5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A professional thief with $40 million in debt and his family's life on the line must commit one final heist - rob a futuristic airborne casino filled with the world's most dangerous criminals.
Starring: Adam Copeland, Katrina Norman, Denise Richards, Thomas Jane, Kelsey GrammerHeist | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Unlike a lot of bottom shelf actioners, “Money Plane” actually has a promising premise. It takes viewers to a casino in the sky where anything goes involving the worst people on Earth, giving them a free space to indulge their awfulness in games of skill and chance. Writers Tim Schaaf and Andrew Lawrence (who also directs) provide a solid reason to track such unrepentant ugliness, which retains a delicious camp factor, but they’re mostly interested in following heist movie formula, aiming for suspense that never emerges. There’s a circus there for the taking, but “Money Plane” plays it safe, delivering familiar beats of intimidation and brutality, trying to wow viewers with twists and turns when they might be better off with a blunt study of evildoers taking to the sky to make a fortune.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation leads with color, as the low-budget movie doesn't have much else to offer viewers. Primaries are very bright, emerging from lighting sources and costuming, with reds running especially hot. Gambling additions, such as cocktails and green felt handle with deep hues, along with heavy makeup on the actors. Detail is strong with close-ups, picking up on skin particulars and age, and outfits remains fibrous. Money Plane decorations are appreciable. Unfortunately, artifacting is common, with blocky backgrounds and banding (the feature is squeezed into a 15 GB file). Delineation is acceptable. Source is in good condition.
Again, there was very little cash spent to make "Money Plane," and the 5.1 Dolby Digital mix reflects a production that wasn't too concerned about exact details. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, capturing varied dramatic abilities amongst the cast. ADR gets weird at the 43:46 mark, with lines from Joey Lawrence sounding like they were recorded at the last minute inside his bathroom. Music doesn't command as expected, with a few electropop selections finding authority (adding some low-end beat), while the rest of the score is dialed way down, especially the end credits. Sound effects are also strange, with some scenes maintaining expected snap with gunfire and thumpy punches, while other charged moments (especially the glass breakage at the 62:30 mark) have no presence.
Trey's subplot is the highlight of "Money Plane," with the frightened character suddenly confronted with a winning streak as the games get deadlier. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't follow insanity on the Money Plane long enough, always going back to the heist elements of the plot, which aren't interesting. Lawrence could make a whole movie exploring the debauchery of the flight, managing absurdity with cartoonish participants (Matthew Lawrence cameos as a deranged Texan), but he's committed to the action, and there's not enough production money to deliver necessary scale. "Money Plane" doesn't deliver where it counts the most, but there's an idea here that holds potential, gifting the endeavor an entertaining dark side.
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