A sequel in name only, Turbulence II: Fear of Flying fills a Trans-Con Airlines jet cabin with enrollees of a self-help course to conquer their phobia of the friendly skies. Their “final,” so to speak, is to take an actual flight instead of participating in a mere simulation. That the real voyage includes mass poisoning (via ice cubes) and a hijacking is entirely unplanned.
Because one of the students (Craig Sheffer, Nightbreed) survived a fiery plane crash years before, leading him to his current chosen profession of milquetoast aeronautical engineer, he’s de facto designated to become our unlikely hero. And because he’s a single dad, of course the cute passenger one row ahead (Jennifer Beals, Four Rooms) is destined to practically be engaged to him by the time the aircraft kisses the runway, even if she boarded with someone else at her side (Jeffrey Nordling, Tron: Legacy) — someone for whom she shuts down the Mile-High Club initiation process mid-coitus.
By definition, direct-to-video actioners are pretty derivative, and Turbulence II is no exception. In this case, however, clearly influenced by my beloved Airport franchise, that’s a good thing. Having worked for Roger Corman more than a dozen times, Rob Kerchner (Carnosaur III: Primal Species) delivers a story stripped clean of subplots for maximum efficiency, which director David Mackay (Black Point) welcomes while seemingly convincing himself this sweet new gig is Die Hard 2.
Third-billed Tom Berenger (Sniper) gets the somnambulant role of the air traffic controller who never leaves the tower, much less moves. An exception to the latter is the moment when a hostage comes crashing through the tower’s skylight after being thrown from the plane overhead. You’ve gotta give it up for the villain exhibiting such incredible aim and timing, in a sequence that does not do the same; in fact, when the falling man approaches the bottom of the frame for moment of impact, you can see him slow down! Turbulence II, you are cleared for landing in what remains of my heart. —Rod Lott
Although the remote Mamiya mansion has been abandoned and off limits for 30 years, a Tokyo TV crew talks its way into gaining access for a documentary. The crew members insist the spacious, foreboding structure contains a lost mural by its former resident, the famed painter Mamiya Ichiro. Proving themselves correct, they immediately begin restoring the dusty wall of art to its former greatness, and in so doing, awaken dark spirits who never left the grounds — you know the kind: flowing dark hair and all. 