Imagine the scene.
2 men sit around a table in a darkened room, a third man stands in the corner. His back to the room. all three look tired and dishevelled. Crumpled up bits of paper and empty coffee cups are strewn across the tables surface. A clock in the corner clicks to 2.33am. One of the men at the table who had previously had his head in his hand, palms rubbing against bleary eyes, raises his head and speaks.
"We have been here for hours…anyone any ideas?”
The second man at the table adjusts himself in his seat.
“I still think the on a plane thing is the way to go. Its worked for snakes. Lets strike while the iron's hot. Think about it - 'Tigers on a plane'. Its bound to sell.”
“Tigers!? Come on. How could you possibly think tigers on a plane would work? No no no its too close to the original we need something different.”
“Wolves?”
“No.”
“Ninjas?”
“No”
“….pirates? they always do well..”
“NO!”
The third man who has been standing in the corner turns to face the other 2. his eyes dart between them. He has their undivided attention as he speaks one single word
“Zombies”
“Zombies?”
“Yes Zombies, think 'Night of the Living Dea….wait! That's it! Flight of the Living Dead”
All three men look off at some imaginary screen, their fevered imaginations already envisioning the words on the big screen
“Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane."
Well that's how i saw the formulation of this movie, unfortunately I think more effort went into my introduction of this review than the actual movie script. That's not to say its a bad movie, just nothing noteworthy. Its a fairly generic romp that ticks off most of the stereotypes of a zombie flick. Cop in the wrong place at the wrong time? Check. Plucky air stewardess? Check. Token black guy? Check. Horney teens? Double check. Retiring pilot who goes into his plans for retirement? Check. There's even a mysterious canister that leaks dry ice. The first half of the movie is a pretty mundane attempt at building tension that goes into no attempt at building any sympathy for the characters. The second half is where the fun begins. Zombies that are reminiscent of the
28 Days Later variety run amock. Passengers scream. Passengers die. Low budget special effects and funky contact lenses.
All in all its not an unpleasant waste of over an hour as long as you're not expecting much, and to be honest anyone who is really needs to read the title of the movie again. You will even spot some familiar faces in the no-star cast. One to rent or borrow from some one daft enough to buy it (like me).
Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane is out now to buy on DVD.
