Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

30% of critics liked it
(116 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(57,720 ratings)

Based on a novel by Elleston Trevor, director John Moore's The Flight of the Phoenix is a remake of a 1965 film of the same name starring film icon James Stewart. The story revolves around the plight of Captain Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid), a pilot whose C-119 cargo plane full of oil workers could not… More Based on a novel by Elleston Trevor, director John Moore's The Flight of the Phoenix is a remake of a 1965 film of the same name starring film icon James Stewart. The story revolves around the plight of Captain Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid), a pilot whose C-119 cargo plane full of oil workers could not withstand the violent winds of a desert sandstorm. Stranded in the harsh terrain of Mongolia's Gobi Desert (a departure from the original, in which the plane crashed in the Sahara), Frank and his navigator face an equal challenge in maintaining order among the survivors. The group of oilmen had planned on an uneventful trip to shut off a group of rigs falling below their productivity expectations -- not fending for their very lives. Before long, some men are revealed as cowards, while others exhibit a surprising show of strength, all the while hoping that the wreckage of the original plane can be salvaged before a Lord of the Flies situation occurs. Miranda Otto is featured in a supporting role, as well as Giovanni Ribisi and Tyrese Gibson. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: John Moore
Written By: Scott Frank, Edward Burns
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Dec 17, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Mar 1, 2005
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
By film's end the adventure appears less a matter of base survival than a beach barbecue gone slightly sour.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
The wonderful character actors in the original ... are succeeded by a fairly anonymous bunch.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Other than Dennis Quaid, none of these characters leaves so much as a footprint in the sand. We don't know them. We don't care about them.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
This is high-carb filmmaking at its finest.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
This time out, there's not much out there to look at besides sand, and even it doesn't look real.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Loud, noisy, chaotic and overall unpleasant.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Exciting (but intense) adventure for older kids.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Remake of Robert Aldrich's revered 1965 classic would be 15% better if not for its abysmal use of pop music, and 100% better if Aldrich's son William had never thought to ride on his father's coattails by producing it in the first place.
Peter T. Chattaway, Christianity Today
This is one flight that never quite gets off the ground.
Bill Clark, FromTheBalcony
Entertaining, but brainless, popcorn fun.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Now I have never seen the original film starring legend Jimmy Stewart so I can't compare the two films. But I do plan to see it eventually. This remake like all the others is probably not as great as the original. But that doesn't mean that this film is bad. I was quite… More
Now I have never seen the original film starring legend Jimmy Stewart so I can't compare the two films. But I do plan to see it eventually. This remake like all the others is probably not as great as the original. But that doesn't mean that this film is bad. I was quite entertained by this film, and I very much enjoyed it. I think it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Sure there are things that could've been better, but for the most part; this film manages to be entertaining and thrilling But like everyone else I thought a few things were missing to make this film truly something awesome. I really enjoyed the film I was greatly entertained by it, and I don't understand why people have condemned it so. I mean the film is not that bad. There are far worse films out there than this one. But I agree that at times the film struggles to find it's identity and that some characters are pointless. But really Flight Of The Phoenix is an impressive remake given the chance. If you're in the mood for a mindless, entertaining film, then this one is the one that you should watch. After watching this film, I can only imagine how the original film is, and I will most definitely see it. As far as remakes are concerned, this is a fairly good one and doesn't deserve to be construed as the worst remake ever made. The film has its flaws, but manages to be entertaining.
KJ P

This was a well planned out film! But they could have added a little more spice to it!
jay n

Took and interesting idea from a good film and ruined it. Watch the Jimmy Stewart original.
Anthony L

Odd remake, Giovanni Ribisi character made very little sense compared to the original.
Lorenzo v

A group of air crash survivors are stranded in the Mongolian desert with no chance of rescue. Facing a brutal environment, dwindling resources, and an attack by desert smugglers, they realize their only hope is doing the impossible... building a new plane from the wreckage of the old… More
A group of air crash survivors are stranded in the Mongolian desert with no chance of rescue. Facing a brutal environment, dwindling resources, and an attack by desert smugglers, they realize their only hope is doing the impossible... building a new plane from the wreckage of the old one. I don't get why people hated this movie. Sure its a remake and the first one was a lot better but in a stand alone view of the film, its actually pretty amazing. You watch this film and you compare it to the first one, that's not the point of this film. This is supposed to be a fresh take on the 1965 film because back then there were no special effects like we have it today. This one wasn't supposed to go against the original, this was like a tribute or a homage to the first one because it was really good back then. The cinematography was above excellent, an amazing shot of the desert smuggler shooting the guy in the brown jumpsuit in slow motion was amazingly well done, it gets me everytime I watch it. The storyline was decent. Its not just a story about survival, its a story about hope, unity, faith and redemption. 4/5
Luke B

