Turbulence 3

I was kind of mystified by the fact that they made two sequels to "Turbulence", a movie that didn't do well with both critics and the box office. Finally seeing it several months ago, I could understand why. But I decided to see this second "sequel" (it has nothing to do with the events of the first movie... and probably the second movie as well) since I had the opportunity to see it for free.

Well, this Canadian movie is one of the few that has something distinctly Canadian in it (the plane is flying to the city Toronto). And the production values aren't as cheap as with many Canadian films, though some of the interiors of the plane look kind of cheesy. (Plus, the stock footage used is VERY obvious, since it came from a much more expensive film.) Also, I found that the choice for the hero chosen to fight the villains on the plane kind of a surprise. Usually this particular kind of character in hostage situations like this remains helpless until the very end.

That's about all that's positive I can say about this movie. While I didn't find the movie terrible, I did find it pretty dull. There are pretty much no surprises in this movie. If you've seen one hostage movie, you have seen this one. Plus, the movie took a surprisingly long time to unfold - 3/4 of the movie goes by before the good guys finally start fighting back.

Note to Rutger Hauer fans - it's pretty obvious that all of his scenes were filmed in one day.

The first movie in the Turbulence Trilogy is a gem. Ray Liota delivers a powerful and tear-jerking performance as a serial murderer or whatever he was. I didn't expect the same level of artistry from the ensemble cast in T3, but I wes refreshingly surprised by their ability to step up to the plate and deliver a memorable performance for the third movie in this series. The protaganist is uncovered about half way through the movie, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats. Slade Craven (the protaganist)is a poetic mix between Trent Reznor, Ziggy Stardust, Iggy Pop, Julie Andrews and and that guy who works at the gas station near my apartment with the huge hands (he can grasp a cantelope with just one hand). His epic battle against his evil twin in the movie stirs many a battlefield memory in my bottom. And for the babes..whoa...20 out of 10. Add to all that the demonic co-pilot, and the terrorized fans on the plane, and you have the award-winning Good Housekeeping recipe for a successful thriller movie. Call your congressperson today and tell them to pressure the DVD industry to release the Turbulence Trilogy as a box set today! You won't be sorry. 9 out of 10 for the movie. 20 out of 10 for babes.

Even though I'm not a fan of Goth rock, Gothic metal, nu-metal, or death/black rock, I see that the film was nice. I watched Turbulence and Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying. When I saw this film online, I watched and downloaded it.

In the film, I found something interesting. Slade Craven (John Mann), the Goth Rocker based on and inspired by Brian "Marilyn Manson" Warner, Dani Filth, and Trent Reznor was an AntiChrist by his song who later sees the light and embraces God by rescuing the passengers and crew from Simon Flanders (also played by Mann), the hijacker who impersonates him in order to take the plane under his control and also a member of a Satanic cult named "Guardians of the Gateway". I don't know if he is played by Mann's stunt double during the hand to hand combat. He first eliminates Erica Black, the news anchor who is the high ranking member of the cult who masterminded the plot to crash the plane in a church in Stull, Kansas which they believe that it is where Satan resides. After a hand to hand fight with Simon and locking him in the first class cabin toilet, he rremoves his sign of the devil jewelry and prays to God for help. He then safely lands the plane without anyone hurt. That was good indeed.

This film is a must for lovers of aviation, martial arts, and rock music.

A dumb direct to video movie about a shock rock concert on a plane taken over by satanists who want to bring about the end of the world and open the gate to hell.

Its really a good film thats completely mindless, but a lot of fun. Hey the actors, Joe Mantegna, Rutger Hauer and others got paid and we get to smile knowingly. I think the key to enjoying the film is just giving yourself over to it and accepting it as the mindless, "I can't believe people are actually dumb enough to make a movie like this" sort of way. It is dumb but if you go with it you may have a good time. To be certain this film probably should not have been released in 2001, but it appearance was purely a coincidence.

The bizarre pitch for this airborne thriller is Passenger 57 (1992) starring Marilyn Manson. It involves a controversial heavy metal group performing an internet-streamed gig aboard a jumbo jet, co-piloted by Rutger Hauer, that's hijacked by Satanists.

Screenwriter Wade Ferley clearly had no shortage of ideas, the problem is he didn't know how to develop them and so the film skitters between several characters involved with or observing the unfolding mayhem.

Despite all the onboard chaos, much of the time is spent with additional characters on the ground. A pointless sub-plot involves a Clarice Starling-style FBI agent tracking down a notorious computer hacker and other scenes involve Joe Mantegna.

Director Jorge Montesi has an extensive history in television and a handful of features under his belt. Unfortunately his experience fails to give the film anything more than a cheap TV movie feel. Locations are suspiciously absent of extras and very bland to look at, while the principle cast members spend the majority of the time in separate locations from which the fail to venture far from.

An early indication of budgetary limitations is the opening sequence. Craven is identified as this fictional world's Marilyn Manson, a character whose popularity is equalled only by his controversial status. Greeting him at the airport are his legion of dedicated fans and protesters clearly representing the religious right. But either side's numbers are so few it's difficult to suspend disbelief and enter into the story.

However, once you accept its limitations of budget and scale, Turbulence 3 becomes a fun thrill ride surpassing the majority of Airport (1969) clones. While its use of air disaster clichés, such as the on-board threat, communications with the tower/ground authorities and the final landing sequence (followed by the shot of emergency vehicles and survivors exiting the plane), place it within a specific genre, it's cultural themes to mark is very much as a film of it's time. It has a unique identity and it's trying to capture the zeitgeist; it just does it badly.

This is one of those movies in which there are plenty of familiar faces and names, but none of these are the main characters. Many in Turbulence 3's supporting cast have a history in the air disaster genre. Craig Sheffer returns from Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (1999) but portrays a different character, unconvincingly cast as a hippie hacker. Sheffer and co-star Gabrielle Anwar and Rutger Hauer were also together in Flying Virus (also made in 2001) and he completed a quadrilogy of air disasters with TV movie Cabin Pressure (2002). Co-star Joe Mantegna had earlier appeared in Airspeed (1998).

The most complex sequences take place aboard the plane and feature none of the headlined stars. Unknown John Mann got a chance to shine in the dual role of Slade Craven and his psychotic doppelgänger. Craven is not as embarrassingly cartoonish as he could have been and Mann makes the role his own, exploring not only the public and private dimension of the rock star, but also his truly deranged double - enhanced with a vocal dub.

Mann, who performs 2 mediocre tracks as Craven, does a good job in stripping away the theatrical aspect of his character without ever removing his make-up. Unfortunately the impact is undermined by a late moment where our mock-satanic hero takes a moment to pray, as if to confirm he is indeed a good man.

The starring role in Turbulence 3 didn't do much for Mann's career. He eventually made it to the higher profile films in roles such as as "bouncer" in Catwoman (2004), "convict" in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and "Viking doctor" in Pathfinder (2007).