remake? Was there a demand or a group of picket sign wielding stampeders outside the studio office demanding that an update be greenlit?

Who knows? What we do know is that some 40 years later, fairly untested director John Moore was given a hefty budget to remake the film appropriately named, Flight of the Phoenix. Surprisingly however is that the film was a remake in almost every sense. With the exception of the plane crash (to which I give credit as being one of the best ever filmed) the movie updates the language, but everything else is relatively the same. Where in the original, there was such laughable dialogue as 'Mr. Towns, you behave as if stupidity were a virtue.', in the remake we get equally giggle generating script excerpts as, 'I think a bee stung going in your big dumb ass.' Hmmmm. Updated indeed.

If a remake is suppose to be bigger, badder and louder, I suppose Flight of the Phoenix 2004 fits the bill. But you can also add stupider to the mix since the writers decided not to spend any time in developing characters outside of the 40 year old script (that is unless you consider the crew dancing in the face of death to Outkasts' Hey Ya in a ridiculous MTV moment). And that is very irritating.

We had four decades to fix the kinks and iron out the wrinkles to make a superior film of what is an interesting concept. Instead we get cliché after cliché and improbable situations that are laughable to today's audiences. What do I mean as laughable, you say? Well, how about an electrical storm that ends as soon as it hits the only thing that is important to the survivors. Or how about a group of nomads that can attack at any time, but wait until the exact second that the newly built plane decides to take off.. I can go on, but what's the point.

Flight of the Phoenix was a major disappointment to the holiday theatre going experience.

Change that. Flight of the Phoenix was a major annoyance during the holiday theatre going experience.

Where psychologists agree that hostages and their captors develop a bond over a period of time, it is evident in this circumstance that people in need of each other for survival will begin to fight over petty trivialities if not dancing to the latest pop hit on the radio. All this did was leave me to care nothing about any of the characters and I couldn't give a rats ass whether they survived or not.

Flight of the Phoenix therefore falls in the same category as Get Carter, Sabrina, The Jackal., as films that were just mediocre when released decades ago and are amazingly given more of a disservice in the remakes for the new MTV generation. We didn't ask for a Phoenix remake and frankly, my life is worse off because of it. And for that. I give it one and half stars, not even enough juice to get it off the tarmac.

www.gregsrants.com

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Things I learned from the remake of Flight of the Phoenix: choatelodge
Who pushed that one guy off the cliff towards the beginning? Caractacus23
Which one should be seen first? The 65 version or this one? method535
Horrendous conclusion IamTVI
Sunglasses dashboardjesus
Is the rebuild feasible? pullgees
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