Pasajero 666

The synopsis for the 2021 thriller "Ryad 19" (aka "Row 19") sounded interesting, and I also liked the movie's cover. I had not heard about this thriller from writer James Rabb and director Alexander Babaev prior to sitting down to watch it, so I didn't know what I was in for here.

Well, this movie was unique. Let's just call it that. But I didn't find it particularly enjoyable or entertaining. The movie's storyline felt like a collection of the writer's nightmares penned down on paper and given to the director. Much of it didn't really make much of any sense, and felt like random fragments shot independently by different directors that weren't working on the same script. So there was a sense of chaotic randomness and a lack of coherent red thread throughout the course of the movie.

Visually then "Ryad 19" was good, but special effects and CGI is only worth so much without a proper storyline forming around them. And "Ryad 19" was lacking just that.

The acting performances in "Ryad 19" were good, despite the fact that the storyline felt like rubbish to me. I wasn't familiar with the cast at all in this movie.

I didn't finish this movie, because I simply gave up on the storyline as it fell short of capturing my interesting. So it was somewhat of a swing and a miss from writer James Rabb and director Alexander Babaev.

My rating of "Ryad 19" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

And of course I found this movie on my favorite streaming service Tubi. I love Tubi because it has all of the f-z list movies that crave my guilty pleasure. Row 19 did not disappoint with feeding my appetite.

As another reviewer said, this movie was unique. The storyline was much different from the typical movies I am used to. I actually enjoyed it, though slow paced and you find yourself kind of like, ugh get to the point already.

I won't ruin with any spoilers but I do have to say the one thing that distracted me throughout the entire movie is the daughter, who is 6 (you learn of her in the movie description) was voiced by what sounded like a 20 year old woman. That was really annoying and after getting used to it, I could somewhat thoroughly enjoy the movie. I just wish they would have had an age appropriate voiceover actor, read her lines. It was awkward hearing this 20 year old voice say "mommy" from a 6 year old face. Though the actress herself looks at least 10.

After boarding a flight, a woman and her daughter heading home to visit her family are confronted by a series of strange supernatural figures hinting at the same figures that left her the sole survivor of an earlier plane crash are back and must sort out her horrific visions to keep them alive.

This was a pretty solid overall genre effort. Among the better features here is the intriguing setup that provides this one with a solid setup with plenty of likable factors. With a lot of great work here involving her backstory of surviving the original crash while the current setup featuring her fear of flying and general unease with the status of the flight creates a fun setup with the first half of the film. Taking the cue of the usual motions found in these kinds of efforts about the general sense of discomfort once the visions start happening provides a nice furthering of these issues by creating a highly effective atmosphere within the plane going forward. That leads to a lot of fun here with the rather impressive setups designed to showcase something that may be happening on the flight with her and the rest of the passengers. The shots of the strange demonic beings in the various seats around the plane or the clawed hands pounding on the windows that go alongside with some decent enough kill scenes on the other passengers which offers the kind of setup works rather well. The grounded approach inside the plane as well as the eventual reveal of the whole affair makes for a fun tone as the events become more terrifying, and with a breakneck approach to the pacing here there's a lot to like here. The film does have some big issues. The main factor here is the rather flimsy and generally unimpressive storyline that tells a highly predictable type of setup where the type of scenes that emerge are rather suspect and familiar. The whole idea of the supernatural curse being in play once again at a special anniversary of the initial scaring incident coming back around is an over-done concept that doesn't have any impact in the long run with very little of this requiring a running time to portray this. As the film goes along, there's not a whole lot to offer up in terms of changing that up which makes this feel overly repetitive and familiar. This ties very heavily in the other flaw where its finale is so overly predictable and familiar that it's really hard to be impressed by what's happened. This one tends to go for the most obvious route here in exploring how the past trauma of her survival has to come to pass in one form or another which is a rather pedestrian way of doing this. Very little of this will be unique to viewers who are able to piece together the storyline based on how familiar this overall concept will be since it plays rather comfortably within the parameters of the style, but that's pretty much all that hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

This wouldn't have happened if there was a no fly zone ... alright let me stop myself right here. Because a) you may find this joke inappropriate (sorry for that) and b) it might not make too much sense in the future - which frankly I wouldn't mind. A no fly zone can work anytime - for reasons not related to what some (many) call war.

That being said, let's get back to what is important. This is a horror movie from Russia - no pun intended, which I reckon I have to say in this time and age. It takes notes from other psychological horror movies and it does try to copy the best of them. Does not really succeed all the way through, but it still maintains to be creepy and tension filled enough to work overall ... if you let it that is. Suspension of disbelief ... with a predictable story and an ending that you probably guessed right after the movie started ... or somewhere in between (no pun intended)

Row 19 is a very much a slow burn film. Indeed I'd go so far as to say it could have done and said, a little more. It feels at times, almost as empty, as the plane its set in.

That said, its ending, although brief is poignant enough to make up for the films other shortcomings.

Worth a watch if you are a patient. For those craving jumps scares and lots of action, Id suggest this is not for you.

5/10.