This may be the single worst movie I have ever seen. Crippled by a deadly solar flare, an airplane continues to fly on autopilot after the captain is electrocuted and the co-pilot is incapacitated. Far-fetched but at least plausible. However, the writing, acting and visual look and effects are on the level of the sophomore class play. It's all so bad that it borders on the classic level of "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Clichés are elevated to an art form, the characters are stunningly one- dimensional and the story is fully disconnected from facts and reality. How this movie was ever funded is beyond me. How people get paid to create drivel like this is astounding. I feel especially bad for Dee Wallace, a good actress who gamely gave it her all in a secondary role. The best thing about this movie is that eventually it ended.
11 Reviews
Waste of film
uk-1014729 August 2018
They're just happens to be a vicious dog on the airplane in the cargo hold.
Dialogue is awful! Srcipt is junk!
ATC jargon is all wrong.
The plane autopilot is disabled and in a dive at one point and at another point is a plane coming at them and they bank right but the directional gyro shows straight and level all the time!
I can't watch this anymore
Lame TV movie filled with clichés
Laakbaar23 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This is apparently an American TV movie in that it was produced for SyFy. I don't know enough about movie-making to understand why TV movies have a such a different feel than other movies. The writing? The acting? In any case, this movie certainly felt like a TV movie. (Yes, I watched it on TV. I've been too busy to go out.)
For the first hour, I was also absolutely convinced that this had to be a Canadian TV movie, my initial impression being confirmed by the earnest hoser approach of the flight attendant, the redneck's weeping, and the "racism sucks" bit. But, nope, it was apparently not a Canadian movie.
The problem is the inept writing, I guess. The airplane-movie clichés are rolled out, one after the other. The dialogue had us squirming. Why do some movie makers feel that people will bare their souls when disaster strikes? Some of the dialogue was just wrong. Why would the flight attendant who was putting in extra hours to provide for his family continue to put in extra hours after his family fell apart? After a while, we became morbidly curious to see what they would bring out next. I can only assume the director had to produce a script overnight.
The over-the-top acting was appropriate for the context, I suppose. You wouldn't call it real acting, but then I don't think this would have been possible in the circumstances. I suppose they were going for cult status from the beginning. Was this a deliberate attempt at schlock?
Although to be fair, there were a few mildly amusing and interesting bits, here and there.
Everyone likes airplane movies, but this one wasn't realistic enough. Many of us have flown enough to experience what passengers will do in serious turbulence. (For one thing, some of the girls and women will start screaming like sirens. Ladies, it doesn't help.) There have also been some shockingly realistic plane crash scenes in the movies lately. The last ten years have seen CGI explode in its sophistication. I'm afraid we're a different audience than the ones who were gobbling this kind of thing up in 1975.
How is this even science fiction? It annoys me that there is so much great science fiction out there, but so little of it gets shown on SyFy. Why aren't they showing Battlestar Galactica? Or any of the Star Trek series? Many of the movies and shows that I think of as being brilliant science fiction are not being shown. How can they even call themselves a sci fi station? They're not, right?
For the first hour, I was also absolutely convinced that this had to be a Canadian TV movie, my initial impression being confirmed by the earnest hoser approach of the flight attendant, the redneck's weeping, and the "racism sucks" bit. But, nope, it was apparently not a Canadian movie.
The problem is the inept writing, I guess. The airplane-movie clichés are rolled out, one after the other. The dialogue had us squirming. Why do some movie makers feel that people will bare their souls when disaster strikes? Some of the dialogue was just wrong. Why would the flight attendant who was putting in extra hours to provide for his family continue to put in extra hours after his family fell apart? After a while, we became morbidly curious to see what they would bring out next. I can only assume the director had to produce a script overnight.
The over-the-top acting was appropriate for the context, I suppose. You wouldn't call it real acting, but then I don't think this would have been possible in the circumstances. I suppose they were going for cult status from the beginning. Was this a deliberate attempt at schlock?
Although to be fair, there were a few mildly amusing and interesting bits, here and there.
