It was only a matter of time that we got sharks on a plane. We got Snakes on a Plane in 2006 and it was a pop culture moment. And even though I don’t think the newest creature feature No Way Up is going to be the new Snakes on a Plane, it has certainly unlocked new fears for me. Because I already don’t like flying. (I’m looking at you Alaska Air and Boeing.) And sharks have had a continuous reputation of being some of the most fearsome creatures in the ocean, hence why I don’t swim. Never did I think that these two would be combined together in such a way. And it’s honestly refreshing.
In the official trailer for No Way Up we see a group of young people on a plane that is kind of empty. The female lead played by Sophie McIntosh inquires about why there are so few passengers before one of her companions makes a joke about the quality of said plane. Two seconds later birds fly into an engine in a scene that is straight out of most fliers’ nightmares. The plot twist comes when the plane crashes into the water, sinks down, and creates an air pocket where the few passengers still alive can survive. Oh and then there’s the fact that they are on an ocean edge that could fall over at any second. But that’s not all because of course there’s something in the water. A shark.
Let’s ignore the fact that we lived through what pressure does to a submersible. The real terror right now is the shark circling their plane and keeping them from making it to the surface. Let’s also ignore the fact that more often than not planes aren’t so easily found when they crash into the ocean due to the ocean’s vastness. Oh and we can’t ignore the fact that there is no way for them to get to the surface quick enough to avoid the shark but also to not get the bends aka something that we learned from 47 Meters Down aka from the same executive producers.
But against all odds, No Way Up is intriguing AF. It’s absolutely bonkers and it makes no sense logically. But sometimes movies don’t have to be logical. They just have to be entertaining. And I feel like Hollywood has not been entertaining for a very long time. It’s been predictable. No Way Up isn’t predictable. It’s ridiculous, engaging, and somehow has activated new fear centers in my brain that I will now think of when I’m flying. And the last time that happened was Final Destination 2 and that log scene. You know the one. That’s why I’m going to watch No Way Up in the theater when it drops. Because I have to experience this ridiculousness on a big screen.
Read the synopsis here: Trapped underwater when their plane crashes into the ocean, survivors must find a way to escape as sharks start to circle the wreckage.
Watch the trailer for No Way Up below:
No Way Up hits theaters on February 16, 2024.