Plane
Lionsgate | Release Date: January 13, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
16
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
67
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisJan 11, 2023
It ain’t Shakespeare, but if the bread-and-butter movies of Butler’s career were as compactly entertaining and as plausible (granted, a relative term) as Plane, he might get a little more respect Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 11, 2023
It’s the junky, janky mid-winter Liam Neeson thriller we used to get with that first flip of the calendar, only this one stars Gerard Butler, and is directed by Jean-Francois Richet, whose two-part gangster biopic “Mesrine” was pretty juicy. This one’s more pulp than juice, but it’s enjoyable. Read full review
70
CNNBrian LowryJan 12, 2023
Granted, the overall exercise feels more efficient than inspired, but there’s something to be said for that sort of workmanlike ethic in an old-fashioned “B” movie fashion. Those attributes don’t necessarily merit rushing out to buy a ticket, but wherever and whenever one ends up boarding this flight, taken on its terms, it’s not a bad trip. Read full review
42
ColliderChase HutchinsonJan 11, 2023
For all the ways it takes flight towards the end, Plane is an action flick that is mostly plain, the greatest sin for any film that should and could have gotten wilder. Read full review
40
EmpireJohn NugentJan 23, 2023
As that Ronseal title suggests, Plane is rarely on the good side of trash. But at least Gerard Butler and Mike Colter offer some solid action-star appeal. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgJan 13, 2023
In the end, Plane is a high-adventure thrill ride. Unplug your brain. Suspend disbelief and strap in. No lectures, moralizing, or virtue signaling. Just an everyman trying to get home to his family. It may also serve as motivation to take a few wilderness survival courses. Read full review
70
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaJan 11, 2023
Its few hints of flair may not cement it as a genre classic, but they’re enough to make it momentarily fun. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 11, 2023
Plane may not take you anywhere you’ve never gone before, but if you’re buying a ticket to a movie called Plane, odds are it will get you exactly where you want to go. Read full review
70
Little White LiesRafaela Sales RossJan 26, 2023
A tightly-paced action thriller, Plane competently delivers on the deliciously formulaic tropes of the genre. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshJan 12, 2023
If you go into it expecting nothing more than to enjoy watching a sweaty Butler manhandle some bad guys while Colter manhandles him, you’ll be more than satisfied with the ride Plane offers — a well-executed hunk of pulpy entertainment. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 11, 2023
The violence in Plane is sudden, shocking and damned personal, as director Jean-François Richet keeps his camera tight and hand-held on the hand-to-hand combat sequences, and he stages the shootouts on a “unruly mob vs. professionals” level. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 13, 2023
The violence is visceral and presented with just enough authenticity to make you quiver. The context, however, is unreal enough that you don’t have to think too hard about it. You weren’t supposed to be thinking anyway. Read full review
60
NMEPaul BradshawJan 25, 2023
Almost completely built out of clichés and corn, there’s very little in Plane that hasn’t been seen before, but it very rarely matters. Exciting without ever really thrilling, it’s an immovably solid actioner – a fun Friday night pizza movie packing a handful of relentlessly unfussy action scenes that deliver exactly what they promise. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJan 23, 2023
There’s always room for another first-rate action thriller, and Plane breathlessly packs its punches in spades. Read full review
50
Original-CinThom ErnstJan 11, 2023
Plane is a mild diversion that carries more baggage than necessary, a forgettable thriller pieced together from a collage of other films and ideas. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJan 13, 2023
By laying off the action-movie gas pedal, Plane makes Butler, performing in his native Scottish accent, more warmly likable than he’s been in years. Read full review
80
PolygonJoshua RiveraFeb 1, 2023
The movie’s drama efficiently ratchets up the tension for its action to hit hard and move on. Again: Like an actual plane, it’s a marvel of craftsmanship so unobtrusive that it’s easily mistaken for mundanity. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 13, 2023
The movie offers limited entertainment for those who enjoy this sort of fare but it’s impossible to recommend as anything more than a throw-away at-home selection when all the better streaming titles have been watched. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJan 13, 2023
Plane rushes through its emotional and explosive beats so that it can get to the next crisis without having to fill out the previous one, and it wildly skims on the good stuff in the process. Read full review
30
Rolling StoneDavid FearJan 12, 2023
Plane is, in essence, the Frontier Airlines of action films: It’s cut-rate to a fault, makes you endure a lot of unpleasantness on the way to its final destination, and still leaves you with the distinct feeling that you didn’t even get what you paid for. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 11, 2023
