Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
Idris Elba brings gravitas to an otherwise ridiculously melodramatic thriller series.
Plot: Told in real time, “Hijack” is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers.
Review: Idris Elba has proven himself to be a multi-hyphenate powerhouse who can provide voice-over for animated fare, play a superhero, perform action in genres ranging from science fiction to fantasy, and even get some laughs in comedies. Elba has even been a DJ for many years. The gun can do no wrong, and while his filmography is jammed with diverse projects, the instant I started watching Hijack, I knew the creative team brought him on board because of his voice. Idris has a presence and gravitas that few actors can match. This helps save Hijack from being a dud. Told in a real-time approach, Hijack is a tense thriller about a plane taken over by terrorists that barely makes sense.Before I get into the details of
Hijack, let’s address the claim that this story is told in “real-time”. I’ve seen real-time stories before, thanks to the Kiefer Sutherland 24 and Nick of Time movies. The ticking of the clock drives the plot differently than if a countdown is provided. Hijack follows a plane from Dubai to London, a seven-hour journey. The series consists of seven episodes that last about an hour each. The series technically lasts the entire length of the plane route but the real-time element is not included. You know how brutal long flights can be. Add in a hijacking and armed terrorists as well as rebellious passengers to make it even more intense. The plot of Hijack is weak, so the ploys are not enough to save it. The story is weak, and a ploy can’t save Hijack . He is on the flight to go home and see his son and ex-wife. Sam is observing the details of the flight as it takes off. A group of passengers then takes over the plane. The first half of the premier is occupied with boarding, passengers struggling to stow away their carry-on luggage, rude seatmates quibbling and all the other things we face on a normal flight. It’s obvious that this is not a very exciting film. As soon as the takeover begins we have people who believe they should fight back. Others are racial profiling the criminals. And others are cowering in terror. Sam is the only voice of calmness as he makes his move. It is a rather unexpected twist and the first of many that fail to pan out over the seven-episode series.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxwKzsklvJoAs the series progresses, the narrative splits between Sam aboard the plane and various locations on the ground. Alice Sinclair, the air traffic control responsible for the flight (Eve Myles), tries to contact and diffuse the situation. Zahra Gahfoor, played by Archie Panjabi, and other politicians try to decide whether it is the right thing to do to shoot down the plane or to let it land. They argue over this decision for the majority of the series. Daniel Farrell (Max Beesley), a detective who is involved with Sam’s former wife Marsha (Christine Adams), also makes an appearance. Farrell is a friend of Sam’s and is conducting his own investigation. The criminals have also devised this master plan, with a means and an end that is only revealed in the final episodes of the series. The various subplots the series must follow shorten the more compelling storylines. This results in some characters that we are supposed to care about virtually disappearing by the end. As I watched the entire series, I wondered why certain scenes existed as they do nothing for the finished product.Created by George Kay (Litvinenko, The Hour),
Hijack
Hijack is a series where audiences will stick around to see what happens, before being disappointed. I finished the last episode with the feeling “That’s It?” and no good show ever ends this way. If you are looking for tension and intricate storytelling, you may want to avoid this one.
Hijack premieres on June 28th on AppleTV+.5
Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