Everyone likes airplane movies, but this one wasn't realistic enough. Many of us have flown enough to experience what passengers will do in serious turbulence. (For one thing, some of the girls and women will start screaming like sirens. Ladies, it doesn't help.) There have also been some shockingly realistic plane crash scenes in the movies lately. The last ten years have seen CGI explode in its sophistication. I'm afraid we're a different audience than the ones who were gobbling this kind of thing up in 1975.
How is this even science fiction? It annoys me that there is so much great science fiction out there, but so little of it gets shown on SyFy. Why aren't they showing Battlestar Galactica? Or any of the Star Trek series? Many of the movies and shows that I think of as being brilliant science fiction are not being shown. How can they even call themselves a sci fi station? They're not, right?
Hilarious and awful ... get a beer and cry with shamed laughter!
somekindofberry6 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
My favourite thing about this movie is that despite the control tower guys insisting it is night for the entirety of this movie, we have entire scenes in daylight, followed by a quick flick to total darkness, and back to daytime ... then the control tower with the blinds drawn (and sunlight trying to break through!) because it's nighttime, yo! Daylight! Nighttime! Daylight! No really, is IS nighttime! Yes, they didn't employ anyone to do continuity.
I also enjoyed the 'every character gets their own moment' moments. The best one is the redneck racist, who goes below into the cargo hold and freezes. "It's so dark!" he stage whispers, with a light shining in his face. No one appears to listen, so he says it again. Crazed dog-trainer woman, crawling around the floor near a wall light says, 'So it's dark, what's the big deal?' Evidently, all this light is just for the audience, not the characters, because we then focus on his face, his traumatised, blank/stupid face as he begins his story ... his childhood abuse story, (which was probably the MOST RELATABLE PART of the whole movie). Crazed dog-trainer woman listens to him for like, ten seconds max, then pushes past him like 'Whatever, dude! I gotta find my dog.' Unbelievably selfish and totally negating his childhood trauma.
I also enjoyed the Grandma Polly scene ... an old-fashioned kettle is on the gas hob. Grandma falls off a ladder and hits her head ... the lit gas goes out (HOW?) but the gas stays on (screw you, physics) but oh no! A candle is lit!
Got to say, this was super fun, ideal to be used in a drinking game for foolish lines, continuity errors and plain head-desk moments. I am not to be blamed for the alcoholism that might result from such a game though!
I also enjoyed the 'every character gets their own moment' moments. The best one is the redneck racist, who goes below into the cargo hold and freezes. "It's so dark!" he stage whispers, with a light shining in his face. No one appears to listen, so he says it again. Crazed dog-trainer woman, crawling around the floor near a wall light says, 'So it's dark, what's the big deal?' Evidently, all this light is just for the audience, not the characters, because we then focus on his face, his traumatised, blank/stupid face as he begins his story ... his childhood abuse story, (which was probably the MOST RELATABLE PART of the whole movie). Crazed dog-trainer woman listens to him for like, ten seconds max, then pushes past him like 'Whatever, dude! I gotta find my dog.' Unbelievably selfish and totally negating his childhood trauma.
I also enjoyed the Grandma Polly scene ... an old-fashioned kettle is on the gas hob. Grandma falls off a ladder and hits her head ... the lit gas goes out (HOW?) but the gas stays on (screw you, physics) but oh no! A candle is lit!
Got to say, this was super fun, ideal to be used in a drinking game for foolish lines, continuity errors and plain head-desk moments. I am not to be blamed for the alcoholism that might result from such a game though!