We’ve gotten too used to action as mere spectacle, explosions on a video screen. Plane takes time — not a lot of time, but just enough — to make this a story about people. Read full review
60
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonJan 14, 2023
Though it runs out of steam during its second act, Butler and company do everything they can to keep the energy going, closing out the film with a well-earned bang. Read full review
70
SlashfilmRyan ScottJan 11, 2023
It's a movie that delivers exactly what it promises. You pull up to the drive-thru, you order your food, you get what you pay for. A fine Saturday afternoon if you ask me. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJordan HoffmanJan 11, 2023
If you buy a ticket for this one, just know there’s no First Class option. But with moderate expectations, you’ll still get to your destination. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleJan 11, 2023
Plane is as broadly sketched as its title. Puerto Rico doubles here for Philippines, and most of the story elements, too, feel like they’re stand-ins for basic plot conventions. Read full review
75
The Film StageEthan VestbyJan 13, 2023
While Plane is meant to be a disposable object, the marks of intelligent filmmaking will make it linger as a positive point of comparison against various irritatingly tongue-in-cheek, cartoonish action films of late. Read full review
85
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJan 11, 2023
It is all such gloriously smart stupidity that you cannot help but applaud everyone involved for sticking the landing. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 13, 2023
It’s just about diverting enough for the most part but there’s something a little off about its pacing, French director Jean-François Richet (who peaked a while back with his propulsive Mesrine movies) struggling to corral his moving parts, suspense never really arriving as it should. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJan 11, 2023
Fortunately for moviegoers, the veteran Scottish actor is an engaging, charismatic presence, and Plane is the sort of breathlessly paced suspenser that barely leaves a moment for audiences to stop suspending their disbelief. Read full review
40
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyJan 26, 2023
Plane is stifled by just how ordinary it is, and how closely it hews to the standard tropes of action films with longer, more descriptive – yet less ridiculous – titles. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyJan 26, 2023
The dialogue is yellow-pack, the set-up is so silly you wonder why they didn’t parachute in a dinosaur or set off a volcanic explosion for good measure, and the sparsely populated commercial flight screams budgetary constraints. Still, it ticks along, makes merry, and everyone works hard and sweatily to put the “AAAAAAH” back into action. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJan 12, 2023
Plane” sinks (or rises, depending on your perspective) to “hell yeah” ridiculousness only at the end, delivering a punchline that lands at the right time. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJan 30, 2023
It may be big, brawling and somewhat inelegant in approach, but this Gerard Butler vehicle is an aviation fuel-powered good time. Read full review
67
The PlaylistSimon ThompsonJan 12, 2023
Consider this an entertaining popcorn movie to start the year off right, and as Gerard Butler actioners go, a solid mid-tier production. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJan 12, 2023
There’s nothing special about any of this, but as a generic thrill machine, Plane certainly delivers the goods. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJan 26, 2023
There’s lots to enjoy in this aviation disaster thriller slash tropical shoot-em-up, with its uproariously blunt title high on the list. Read full review
50
TheWrapLena WilsonJan 11, 2023
Plane would be less mind-numbing if it took itself either a little less or a lot more seriously. Read full review
60
Time OutOlly RichardsJan 24, 2023
Brisk, easy, brutish. It has explosions, punch-ups, shoot-outs and more than one bit where someone gets smacked in the face with a big hammer. How much more could you reasonably ask? It’s a blast. Read full review
83
UproxxVince ManciniJan 14, 2023
Plane perfect movie for Gerard Butler solidify Gerard Butler brand action movie. Everyone know Gerard Butler not Daniel Day-Lewis, he even maybe not Bruce Willis, but Gerard Butler Gerard Butler, and sometimes Gerard Butler good. Read full review
80
UproxxMike RyanJan 11, 2023
It never gets convoluted or caught up in itself like movies with meta-sounding titles sometimes tend to do. It’s a ’90s style, R-rated action movie that just keeps moving, with very little fat, and delivers some true applause moments. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 11, 2023
Plane is fodder, but the picture brazens through its own implausibilities, carried along — and occasionally aloft — by Gerard Butler’s squinty dynamo resolve. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 11, 2023
Plane is a shot of adrenaline and fast-paced, brain-free fun. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredAlejandra MartinezJan 11, 2023
As a whole, PLANE is a fun, dumb throwback to a simpler time at the movies, and sometimes, that’s all you need. Read full review
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