Inspired by real events that happened in 2018, The Captain is a dramatised retelling of one of the most miraculous emergency landings where the cockpit window of a Sichuan Airlines plane broke, at an altitude of 32,000 feet.
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Inspired by real events that happened in 2018, The Captain is a dramatised retelling of one of the most miraculous emergency landings where the cockpit window of a Sichuan Airlines plane broke, at an altitude of 32,000 feet.
On the 14th of May, 2018, Captain Liu Chuanjian (Zhang Hanyu), his two co-pilots and 5 flight attendants prepare for a standard flight from Chongqing to Lhasa by checking flight routes, going through the necessary procedures as well as getting the plane ready for all 119 passengers to board. All seems to be order until about forty minutes after take-off, a windshield in front of co-pilot Xu Ruichen (Ou Hao) blows out, sucking him out of the plane, with half of his body in mid-air. The plane is now depressurised and has lost radio communication with control towers around them. To make an emergency landing, Captain Liu will have to pass through a torrential storm of lighting and dark clouds, which puts him and all passengers in grave danger.
Unlike many other plane-disaster movies, The Captain can’t steer away too far from the realism and accuracy of the actual incident that occurred in 2018. The film starts with a nice introduction of the pilots, flight attendants and even passengers as they prepare for the flight of their life. It doesn’t dive straight into the incident, but from when the first windshield crack happens, the pace of the film doesn’t stop, keeping you at the edge of your seat for as far until the said plane landed safely.
Definitely a lot of focus goes to Captain Liu who deserves most of the credit for the safety of the people in that flight, but from a film’s perspective, it is also nice to see a balance of the other characters and roles that may be neglected. One such example is Chief stewardess Bi Nan (Yuan Quan) who not only shows her professionalism and leadership, she makes sure she leads by example. Even throughout the plane’s turbulence and low air pressure, she remains calm, knowing that everyone will be looking up to her to seek solace, comfort and hope.
In addition, the graphics and visuals were framed and shot beautifully, with tracking shots to add a layer of heightened fear and chaos that was caused in the aeroplane. This reviewer expected to be jittery for parts of the scene - which definitely delivered during its intense moments - but I found myself tearing up as well, not because of the cliche moments but the harrowing occasions that happen in between.
The Captain is an exciting ride of emotions, a journey of how a Captain and his crew members did all they can to ensure the safety of their passengers in this miraculous disaster incident in history.
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