Flight of the Phoenix

"Flight of the Phoenix" gets off to a rip-roaring start, with a spectacular plane-crash-in-a-sandstorm sequence that's not only exciting but also seems to suggest there are some honest-to-goodness thrills ahead.

Unfortunately, it takes more than an hour for anything approaching real excitement to happen again. By then it's far too late to redeem a film that's become bogged down by nonsensical plotting, equally silly character interaction and groan-inducing dialogue.

As such, this remake doesn't stack up with the original, a somewhat neglected 1965 action-adventure that starred James Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Ernest Borgnine.

Dennis Quaid assumes Stewart's role as cargo plane pilot Frank Towns in this version.

He and his co-pilot AJ, played by Tyrese Gibson, have been sent to Mongolia to pick up the crew of a failed oil-rigging operation. He's not happy about it and neither are his passengers — especially rig boss Kelly, played by Miranda Otto.

Worse, their flight back is hampered by a huge sandstorm, so Frank is forced to take his plane down in the Gobi Desert, miles off course.

Those lucky enough to survive the crash are faced with a lack of supplies and oppressive heat. But just when all hope is nearly gone, one of the passengers, the mysterious Elliott, played by Giovanni Ribisi, suggests that they simply build another plane out of the wreckage . And he claims to have plane-designing expertise.

Though he's reluctant at first, Frank (the group's unofficial leader) agrees to the plan, and then it becomes a race against time to get the plane finished before marauding nomads can pick off the survivors.

There are too many boring stretches, and the script is filled with painfully clichZd dialogue, courtesy of screenwriter Scott Frank and actor/writer Ed Burns. Also, it's played far too straight for its own good; more humor — intentional humor, that is — would have helped.

Director John Moore can't seem to to motivate his cast to do much, aside from Ribisi, who looks a little like Peter Lorre here, and whose oddly clipped line readings sound like William Shatner attempting a Bronx accent.

"Flight of the Phoenix" is rated PG-13 for violence, strong profanity, brief gore and some crude slang. Running time: 113 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com