The Best Science Fiction Movie Ever!
jakemingram5 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I personally love aviation, and science fiction is always a thriller. I thought the two would be a good mixture in this film, but I was wrong. As a common rule, any movie below a 7.5 rating on IMDb should be avoided, (unless Nicholas Cage happens to be in it). Anyway, I broke my rule- and now I regret it. Honestly, a sixth grader could have written better script than this, and could have provided better CGI as well. The title is "Collision course", but the movie is not based around an air- collision at all. It revolves around a solar flare causing an EMP. The near miss air collision is only one of many events to occur. Everyone is stuck in the Chicago terminal after their connecting flight is canceled, (big surprise). The desk clerk is frantically trying to calm everyone, including a very dogmatic hillbilly. Suddenly, the CEO of the company happens to show up, and gets everyone a connecting flight, YAY! Everyone gets on board, and turns out the CEO just so happens to be the Flight Steward too- and is the only flight steward. Kate Parks, whom the story sort of revolves around, calls her inconsiderate teenage daughter and tells her to go to grandmas for the night. We hear a lot of unneeded dialog. Everyone is seated- and the hillbilly happens to sit behind a bearded man. The hillbilly nudges his partner and says, "Oh boy, we got Bin Laden on board!" (The script writers portray the southerner very stereo-typically, as racist and as a xenophobe- which wasn't necessary for this movie.) The pilots get the all clear to take off- now they are in the air. The Captain then reaches to turn on the autopilot- and suddenly, the EMP strikes! ZAAAAAAAPPPPPPPP! Both Pilots get electrocuted for some odd reason, and the plane starts shaking. The Captain is dead, and copilot is unconscious- BUT THE PLANE IS STILL FLYING! Woo, thank goodness he turned on the auto pilot before he died! We see Grandma Parks, who works a restaurant by herself- gets thrown off a stool because of the EMP. She falls down- and her stove starts spewing out propane- AND THERE IS A LIT CANDLE INSIDE!!!!! Not much time left until Grandma fries! *Back to the plane in the air. Everyone is stressed. The CEO/Flight Attendant decides to check on the pilots after a few minutes. He knocks on the door- no response. He then uses his KEYS to get inside the cockpit. How convenient! They call in a medic, who figures out they died of electrocution. Osama then suspects it was an EMP, and the Hillbilly then thinks Osama planted an EMP Bomb in the plane! YES, IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN EMP BOMB; ITS SO EASY TO GET PAST CUSTOMS WITH THOSE! The southerner guy continues to be a nuisance. Osama then says, "I was born in Nebraska." The Hillbilly then says, "Sure OBAMA, until I see a birth certificate, I Ain't buying it!" -This is a direct quote. Alright, you get the picture. The Auto Pilot shorts out- everyone panics- Kate has to disable the autopilot, but the buttons are stuck. The copilot then stops breathing- they use the defibrillator, and he wakes up. YAY! He tells Kate to go in the cargo hold and flip the breaker. The Hillbilly volunteers to go with her. They go down in the massive cargo hold- which has 8 foot high ceilings. Very cozy, more room down there than in the cabin! Kate finds the breaker- and flips it. The plane goes haywire. A dog then gets loose and tries to bite several people on board. But- the dog trainer calms the dog. The plane is nearing the airport- only two air traffic controllers are on duty. They can't communicate with any aircraft. Several planes collide killing many people. One of the controllers happens to be a hacker for the Air Force- he hacks into NASA's satellite system, and calls everyone on the plane. He tells Kate she needs to land soon. NASA finds out someone hacked into the system- and locks him out. DARN! Kate has to land the plane by herself! She starts pushing buttons, (as if she knows what she is doing). They are coming in fast! (500 mph to be exact) She says, "Were coming in too fast, I will have to try a reverse maneuver and land the plane! My husband died trying to do this!" She turns the plane to the side, and lands safely. Whoooooooo. Big relief. An inexperienced passenger just happens to land a plane traveling 500 mph- and stops in the middle of the runway with plenty of room to spare.
I would list every stupid storyline if I could, but I am limited to 1,000 words. You have to watch the movie to see every stupid thing. Wait, don't watch it. Alright, let's wrap this up. I really hate this movie with a passion. It is a disgrace to all Sci-Fi. The story line is horrible- and the dialog is cheesy. Like I said before, a sixth grader could have written better dialog. It seemed like to me the story writers lacked any knowledge in what an EMP really does, and how to write a story in general. In the movie- the EMP targets SOME electronics. In real life, an EMP would FRY every electronic. So, in reality, the plane shouldn't have been working at all- no lights, no electricity, and no autopilot. Somehow, the ATC works, and the telephone lines work. This film was jam packed with every scenario during a solar storm, but still was not accurate at all. It's like a hodgepodge of very unfortunate events on a plane- dog escapes, pilots electrocuted, and they nearly hit another plane. This movie should be used in Guantanamo bay for torture. That's all I have to say.
