A group of unlucky passengers find themselves dearly wishing they had chosen any other form of transport rather than flying in No Way Up, the new Action Thriller from Claudio Fäh
(Hollow Man II 2006, Sniper: Ultimate Cut 2017) releases in theaters and on VOD February 16, 2024 through RLJE Films.
The film begins at the airport as the audience is introduced to some of the passengers who are oblivious to the fateful flight they are about to board. There are students Ava (Sophie McIntosh: Into the Rainbow 2017, Brave New World series), her boyfriend Jed (Jeremias Amoore: Climate Rescue for Beginners 2022, I Just Wanted You to See 2023) and Kyle (Will Attenborough: Dunkirk 2017, The Outpost 2019) who has been stood up by his date. They have been unexpectedly joined by bodyguard Brandon (Colm Meaney: Die Hard 2 1990, Con Air 1997) who has been sent by Ava’s politician father as a precautionary measure.
Elsewhere there are grandparents Mardy (Phyllis Logan: Secrets & Lies 1996, Downton Abbey 2019) and Hank (James Carroll Jordan: Kingsman: The Golden Circle 2017, 6 Underground 2019), and their granddaughter Rosa (Grace Nettle: War of the Worlds series). The audience is also introduced to flight attendant Danilo (Manuel Pacific: High Strung Free Dance 2018, Terminator: Dark Fate 2019). It is not too difficult to work out that this group of people will be the ones that the audience will spend the majority of the film with. The flight is going fine until a mid-air collision with a flock of birds results in one of the plane’s engines catching fire. Soon, the plane is in big trouble and hurtling towards the ocean. The plane ends up crashing deep into the Pacific, right on the precipice of a massive canyon. With time and air fast running out, and a shiver of sharks lurking nearby, the surviving passengers face a race against time to survive.
No Way Up promises action and delivers straight away with an effectively terrifying plane crash sequence. The plane is ripped apart, seats and people are sucked out and deposited cruelly and only the few characters mentioned above survive. Later some shark attacks also provide more opportunity to kill off some characters. Though it should be noted that, unlike the plane crash, the shark scenes are far less graphic with the actual attacks happening off screen.
All this in mind, No Way Up follows several of the tropes that audiences might associate with disaster movies, and truthfully there are not many surprises or moments that the audience will not have been able to predict. However, that does not mean that No Way Up is not an enjoyable watch. Throughout, the film presents an idea of the strength of the human spirit and resilience. If you persist and do not give up then you can do amazing things – you might even save a life or two.
Whilst it may not be one of the best in the genre, No Way Up offers just as much as many of the big budget disaster movies. And if anything, it certainly puts forward a strong case for brushing up on your shark knowledge before travelling! All matters considered, Cryptic Rock gives No Way Up 3 out of 5 stars.
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