20 minutes in and the film is well underway. We get a feel for all the characters, we know where it's going and we know some of these characters are expendable. Quaid is easily watchable and a good lead but it's Ribisi who steals the show, he is the only one of any real note… More
20 minutes in and the film is well underway. We get a feel for all the characters, we know where it's going and we know some of these characters are expendable. Quaid is easily watchable and a good lead but it's Ribisi who steals the show, he is the only one of any real note giving an actual performance as well as his character being slightly more complex and even a tad sinister. Otto unfortunately is included just so there's a woman about. It's an afternoon film where you needn't put much effort in.
Justin Y

I honestly didn't think a film that pretty much takes place in a single portion of the desert would be this good. Flight of the Phoenix isn't anything original, but it isn't crap either.The plot takes no time in the beginning to build up… More
I honestly didn't think a film that pretty much takes place in a single portion of the desert would be this good. Flight of the Phoenix isn't anything original, but it isn't crap either.The plot takes no time in the beginning to build up characters, but rather gets to the meat of the story rather quickly. Less than 15 minutes into the film you are already in the middle of the desert and this is where you stay until the very end. The only unfortunate part about this is that the setting stays the same. The inside of a plane and SAND. If you remember a few sentences ago, I said that the character buildup doesn't come at the beginning. Instead it comes in the middle as the characters figure out a way to get out of the desert. This offsets the lack of depth in the story.There is little to no action in this film, but it doesn't need it. Like I said, this takes place in the desert, not a war zone. I can only imagine how this film could have gone if Michael Bay was attached to it. No character development and unnecessary action sequences.The acting is better than expected. Dennis Quaid is alright and Miranda Otto pulls off the only female nicely. Surprisingly, Hugh Laurie finds a way to fit in. The most memorable character belongs to Giovanni Ribisi. Not only is he different, but you love him, you hate him, and then love him again.The story for this film is pretty thin, but the variety of characters and the good ending more than makes up for it. If you don't mind looking at sand all day, then this is the film for you.
Al S

It's Lost in the desert. A high-octane action-thriller. A non-stop joy ride from begining to end. It keeps you going on every explosive and exciting turn. It's adrenialine pumping and heart pounding. One of the best adventures films in years. A great and fun movie. A… More
It's Lost in the desert. A high-octane action-thriller. A non-stop joy ride from begining to end. It keeps you going on every explosive and exciting turn. It's adrenialine pumping and heart pounding. One of the best adventures films in years. A great and fun movie. A sensational cast of great talents. Dennis Quaid is teriffic, as are Giovanni Ribisi, Miranda Otto and the always great Hugh Laurie. Compelling, exhilerating and satisfying entertainment.
Jens S

If you're making a remake of one of the best and most memorable movies of the 60s you gotta live with being compared with it. Surely this new version aims a different audience, using Outkast and Massive Attack songs, a few sometimes neat sometimes over the top camera tricks and… More
If you're making a remake of one of the best and most memorable movies of the 60s you gotta live with being compared with it. Surely this new version aims a different audience, using Outkast and Massive Attack songs, a few sometimes neat sometimes over the top camera tricks and merely really well built men. It's actually the scenes that are very different from the original that are most convincing, especially the pretty exciting first encounter with the bandits and its disturbing outcome. But the movie lacks the same charm, the powerful dialogues and interesting characters of the original, despite of a pretty convincing cast. So in all, an entertaining but not really necessary remake for a hipper audience.
Dean M

This remake of Robert Aldrich's 1966 adventure is impressive with digital effects than the original.
Dean !

A decent enough re-make but doesn't have as much action as I hoped for.
Jason S

Good. Nothing special though.
Jeremy S

Remakes of old fashioned originals seems to be a disturbing modern trend in the cinema world. For an original to be remade it suggests that it wasn't good in the first place or it was missing something, usually people think colour, and that the reamke can make it better or add… More
Remakes of old fashioned originals seems to be a disturbing modern trend in the cinema world. For an original to be remade it suggests that it wasn't good in the first place or it was missing something, usually people think colour, and that the reamke can make it better or add what was missing. For all I have heard the original Flight of the Phoenix was a decent film with nothing missing or in need of improvement. The remake offers nothing new to the story and seems to be more than anything a desperate money grab. Like The Omen, this film has no point, although not bad in itself neither were the originals. The highlight of this film was by far Giovanni Ribisi who gave a tremendous performance, among the other weaker ones. Enjoyable but tired.
Kalel J

It isn't the most cohesive of films but there is enough there to warrant it's success. Ribisi's performance has been bagged but he shows as the standout actor next to Dennis Quaid.
Dannielle A

Survivors of an airplane crash are stranded in the Mongolian desert with no one to rescue them. They work together to build a new plane from the wreckage of the old one. The cinematography was amazing and it had a great soundtrack. The storyline was not just about survival but… More
Survivors of an airplane crash are stranded in the Mongolian desert with no one to rescue them. They work together to build a new plane from the wreckage of the old one. The cinematography was amazing and it had a great soundtrack. The storyline was not just about survival but also about hope and unity.
Yinalí R

Goood movie.
Andrew F

I liked it. It wasn't terrible. I'm glad that I wasn't trapped with them!
Jason R

Could have been better, but the cast is really good and makes the film worth the rental price.
Marion R

muh
Sunil J

A simple but well-acted solid adventure movie.