I would list every stupid storyline if I could, but I am limited to 1,000 words. You have to watch the movie to see every stupid thing. Wait, don't watch it. Alright, let's wrap this up. I really hate this movie with a passion. It is a disgrace to all Sci-Fi. The story line is horrible- and the dialog is cheesy. Like I said before, a sixth grader could have written better dialog. It seemed like to me the story writers lacked any knowledge in what an EMP really does, and how to write a story in general. In the movie- the EMP targets SOME electronics. In real life, an EMP would FRY every electronic. So, in reality, the plane shouldn't have been working at all- no lights, no electricity, and no autopilot. Somehow, the ATC works, and the telephone lines work. This film was jam packed with every scenario during a solar storm, but still was not accurate at all. It's like a hodgepodge of very unfortunate events on a plane- dog escapes, pilots electrocuted, and they nearly hit another plane. This movie should be used in Guantanamo bay for torture. That's all I have to say.
Painful
TheLittleSongbird9 August 2013
Collision Course may not quite be bad enough to be on a personal worst movies ever list or the very worst movie to air on the SyFy Channel(any contenders for that title make for a very large number). That is saying next to nothing though, because it still has everything bad about melodrama/disaster movies at their worst. To search for a redeeming quality you'd have to look very hard, but for anything that came across as least bad about Collision Course it was Dee Wallace who does try to give some compassion to material that was beneath her. Generally in regard to the acting Collision Course is a very poorly-acted film, with the actors ranging from overwrought emotion(Tia Carrere applies here) to no emotion or acting skills at all. The acting is not the only bad thing, everything about Collision Course is bad. The drab look of the movie is very unappealing, and further disadvantaged by about 20 years out of date special effects that show no signs texture, shading or proportion and simplistic camera work. The dialogue gives meaning to the term banal and practically insults it too and gets increasingly turgid and predictable. The story shows no tension, fear of characters' predicaments or heart, and instead consists of very questionable science/maths, pedestrian pacing and ham-fisted melodrama. The characters are also the sort that we never care for or know anything about, that they're written in such a cardboard fashion and acted lazily doesn't help. Overall, there's worse out there- you'll agree or disagree here- but Collision Course at the end of the day was very difficult to endure. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Waste of time thriller from Fred Olen Ray
Leofwine_draca5 June 2016
COLLISION COURSE is another cookie cutter disaster/thriller movie from Fred Olen Ray. I noticed that Jason Bourque, the man responsible for directing such movies as ASTEROID: FINAL IMPACT and DOOMSDAY PROPHECY, helped to write the script. Unsurprisingly, this is the sort of film shown on the SyFy Channel, a safe, bland, and extremely derivative type of movie that copies pretty much every plane thriller in existence.
The story is about solar flares and the havoc they're wreaking here on Earth. Some people are trapped on an out-of-control passenger plane when the pilot is killed by a flare and the co-pilot is knocked out cold. The only person with the power to save the passengers and crew is a writer who knows a thing or two about flying planes.
It's amazing that a film with a potentially exciting premise like COLLISION COURSE can be so dull. Fred Olen Ray is up to his old tricks here, incorporating stock footage of expensive stuff (i.e. explosions) from other movies and generally fumbling the non-existent suspense. An ageing Tia Carrera is the best actor they can come up with and her acting is very poor.
The story is about solar flares and the havoc they're wreaking here on Earth. Some people are trapped on an out-of-control passenger plane when the pilot is killed by a flare and the co-pilot is knocked out cold. The only person with the power to save the passengers and crew is a writer who knows a thing or two about flying planes.
It's amazing that a film with a potentially exciting premise like COLLISION COURSE can be so dull. Fred Olen Ray is up to his old tricks here, incorporating stock footage of expensive stuff (i.e. explosions) from other movies and generally fumbling the non-existent suspense. An ageing Tia Carrera is the best actor they can come up with and her acting is very poor.
