HUB Movie Review: Non-Stop
“I have a special set of skills.”
Too bad this line isn’t used in this Liam Neeson movie.
Neeson, the ultimate hard-core fighter, is back in another thriller where he gets to use those said special skills. He plays air marshal Bill Marks, an alcoholic who hates flying.
On assignment, he boards this, “non-stop” flight from New York to London, where he is placed under scrutiny as a terrorist, when he commits certain atrocities on the plane without explanation, though it is really all to save the passengers lives.
The actual terrorist is lurking on the plane, killing people and issuing threats, while Marks has to figure out who it is.
Co-starring this movie are brilliant actors whose talents are wasted on this rather typical, not-so-deep story. They include Julianne Moore (four-time Oscar nominee), Michelle Dockery (Golden Globe nominee) and Lupita Nyong’o (who recently won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars). Yes, wasted indeed.
Non-Stop received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. However, the public generally favored it with a 60 on RottenTomatoes and a 7.3 from IMDb. Metacritic gave it a 56.
On the Penn State Scale...
1—when Penn State loses a game,
2—an 8 a.m class (which are awful),
3—a canceled 8 a.m class,
4— free textbooks,
and 5—free Creamery ice cream for a whole year,
Non-Stop gets a 3. Though the plot is not very deep, I still thought it felt quite suspenseful. It does a good job in the time that it has to entertain you.
Non-Stop, I think, has similar characteristics to Flightplan (2005), which starred Jodie Foster, such as the whole conspiracy against the good person (Foster), money transfers, maiming, fights, flight crew in denial and so on.
I was really impressed with the visuals going on in the plane. I almost felt the motion while I was watching it, like when there’s an air pocket and the plane suddenly drops.
Ugh, I hate that. Maybe they were too good.
Neeson again does a fantastic job with his fighter skills and husky voice to make himself sound authoritative and threatening (which he usually is considering all the roles he has had that include a federal badge).
But the other big-star actors do not really get to act, only in limited ways. Though, with the role they had, they did do a very good job.
The music does well to keep you on your toes as well; it’s half the suspense, really. Imagine if it was silent during all those scenes. Then it would be like watching a horror without sound. And it wouldn’t be scary.
Genius!
Anyways, hope y’all enjoy it, Staters!
Sofia Westin is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email sgw5090@psu.edu.
Photo Courtesy: Associated Press
