Easily one of my favourite movies of 2023/2024. Directed by J.A Bayona (who also directed The Impossible with Tom Holland), the film depicts a tragic historical event with so much respect for not just the plane crash survivors, but also the people who died and made it possible for the rest to make it out alive. Don't get me wrong, the Ethan Hawke 1993 version of this story is great, but this movie really takes it to another level while feeling like an immersive homage rather than an inflated dramatization.
Other things that make this movie stunning:
a) The acting is SUPERIOR with a cast of relatively unknown Latinx actors who look incredibly similar to the actual survivors.
b) The SFX-VFX integration is so seamless. For me, when it comes to depicting accidents or intense catastrophes on film, practical effects that can be enhanced with digital elements are one of the best ways of creating cinematic believability. It's a breath of fresh air when everything relating to action and stunts nowadays has that Marvel-CGI veil of visual flatness.
c) The behind the scenes for this movie is fantastic. From the casting process all the way to the construction of the plane fuselage, you can see how much hard work, research and dedication went into this project. It's phenomenal.
This movie is guaranteed to make you cry and smile at the same time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
