Plot: What’s it about?
After all the time spent in classrooms learning about planes and flight patterns, a small band of people are about to take a plunge they though they’d never take. These people had shared their fears and insecurities with one another and now the time has some for them to face their common fear, as a group. This is a group of folks who are afraid of flying, some much more so that others, but all of them worried about the upcoming flights. They’ve heard the odds and how safe planes are, but that all means nothing once they’ve made their way onboard the plane itself. The crew is expecting some weather problems, but the flight should be a good one and not run into serious problems. The pilot and crew are veterans and know their craft, the plane is sturdy and well built, and the team on the ground is ready to address all problems, but that doesn’t make these folks feel any better about being on a plane. Is this a doomed flight like these people seem to think, or is it all just part of their fears?
Despite the title, this is not a real sequel to Turbulence with Ray Liotta, but more of a film made with a similar theme. I liked the original film a lot, mainly because of Ray Liotta and as such, I had serious doubts about this one. The previews made it seem like a made for television movie or perhaps even a direct to video release and still, I am unsure if this feature was given a theatrical run. The cast seemed middle of the road at best (Tom Berenger marks the biggest name) and the production values were likely to be less than stellar also. So I knew not to expect a blockbuster going in and thus, my level of expectation was rather low. Given the nature of this film and the resources involved, I think this film turned out pretty well, though it won’t win any awards in the end. The storyline has some good twists and turns, which makes the suspense much more potent. You’re never sure who is safe to trust and I think that’s the main draw of this movie. This one is worth a rental to those interested, but I think that will suffice in most cases. If you do feel the need to own this movie however, this disc is more than worth the cash.
The real names that pop up within this slew of lower profile performers end up being Tom Berenger and Jennifer Beals. These two aren’t exactly box office locks these days, but even so they have talent and can turn in solid efforts when they want to. Berenger (Major League, Last Of The Dogmen) has a much smaller role than I expected here and as such, it is hard to gauge his performance. When he is on screen he seems at home within the role, but since he isn’t shown that much, it can be difficult to assess his character. Still, he brings some name value to the film and doesn’t perform below his talents. Jennifer Beals (Flashdance, The Last Days Of Disco) is a treat as always to look at, but she also brings a lot of skill to this film. I’ve never admired her acting that much, but she is very good here and I hope to see more of her soon. The cast also includes Craig Sheffer (Fire On The Amazon, Flypaper), Peter Kelamis (I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Happy Gilmore), Jill Teed (Mission To Mars), and Jeffrey Nordling (Working Girl, Quiz Show). The director of Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying is David Mackay, who also helmed such films as The Lesser Evil, Providence, and Breaking Free.
Video: How does it look?
Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a terrific visual presentation, no real issues to complain about here. The print shows minimal flecks and debris, while compression errors remain absent from the transfer. This is a rather dark film for the most part, but this transfer handles the contrast with no problems in the least. I found no overly dark regions and detail seems high also, which is impressive since this film gets very dark at times. The colors emerge in fine form also, with bold hues, no distortion, and natural flesh tones all present. Trimark can deliver some excellent transfers when they want to and this is a prime example of that.
Audio: How does it sound?
I was also pleased with the disc’s Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, which provides a terrific sound experience. This film uses a lot of subtle audio, but also has a fair share of power driven impact effects, which light up the surrounds when they appear. The fight sequences and also any of the more intense battles aboard the plane all sound excellent, making good of use of directional effects and the rear channels. The music sounds good too, but doesn’t possess the range I would have liked. The vocals come through well though, as volume is proper and the words come across as very clean and clear. This disc also includes subtitles in French, Spanish, and English.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes this film’s trailer as well as four brief featurettes which cover major sequences or aspects of the film. These are very short and not very in depth, but I am still pleased they’ve bee included on this disc. If you click on the Trimark logo on the disc’s main menu, you can find some bonus trailers, as is the tradition with Trimark titles.
