In the white-knuckle action movie Plane, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island – only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help, and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.

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Video Quality

Plane achieves liftoff with its 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The uptick in detail is welcome in the deep colors of the environment, the textures of the clothes and the production design of the airplane and beyond. This presentation shows off with black levels that are incredibly deep and detailed with digital noise almost entirely absent from the screen. There are many shots of the expanses of nighttime sky that show no signs of crush. Brighter scenes like those showing the daytime jungle excursion wow with an intense clarity and a strong handle of highlights that show no evidence of blooming.

The 4K presentation provides a depth of field that simply cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. This transfer shows an immense amount of detail in even the smallest facets of the plane and articles of clothing. Skin tones look very consistent throughout and show a great amount of facial detail. Color highlights are another area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray. Colors look more natural in this presentation with moments of fiery explosions radiating off the screen with force. Overall, this is an excellent 4K UHD presentation that offers a fine uptick on multiple fronts.

Audio Quality

This disc comes equipped with an incredibly active Dolby Atmos presentation that fully transports you into this world. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. There are facets of this track that are truly enveloping, such as the sounds of turbulent weather and chaos from crashing that radiate in a way that utilizes the height channels. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic scenes to the more subdued dialogue-driven expository moments.

The score conjures a valiant tone that amps up emotional stakes. The low end is engaged exceptionally well from the big crash to the shower of bullets in the climax. The sound design of this film is quite intense, and the implementation of environmental sounds are executed very effectively. The mix here is very well done with nice engagement of all the channels, so those with a good system should be pleased. There are optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

This Is Your Captain: A 14-minute featurette which focuses on the cast and crew discussing the work of Gerard Butler in the film, the qualities of his character, the experience of collaborating with him on set and more.
Plane Clothes: A seven-minute look at the costumes created for this narrative and how they work within this world to match the deteriorating nature of the situation.
Brace For Turbulence: A 19-minute exploration of some of the most thrilling moments of the film including the plane crash, the shootouts and more.
Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

Plane has a very generic title, but it surprisingly offers up some of the throwback action-packed fun which many mainstream efforts can’t quite nail effectively. The mixture of the disaster film first half with the survival tale conclusion works really well to provide consistent and varied thrills. Mike Colter needs a bit more to do here, but he makes an impression for what is asked of his character. Gerard Butler delivers one of his more nuanced portrayals as a protagonist who is not an invincible killing machine. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a truly excellent A/V presentation and a decent array of special features. The film is good for those who miss watching well-crafted action films. Recommended

Plane is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.