Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Some movies are so bad, you're really left scratching your head, wondering what in the world they were thinking.  Such is the case with Air Rage.  With a recycled plot, mediocre-at-best acting, and a truly awful script, the best thing I can say about this movie is that it made me laugh.  Too bad it wasn't a comedy.

A group of marines is on trial for a war crime.  The commander (Cyril O'Reilly) agrees to a plea bargain deal, one that lets him take all the heat, and saves his men from punishment.  But the judge defies the agreement, punishing all of the men, especially the commander who is sentenced to life in prison.

Not to worry, the commander is saved from imprisonment when his men stage an ambush and bust him out.

The next thing we know, the commander and his men are boarding a commercial flight.  The same flight, it just so happens, that the judge is boarding.  The four marines hijack the flight, and demand money, in exchange for the lives of all of the passengers.  Later it becomes clear what their real motive is.

So, it's a hijacking story.  And it's made up of scenes and characters we've seen before, a hundred times.  The pretty flight attendants who were hoping to meet their dream men on the flight.  The flirtatious co-pilot, eyeing those flight attendants.  The scared passengers, including the elderly women, the babies, and the world's most annoying passenger.  And, of course, there are the rescue personnel sent in to help the situation.  In this case, they are led by Ice-T.

So, what went wrong with this movie?

There's just way too much stupidity.  The bad guys know that one of the flight attendants is unaccounted for.  Yes, they've misplaced Kelly (Kimberly Oja).  They mention that she's not among the group of rounded-up staff and passengers.  But then they seem to forget all about her.  Of course, she's roaming about the cabin, with her new Rambo personality, planning to take down the enemy.  But the bad guys dismiss her absence, never even bothering to look for her.

Which brings me to my next point - this little woman who can't weigh more than 100 pounds is actually able to take down quite a few of the bad guys.  She uses, for instance, a coffee pot to beat up one of the guys.  Amazing how guns are completely ineffective against a little woman, holding a coffee pot.

But the worst stupidity came from Ice-T.  First of all, I've seen him in other movies where he does a reasonable job acting.  But in this movie he is absolutely awful.  That said, he is handed some of the worst lines I've ever heard.  He comes in with a pretty decent plan, actually.  He's going to use a gas to put everyone to sleep, then use one of his own men to land the plane.  Despite the fact that we never actually see an oxygen mask, we assume that he and his group have them.  So it sounds like a decent plan.  But then he changes his mind, for no apparent reason, and decides to just approach the bad guys, instead.  But the bad guys are better shooters, and the good guys are wiped out instantly.  Except for Ice-T, of course.  Now he and Kelly are on their own to figure something else out.  So, he decides to go back to plan A.  Back to the sleeping gas.  But the guy he was going to use to land the plane is dead, so this plan doesn't seem so brilliant now, does it?

Still not convinced this is a stupid movie - how about the plan to dump some fuel and force the plane to have to land.  How do you dump the fuel?  You approach an unlocked panel in the middle of the plane.  In that panel you will find completely exposed wires, twisted together.  All you have to do is untwist them, twist them back in a new configuration, and you've created a fuel dump.  Who knew it was that simple!! 

The movie just went on and on like that - with one really dumb thing after another.  Things that made no sense whatsoever.   It was truly laughable, but not in a good way.  The only saving grace to this movie was the overly annoying passenger who provided a few genuine laughs.  Casting Steve Hytner (you'll probably know him as Kenny Bania, from Seinfeld) was brilliant!  He was truly a bright spot in this otherwise awful mess of a movie.

Do not watch this movie.  It is nothing but a waste of time.  If, for some reason, you decide to watch it anyway, check your brain outside the door, first.     

Recommended: No