REVIEW: by Minware Tutu | C
Skybound is a suspenseful chamber film wherein the drama unfolds on a private airplane within a group of friends traveling to Malibu, CA from New York. It is written, directed and produced by Alex Tavakoli,
Synopsis
Five plane passengers are unable to land after a mysterious disaster happens on the ground, but they may be in worse danger than they thought when a stowaway is discovered on board carrying a dangerous secret.
While in the friends are in the air, disaster strikes on land, for which landing is impossible. It’s not an easy feat to hold the interest of an audience when the entire story takes place in one location. But Tavakoli pulls it off with ease. The story moves from a beat to the other.
Pana Costoglou’s cinematography and Marc Steinicke’s editing adds immensely to the tone and suspense of the film. Kudos to Andrei Antonyk and his team as the visual effects work. One of the things that I found most impressive was the film’s originality. Skybound didn’t remind me of anything that I had seen. In today’s age of endless content and outlets for entertainment, this certainly an accomplishment.
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Skybound is not without its flaws. The script could have used a little more fine tuning before moving into production. Some of the melodrama felt forced and the action felt contrived which made it challenging to take the film seriously at some moments. At certain points the expositional dialogue was distracting. When the characters were speculating on the cause of the disaster and trying to talk through it, I just couldn’t buy it. While most of the actors gave decent performances, it felt like they were portraying stock characters rather than actual people with actual personalities and motivations.
I didn’t find myself rooting for any of the characters. That’s a problem from the script (not the actors). In the beginning of the film, Andrew Reich’s musical cues in the score impeded me from interpreting the tone of the film. But as the film progressed, his music felt more complimentary and served to enhance the images on the screen.
If you’re looking for a masterfully executed nominee for best picture, Skybound isn’t your movie. But if you can turn your brain off and enjoy the ride, Skybound is a decent popcorn movie that will have you guessing until the end. And I think it wonderfully displays Tavakoli’s potential to one day make great popcorn movies.
Writer & Directed: Alex Tavakoli
Cast
Scarlett Hefner as Lisa
Gavin Stenhouse as Kyle
Rick Cosnett as Matt
Morten Suurballe as Erik
Tyler Fayose as Odin