Do not be alarmed it is not your TV set....
zampaz18 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I gave "Collision Course" a two because it's awful good seeing such a bad movie every once in a while. But this movie wasn't quite bad enough to earn a cult following mainly because of the lead role played by the dog.
Besides another SyFy "original", what do you get when melodrama, cliché dialog, poor direction, bad science and poor acting collide? Collision Course movie disaster apocalypse...the only thing missing is turning the pilot into a zombie which I substituted in my wandering imagination for the evil dog Bootsie...that turned out to be a good doggie after all. Professional acting on the part of Bootsie was refreshing but his German accent needs some work. Even Asylum's Sharknado was destined to miss the cult mark as some of the acting was too good, and although Sharknado science was bad enough to earn a shock and awe score Asylum is still having trouble hitting the cult mark.
Somehow the Collision Course writers missed the low standard mark in writing worst Airplane disaster disaster ever, which is still held by "Starflight: The Plane that Couldn't Land (1983)" which starred Lee Majors.
Perhaps the writers of Collision Course shamelessly turned to Mel Brooks for inspiration, afraid of direct ties to other air disaster disaster movies staring John Wayne and Charlton Heston. I must admit the natural and instinctual reaction to take charge and discuss personal histories with strangers when the autopilot fails is well developed. Although the protagonist was married to a pilot at one time is convenient, I think she would have better flying credentials had she stayed at a Holiday Inn.
Although ScyFy may yet someday achieve the apparent goal of productions that merit true cult status for being awful, they need to study Troll:II.
"Collision Course" only earns an "of course" in the predictable bad science "deus ex machina" department. Still you may be able to scratch your head and smile at the bravado of writers who sell for mass consumption to a market that actually believes in ghosts, ancient aliens and UFO's. I won't spoil the end which will come as a real surprise, although I would have ended the drama at the first mid-air collision and simply rolled credits, leaving room for a Part Deux.
There is hope for this movie. No future species that decodes the remnants of this movie on a Venus like planet will wonder why our species became extinct. Therefore this title rates as candidate for sharing on a "Bad Movie" or "Disaster Disaster" movie night with some friends or a cat who can fill in the awkward dialog.
Besides another SyFy "original", what do you get when melodrama, cliché dialog, poor direction, bad science and poor acting collide? Collision Course movie disaster apocalypse...the only thing missing is turning the pilot into a zombie which I substituted in my wandering imagination for the evil dog Bootsie...that turned out to be a good doggie after all. Professional acting on the part of Bootsie was refreshing but his German accent needs some work. Even Asylum's Sharknado was destined to miss the cult mark as some of the acting was too good, and although Sharknado science was bad enough to earn a shock and awe score Asylum is still having trouble hitting the cult mark.
Somehow the Collision Course writers missed the low standard mark in writing worst Airplane disaster disaster ever, which is still held by "Starflight: The Plane that Couldn't Land (1983)" which starred Lee Majors.
Perhaps the writers of Collision Course shamelessly turned to Mel Brooks for inspiration, afraid of direct ties to other air disaster disaster movies staring John Wayne and Charlton Heston. I must admit the natural and instinctual reaction to take charge and discuss personal histories with strangers when the autopilot fails is well developed. Although the protagonist was married to a pilot at one time is convenient, I think she would have better flying credentials had she stayed at a Holiday Inn.
Although ScyFy may yet someday achieve the apparent goal of productions that merit true cult status for being awful, they need to study Troll:II.
"Collision Course" only earns an "of course" in the predictable bad science "deus ex machina" department. Still you may be able to scratch your head and smile at the bravado of writers who sell for mass consumption to a market that actually believes in ghosts, ancient aliens and UFO's. I won't spoil the end which will come as a real surprise, although I would have ended the drama at the first mid-air collision and simply rolled credits, leaving room for a Part Deux.
There is hope for this movie. No future species that decodes the remnants of this movie on a Venus like planet will wonder why our species became extinct. Therefore this title rates as candidate for sharing on a "Bad Movie" or "Disaster Disaster" movie night with some friends or a cat who can fill in the awkward dialog.
