7500 (DVD) – Movie Review
Ghost stories and scary tales, it certainly is the right season to grab a horror movie and enjoy the overall atmosphere Halloween brings us. 7500 might be one of those movies that sets just the right mood in order to have a few scares and make you wonder if the boogeyman is not out to get you after all.
The movie brings us the story of the ‘flight 7500’, which is intended to depart for Tokyo. Whilst the flight attracts passengers of all kinds, be it newlyweds, fans of the occult, a group of friends, a thief or other common Joes.
You’ll start off the movie with a fairly relaxed mood, thanks to the chit chat of the flight attendants, people arguing about their seats and overall plans. Sadly, the characters feel quite undeveloped and bonds are not really forged, some of the passengers seem to be more important than others. The movie will emphasize certain characters and you’ll follow their choices of how they will start taking action(s) when things start to go bad.
On one hand you’ll find an ‘ex-couple’, that is currently keeping their romantic status a secret from their friends, who are hoping to go on the trip of a lifetime. Brad (Ryan Kwanten) and Pia (Amy Smart) decided to call it quits after learning they were unable to have children. On the other hand you’ll find a newlywed couple, Liz (Nicky Whelan) and Rick (Jerry Ferrara). A typical cliché of a chatty, complaining woman with high standards and a businessman that wanted more in life but still decided to settle for a stereotypical image of happiness. Rick gets intrigued by their co-passenger Jacinta (Scout Taylor-Compton), thanks to her interest in the occult and her loose vision of how the world works. More characters will be presented but in many ways, these are the most ‘important’ cast members.
After a bit of turbulence, one of the patients, who was already acting quite bizarre from the beginning gets a seizure and passes away. It becomes clear that his death does not only causes a slight wave of panic but a certain darkness was left behind upon his passing. Whilst certain passengers wish to learn more about who this person was, others will start noticing strange phenomena, subtle ones and others not so much. These strange occurrences call for action and whilst not everyone tries to handle everything the same way, the results will end up being the same, namely: “what’s going on?”.
Overall the flow of the story is fairly decent, with the slow buildup and a slightly more turbulent ending. You’ll have to get used to the slower paced buildup than most movies have nowadays. This might cause some viewers to lose interest to a certain extent but viewers of more classic and/or subtle horror movies will surely appreciate this wink to older movies.
7500 feels a bit more ‘open’ than a lot of other movies. This will cause you to think along with the movie or even start to speculate about what is going on. It’s fun to see that the movie is still able to surprise you, after many theories have already passed through your mind. This is perhaps the strongest point of the movie.
Acting performances prove to be quite decent and convincing. Sadly, the characters feel a tad underdeveloped. This has to do with the fact that the movie tries to focus more on the strange events that are unfolding. If the characters would connect more with the viewer, this would give the movie an extra edge. You’ll notice that bad events don’t have such a big impact, when something happens to the main characters and this feels like a missed opportunity.
Darkness seems to be a keyword for flight 7500, seeing the movie will be played out in the darkness most of the time. The airplane is dimmed, to keep the passengers ‘quiet’ after the first serious event and this certainly contributes to the overall setting.
Conclusion
Whilst 7500 has no real negative aspect, it does not really stand out thanks to the lack of character development. Fans of the horror genre and perhaps those of more suggestive movies, will certainly enjoy watching through this movie. Expect traditional horror elements, combined with a more modern approach. Last but not least: ‘This is your captain speaking – expect a bumpy ride’.
7500 (DVD) - Movie Review,
No Comments