Review : Altitude (2010)

A rookie pilot takes four of her teenage friends on a plane trip that promises to be exciting as hell, but soon their plane runs into some storm clouds which contain more than rain......... Much more.


The name and the poster say it all. Its a horror set in the sky. And it contains teenagers. So its expected not to think highly of it. But this does possess some cliches but the acting and direction makes it more interesting than IMDb makes you think. The sky horror thing is what attracted me to it. Teenagers killed in isolated wood cabins is now passe. Its the time of confined horror. And this being in the sky which myself is not too fond of makes it much more relatable. The dialogues may not be groundbreaking but the confrontational scenes are as tense as they should be. The situations may seem like all done before but the way they are handled by the actors and director you won't feel a sense of deja vu.  The first 30 minutes are brilliant. The build up is a long one before you see any actual monster, and it feels as if it was meant to be a psychological horror rather than a creature one. And with the acting prowess shown by the youngsters all things seem pretty enjoyable and absorbing. But its towards the end that movie loses steam and ends with a whimper. Its an end which may strike nice to some but to some it would feel unreal. Its debatable but its great entertainment for the first 60-70 minutes and for a VOD this is one is very well done. 


Its directed by the Canadian comic illustrator Kaare Andrews(Cabin Fever: Patient Zero) . So you can guess what kind of look the movie possesses. One of its characters is shown to be a comic book nerd and his favourite comic plays a part in the proceedings. So Andrews sticks to his strength here and with some credible direction makes a rather enjoyable movie. Although the tension is far less than can be created in a confined space, he ekes out a great performance from the cast and the cliches seem not to bother us. Even pass us by sometimes. Till the last 15-20 minutes everything is going well as a psychological horror but then comes the monster and it loses steam. And there's no apparent tension increase. So in hindsight not a smart choice maybe. Andrews though does never makes it feel as if its a VOD and its look exceeds its budget. So a pretty well done stuff. 

The movie's good but she's better!!!

With the script that puts another group of teenagers in peril the acting would be the thing that makes it a little different from its numerous predecessors. Plus putting them in a plane was a nice twist to start with. The energy that the actors bring bring to their scenes makes this much more fun than it could have been. VOD scene is filled with bad acting but these five youngsters have got their characters bang on. Maybe the characters are the same but the actors are different and the energies are different. And they do really well to make us care and mostly enjoy their antics. The cast is headlined by Jessica Lowndes(Sara) and Landon Liboiron(Bruce). Its their story and they keep it going well. Though Jessica is the best of the lot. The supporting cast of Julliana Guill(Mel), Ryan Donowho(Cory) and Jake Weary(Sal) is great too. The chemistry between the five and Jake's great energy in his lovable asshole role will make this a smoother ride than the one's experienced by our protagonists. Don't expect much and enjoy.

Metaphor for Writer's block???

The camerawork is pretty great and the challenge of photographing an enclosed space from different angles for 90minutes is done well. The editing is pretty good too. And the most important aspect of such a movie are the effects. And they are good. The dark clouds more scarier than the Octopus monster. You can also learn a thing or two about flying. The technical department have all done great work to make it as good as possible. No complaints there.


HighTension Verdict: Teenagers in peril isn't new. And this does contain some cliches. Venue of the action isn't one of them though. But the acting and credible direction and camera work makes this much more enjoyable than the critics would like you to believe. The end may not work for everyone but a rental that looks good and is enjoyable for most part should not be missed. Its not a heart beat wrecking horror but the psychological aspects, good enough ending and the confrontational brilliance keeps it afloat. Plus free flying lesson from the utterly beautiful Jessica Lowndes. As i said earlier don't expect much and enjoy!!!


HighTension Meter: 7/10.


No best quote but for people unsure about the ending a link that answers your questions: Movie explained