Flight is an immersive experience that questions quantum mechanics in the pitch black while you are taken through two possible universes and two very different flights. Are you on a flight that lands safely, or on a flight that never makes its final destination?
While waiting to enter the shipping container of Flight you are handed your boarding pass, and the small type along the bottom reads ‘We are not responsible for your final destination’. It’s a nice touch that demonstrates the impressively high production values for this show. Part the curtains and you are in a plane, with overhead lockers for your bags and the uncomfortable squeeze past your neighbours as you settle in your seat. Horrible decor and seat back trays are present as you buckle in to watch the safety video and test out the headphones present for every seat.
This typical, usually boring, flight safety video begins and it starts glitching with the stewardess changing back and forth between distortions. It’s slightly unnerving and is a great set up for the action to begin. The audio quality is superb, with distance accurately portrayed, and the first time someone whispers in your ear, is genuinely startling. There are some surprises to be had and everything is uncertain. However, just as the nervousness is beginning to set in, the show is over.
The main problem with Flight is that it is far too short. Once done with the boarding and testing of the audio equipment, there is only about twenty minutes of ‘show’. There are some genuine creepy moments, but the tension never really gets to escalate and the flitting between the possible outcomes is more confusing than scary. There is an over reliance on the fear factor of being in the dark, but if this doesn’t bother you, then it dulls some of the impact of the audio.
The shipping container for Flight has a spectacular set but is ultimately let down by its short run time. The intriguing premise is rushed and undeveloped and it never really takes flight.