Movie Review – Non-Stop

In this day and age many people feel jumpy (at least a little) taking a flight from point A to point B. There are just so many new elements to consider due to recent events in American history. Imagine being on one of those flights where things go sideways and having to deal with the chaos first hand. And no, there are absolutely no snakes on this plane. Non-Stop is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references.

There have been many, many movies dealing disaster at 40,000 feet and along comes yet another in the form of Non-Stop. The premise of the movie is pretty simple. A veteran air marshal receives mysterious texts threatening to kill someone on the plan every 20 minutes unless a 150 million dollar ransom is wired to an off-shore account. Since the flight is over the Atlantic when all of this occurs the assailant has to be on the plane. It quickly becomes a race against time in this airborne whodunit. Liam Neeson plays the role of Bill Marks, the marshal. Costarring are Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Corey Stoll and Lupita Nyong’o. Quite honestly none of the supporting staff’s performances stand out therefore they could be played by anyone. It’s basically Liam……….then everyone else.

Non-Stop did deliver in the thrilling department for the most part. Once things got moving the adrenaline was pumping because it was one thing after another and you’re left to wonder what’s next. The action was also present but you can only have so much of it on a plane. Where it fell apart (eventually) was in the mystery department. Early on it was intriguing trying to figure everything out. Once revelations were made there was a feeling of being cheated because there couldn’t have been much thought put into it. Maybe it sounded like a good idea at the time but the final outcome on screen felt mailed in.

There is definitely entertainment value in Non-Stop but don’t look for it to blow your socks off on an intellectual level. Had there been some additional depth and a little more thought given to the plot this movie could have been really good. Underestimating the audience’s ability grasp a semi complex plot has become an unfortunate trend lately and it needs to stop. All of that being said it’s a fun movie so I’d still recommend checking it out.