Very well executed

Pretty Good

Overrated

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Considering this is a made for TV movie,the special effects were above the normal TV standard. Some good movie actors,Dean Cain and Adrian Quinn star in this film. I was able to purchase a DVD copy of this film,Mayday,through the German DVD shops which can be found on the web-sites. Grant you,this a made for TV film, it was not bad. The special effects,when the missal hit the plane,was well done. If you should wish to purchase a copy of this DVD from Germany,make sure your DVD player plays the European standard,pal system,if it does not,your player will not be able to play it. Does your player play other region DVD's,check your manual. I the player was purchased in the USA or Canada,no doubt it is region one. Here in Canada,multi region DVD players are for sale,or,do this,on the internet,type in DVD hackers list,this list lists all the players that are capable of playing this region DVD. It also gives instructions on how to change the region codes on your player,many DVD player,this can be done. Good luck.

Pacific Global Flight 52 is headed from San Francisco to Japan when it has to change course due to storms. The new route takes the flight dangerously close to a restricted zone where a missile test is taking place.John Berry is a 'weekend pilot' who ends up having to fly a very complicated aircraft, under adverse conditions, and get it back to the ground safely. Sharon is the flight attendant who has to help him. They are among the few who were not in the main cabin or the cockpit and therefore not affected by what happened. There were also passengers in a conference room, but they seemed to contribute little to the situation.Cmdr. Slan shows little emotion over what has happened and, in fact, he cares more about the navy's reputation than the passengers on the plane. Even worse, Beneficial Insurance agent Anne Metz only cares about potential liability, which will be less if everyone on board dies in a crash away from a populated area. If, for example, the plane crashes into buildings in a large city, her company and Pacific Global could both go bankrupt.I thought Aidan Quinn and Kelly Hu did a good job showing they could take charge of the situation. Dean Cain delivered a detached and uncaring attitude, very military, occasionally angry (but restrained, and for all the wrong reasons). Charles Dutton did a fine job as the admiral observing the missile test. The actor playing the older airline executive did a good job, while the younger man who worked directly with Metz came across as an unfeeling buffoon. The air traffic controllers seemed very professional, as did military pilot Lt. Matos, who investigated the missile situation up close.To me, the action in the plane looked realistic, though I'm certainly no expert on what should have happened. The big event was quite exciting and scary. And the excitement occasionally returned. The events in the cockpit were pretty amazing if not miraculous, and it's incredible the new crew had their calm moments. They did work well together. But much of the tension came from what the various parties didn't know about what was going on, and from our heroes having to figure out certain things.It was entertaining, whether realistic or not. One hopes the people on the ground would have more concern in real life.

OK, I have to admit - I became entranced in this movie switching to it after the missile had already hit the plane - I was confused as to the plot, but it held my interest until the end - couldn't wait to see "what happens next". Plus, the cast gave the movie its raison d'etre (reason to be).Now, they land the plane, then walk toward the media to "become heroes" (stupid last line, very comparable to the last line of the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, "I feel like struttin!"). I thought, 'this has to be a mini series', since the airline responsibility and the military secret both had to be exposed...THIS is where I thought the movie would save itself. But NO..now I find out THAT WAS IT! Now, I'm really upset with myself for watching it. what a let down.

For most people who would not know all the details of explosive decompression, etc. it was believable. The abrupt ending however, felt strange, as you did not get to enjoy the usual nitty-gritty mess that would ensue after something like this. However, later I saw that it made the movie more memorable by not continuing into the followup scenario. The most scary thing was the attitude of the company and insurance executives and the military machine, which I think are closer to the truth than most people will want to believe. Another notable aspect was the role of human error in the disaster. Maybe after Katrina people will be more able to believe how true that is, and will always be. These messages of truth embedded within this film are really what make it worth watching. Whether these messages will get through to people who only see it as an airplane disaster movie is doubtful however. The fact that it wasn't a Hollywood movie made it easier to relate to. Aidan Quinn reminded me of Mel Gibson.