Predictable, sure. Seen before, sure... But still entertaining enough for what it was...
paul_haakonsen13 October 2016
When I sat down to watch "Collision Course", I must admit that I had initially set myself up for expecting a very poor B-movie with questionable effect and possibly equally questionable acting. However, I will say that I was more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome of "Collision Course".
Granted, this is not a bright, shiny moment in the history of cinema, but it was still entertaining enough for what it was, and it was actually fairly enjoyable as well. Sure, the storyline was generic and had been seen countless times before in other movies.
Kate (played by Tia Carrere) is an author out promoting her new book, when she is returning back home by airplane. However, a powerful solar flare disables the systems aboard the plane, kills the pilot and injures the co-pilot. As panic sets in, the passengers must step up and find a way to return safely to the ground.
The acting in the movie was adequate, and Tia Carrere performed well in "Collision Course". It was also nice to have Dee Wallace and David Chokachi star in this movie, as they did quite alright right alongside Tia Carrere.
"Collision Course" had fair enough special effects and CGI, although it was scarce. But what was there served their purpose well enough.
Certain things throughout the movie made little or no sense at all, such as how easy it was to hack a satellite, or why planes on collision course doesn't just turn from their current path in order to prevent a midair collision, especially when at night and the flight lights are clearly visible kilometers away. Or how quickly the flight director overcame his guilt of two planes crashing and hundreds dying and wholly forgot all about it.
This is an entertaining enough movie for what it was, and it turned out to be a nice surprise actually. But chances are that you have already seen a movie with a storyline fully similar to "Collision Course". And once you have seen it, then chances are slim that you will actually sit down and watch it again.
Granted, this is not a bright, shiny moment in the history of cinema, but it was still entertaining enough for what it was, and it was actually fairly enjoyable as well. Sure, the storyline was generic and had been seen countless times before in other movies.
Kate (played by Tia Carrere) is an author out promoting her new book, when she is returning back home by airplane. However, a powerful solar flare disables the systems aboard the plane, kills the pilot and injures the co-pilot. As panic sets in, the passengers must step up and find a way to return safely to the ground.
The acting in the movie was adequate, and Tia Carrere performed well in "Collision Course". It was also nice to have Dee Wallace and David Chokachi star in this movie, as they did quite alright right alongside Tia Carrere.
"Collision Course" had fair enough special effects and CGI, although it was scarce. But what was there served their purpose well enough.
Certain things throughout the movie made little or no sense at all, such as how easy it was to hack a satellite, or why planes on collision course doesn't just turn from their current path in order to prevent a midair collision, especially when at night and the flight lights are clearly visible kilometers away. Or how quickly the flight director overcame his guilt of two planes crashing and hundreds dying and wholly forgot all about it.
This is an entertaining enough movie for what it was, and it turned out to be a nice surprise actually. But chances are that you have already seen a movie with a storyline fully similar to "Collision Course". And once you have seen it, then chances are slim that you will actually sit down and watch it again.
Just awful
teebear81725 March 2022
Pilot wanted
unbrokenmetal22 December 2015
'Collision Course' tells the story of a plane which is hit by an EMP due to a solar flare. The pilot is killed, the co-pilot injured and the electronic systems including the auto-pilot are badly damaged. Kate Parks (Tia Carrere) is a passenger on board; she was married to a pilot and wrote a book about airplanes, so at least she knows a little bit more about flying than the other passengers. Jake Ross (David Chokachi, whom I remember from 'Witchblade') is happy about any help he can get from her, because another plane is, as the title mentions, on a collision course...
The characters get some background story, since somehow between one emergency and the next, they find time to think about personal trouble with their family members. 'Collision Course' certainly doesn't win any prizes for innovation, but it's OK. I voted 6 of 10.
The characters get some background story, since somehow between one emergency and the next, they find time to think about personal trouble with their family members. 'Collision Course' certainly doesn't win any prizes for innovation, but it's OK. I voted 6 of 10.
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