I Watched 7 Movies For The First Time During 26 Hours In Plane Rides, Here’s How I’d Rank Them

I recently got back from Japan (which I highly recommend, by the way), and, man. What a long flight. Both ways! In total, I was up in the air for 26 hours, and it definitely felt like it. 

That said, at least I had some new movies to watch while I was airborne. Now, in total, I actually watched nine movies, but one of them was Jaws, which I could seriously watch over and over again until the end of time, and the other was The Wizard of Oz, mostly to get ready for the upcoming movie, Wicked. 

But, the other movies I watched were all new to me, which I think is a great way to spend your time on a long flight across the ocean. Now, I was sitting beside my son on the plane, so I couldn’t watch some of the R-rated movies that I wanted to, like the “sultry sports drama,” Challengers, or even rewatch one of my favorite movies, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Instead, I had to stick with mostly PG-13 fare. So, here are all the “new” movies that I watched on the plane, ranked.  

7. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts 

In this Transformers sequel, which we gave a good review, we actually get two hero-type Transformers for the price of one with the familiar Autobots, and the all-new (movie-wise, anyway), Maximals, which is where the “Beasts” comes into the title, as the Maximals are from the popular Beast Wars Transformers series. 

Together, they must face off against the Terrorcons, as this new threat wants to sacrifice our planet to Unicron, which is a planet-devouring Transformer. Along the way, we get two new human characters in Noah (Anthony Ramos), and Elena (Dominique Fishback). They also go on this adventure, and thankfully, don’t get lost in all of the explosions, as they’re very much a part of the plot

Which is why I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t like this movie more. As a big fan of the movie Bumblebee, I was really hoping to love this, as it also focuses on the human characters, but it just didn’t click with me. 

I found myself constantly dozing off, even despite all of the loud booms in my headphones, and I thought that the Autobots took up most of the story, rather than the Maximals, which I found to be way more interesting. Oh, well. It was fine, but nowhere near as good as I hoped it would be. 

6. Roman Holiday 

In this classic 1953 film directed by William Wyler, and starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, a princess (Hepburn) plays hooky from her duty as a regal figure, and ends up falling in love with a journalist (Peck). At first, the journalist is just using her to get an interview, but in time, he falls in love with her himself. It’s a cute film.

But also, maybe too cute. As somebody who loves classic black and white movies, and also has a soft spot for the best romantic comedies, Roman Holiday was definitely on my list of movies that I knew I had to watch eventually. 

So, I was happy to find that it was in the collection of films available on the flight. That said, this movie is more “romantic” than “comedy,” and I never really got invested in the story. 

The chemistry between Hepburn and Peck is okay, but at no point did I really care about their relationship. It was all kind of just meh for me, which was disappointing. Still, the scenery was really nice to look at, so that’s a plus. 

5. Twilight 

Yes, you read that right. I’ve never watched Twilight. (Though, I did watch New Moon. I have no idea why.) In this 2008 film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, a teenage girl (Stewart) moves to a rainy town, and falls in love with a vampire (Pattinson). 

He warns her not to get too close, but she just can’t help it, which kind of throws her into peril once other vampires arrive. It’s a whole vibe. 

And, surprisingly, I kind of liked it. I think it was the direction by Hardwicke, which makes this story feel super campy in all of its seriousness. I actually saw somebody watching it through the gap in the seat in front of me, and the characters were playing baseball. 

I genuinely laughed out loud when I saw this scene, and then decided to finally watch the movie for myself. I wasn’t disappointed. The film knows exactly what it wants to be, and I kind of admire it for that reason. 

4. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes 

In this latest entry in the Planet of the Apes saga, Caesar has died, and some apes have come to revere him as almost a biblical figure. Meanwhile, we get a new hero in Noa, who belongs to a bird-calling tribe. After his home is burnt to the ground, he is off on his own. 

That is until he meets a human named Mae (Freya Allan), who is more than she seems. Together, they take on a king ape who wants to learn the secrets of the past in order to achieve even more power. 

I love the modern Planet of the Apes movies, and I was interested in seeing this one since its director, Wes Ball, will be helming the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie. 

I wouldn’t necessarily call this movie “Apocalypto with Apes,” but I still found the characters and the journey to be intriguing all throughout. I do miss Caesar, but Noa is pretty cool, too.  

3. The Pelican Brief 

In this twisty thriller starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, two Supreme Court Justices are killed off, which sends a law student (Roberts) on the run from killers, as her theories about the assassinations prove to be correct. A journalist (Washington) goes with her, and busts the case wide open, revealing corruption from top to bottom. 

At 141 minutes, The Pelican Brief does feel a bit too long for its own good, but the twists just kept on coming with this one. 

I especially liked the pairing of Denzel Washington, and Julia Roberts, as they work together well. By the end of it, I was left impressed, and I’m surprised that this movie doesn’t get more love. I mean, it may not be as good as The Firm, or The Rainmaker, but I still enjoyed it a great deal.  

2. Blue Beetle 

A recent college grad (Xolo Mariduena) comes in contact with alien technology, which transforms him into the superhero, Blue Beetle. With this new power, he must learn how to harness it, and become the best superhero that he can be to protect not only the world, but, more importantly, his family. 

I was actually really surprised by how much I enjoyed Blue Beetle, especially since reviews (including our own) were fine, but not great. But, I really loved the story of this Mexican-American family that hung together through thick and thin. The action sequences were all pretty good, but I think the comedy (especially from George Lopez’s character) really sold it for me. 

That said, my son picked the movie out, and he absolutely adored it, so perhaps his enthusiasm is what made the film even more enjoyable for me. I don’t know, but I saw Blue Beetle on the way to Japan, and also on the way back, as my son watched it a second time. And, I liked it a lot both times. It’s fun.  

1. Past Lives 

Two childhood friends from Korea named Nora and Hae Sung are separated when Nora’s family emigrates, only to come back in contact with each other when they’re adults. 

The only issue is, Nora (Greta Lee), has married a really nice man (John Magaro), and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) is still in love with her. However, this isn’t your typical love story. No, no. This one may break your heart. 

I mean, it certainly broke mine. I’ve heard that some people cry more easily when they watch a movie on an airplane, and I was dabbing my eyes more than once while watching this excellent film from Celine Song. 

I liked a number of movies on the plane, but Past Lives was the only one that genuinely made me feel something, and for that reason, it was the best movie I saw in 26 hours. 

But, how many of these movies have you seen? And, if you watched them, did you view any of them on a plane like I did?