"You're not afraid to fly, are you?"
This was like a mediocre, modern episode of the Twilight Zone. One updated with some of the most annoying and unlikeable characters I've ever seen in a movie. Yet, with all the (hilarious) overacting, all the times I wanted these stupid people to just die, already, and the fact that the movie kept getting more and more ridiculous until it reached an almost mythical plateau of absurdity, I didn't hate it.
Altitude begins with a group of young adults loading up into a small plane for a trip to a Coldplay concert. We get introduced to the pilot, who's a young woman with a tragedy in her past, as well as her 4 companions. The first act plays out a bit like a slasher movie, as we meet the various characters and the predictably complicated relationships between the three guys and two girls. Things quickly start going wrong with the plane once it gets into the air. You could probably come up with a pretty fun drinking game based around guessing what incredibly important part of the plane would fail next. As the condition of the plane deteriorates, so does the atmosphere inside the cabin. Jealousy, conflict (along with a storm that clearly could have been avoided), that sort of thing. And then a supernatural element is introduced, which almost makes the latter half of the movie seem like something completely different from what came before. Just as silly, but less of a (hilarious) thriller/slasher and more of a (still hilarious) sci-fi/horror flick.
In the final thirty minutes, or so, the absurdity spikes to incredible levels. I was somewhat transfixed by just waiting to see how ridiculous the plot would get before it ended. And the end did indeed exceed my expectations, by being perhaps the most incredulous conclusion I've seen since The Life of David Gale.
I wouldn't describe Altitude as good, but it is entertaining. Please don't watch this if you want a solid thriller/horror movie, because your time will be completely wasted. Don't take it seriously and embrace the unintentional humor of it, and you'll have a new favorite movie to bring to your Mystery Science Theater/RiffTrax party with your friends. Enjoy
