6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Believe it or not..., July 28, 2004
Believe it or not, this is actually not that bad of a film. Now, that shouldn't be taken to mean that this is a particularly good film, either but as far as implausible B-movies taking place on hijacked airplanes without pilots go, Turbulence 3 is definitely one of the better examples of the genre.
Basically, the film deals with Slade Craven, a "goth" rock star that is obviously meant to conjure up memories of Marilyn Manson. Bizarrely enough, the two songs that Craven actually performs in the film are actually fairly good. Like a lot of things in this film, the songs are actually something that the producers could have easily blown off but instead, for whatever reason, they actually went to the effort necessary to keep things at least occasionally entertaining. Anyway, for some reason, Craven's latest concert is going to be a pay-per-view extravaganza held inside a 747 flying to Canada. Of course, the idea of holding a concert in an airplane while the airplane is actually in flight is nothing short of ludicrous. Of course, it's no more ludicrous than Rutger Hauer, of all people, popping up as the plane's copilot without raising anyone's suspicions. The filmmakers to their credit, don't waste any time trying to justify this insanity but instead they cheerfully embrace the silliness of it all and roll with it.
In quick order, the flight ends up getting hijacked by your typical group of demented Satanists. While the plane's helpless passengers -- a nice combination of decadent goths, confused stewardesses, and bandmates who wouldn't be out of place in a shock rock sequel to Almost Famous -- fight for their lives, a ground-based computer hacker (Craig Sheffer) works with a tightly wound yet secretly frisky FBI agent (Gabrielle Anwar) to thwart the hijacker's sinister plans. (Those plans never quite make sense but, by this point, we've already been forced to accept the sight of a concert being held in a 747 and it's already too late to quibble about plausibility.)
Strangely enough, this all works in it's nicely demented way. This is a fun film and, if for nothing else, it deserves credit for not insulting the viewer's intelligence by trying to be anything other than an entertaining action-comedy. The script is full of a few pithy one-liners that serve almost to satirize all the awful "comic" relief that audiences have been subjected to in every big-budget action film produced since the late '80s. As well, the film's actors all seem to be having fun and it comes across to the viewer. Special notice should be given to Joe Mantegna, who seems to be chanelling none other than Airplane's glue-sniffing Lloyd Bridges, as a by-the-book FBI agent, Hauer, Anwar, and, surprisingly, Craig Sheffer who, for once, manages to turn in a performance as something else than the most boring human being alive. The film's strongest peformance comes from an unknown by the name of John Mann who manages to make Slade Craven into an actual, almost compelling human being as opposed to a cardboard cut-out of Marilyn Manson.
Turbulence 3 is the type of time waster that gives wasting time a good name.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Best in a Bad Series, August 17, 2001
By A Customer
When I first heard that this movie existed, my initial thought was "Why?". Having seen the big budget parent of this series, which was a colossal dud, and the lackluster direct to video turbulence 2: fear of flying, how could they do it? How could they keep making these movies? Imagine my surprise when I found this one entertaining, albeit strictly in a "so bad it's good" sort of way. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Marilyn Manson played an action hero? I never did either but Goth Rocker Slade Craven is forced into that role through an unlikely set of circumstances. This film continues the direct to video Turbulence trend of having semi-known actors filling supporting roles. In Turb2, it was Tom Bernger, in Turb3, watch for Joe Mantegna and Rutger Hauer. One question I would pose to those who view the film. Just what is it that makes Eastern Kansas the unholiest place on Earth as alledged by the religious cult that hijacks the plane?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What were they thinking of??, August 23, 2002
I don't know if I have seen the same movie as the other reviewers, but I can safely say that it is one of the worst I have seen.
A heavy metal concert abroad a plane..a Marilyn Manson lookalike..a rock star that is taught how to land a plane. Please! spare me.
The action sequences and dialogue are closer to comedy, not intended I tell you.
I am baffled as to what on earth Rutger Hauer, Gabrielle Anwar and Joe Mantegna are doing there???
Maybe with other less known and talented actors, the film would have been more bearable.
The only saving grace in all this mess, is watching Anwar and Monika Schnarre, two very beautiful women, but sadly the script and direction are a waste.
Save your $$s for a proper action film, and give this one a miss.
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