There's some in-flight entertainment that nobody should have to sit through. Repeat offenders include Ice Age (please don't try and defend it by referencing the squirrel and the nut, that argument carries absolutely no water), the desperately unfunny Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and, for some obscure reason, The Jacket.
However, there are some films that really shouldn't be shown on flights,although we'd quite like to see people's reactions if they were. Here are our pick of the bunch.
Flight:
If you're suspicious of pilots and you judge them by every announcement they make, Flight is probably not the aviation entertainment you need. Denzel Washington plays an alcoholic, womanising but supremely talented commercial airline pilot called Whip Whitaker who knows his stuff. When an unforeseen mechanical issue causes his plane to malfunction, Whip lands the troubled aircraft with a serious amount of finesse, considering the circumstances. The only issue is he's three sheets to the wind at the time and he's done drugs.
The worst bit:
When Whip tells his head steward to say goodbye to her son via the black box. Harrowing stuff.
Con Air:
This film would potentially only be a problem if you're travelling with a bunch of poorly-behaved convicts, but it's still firmly in the domain of 'terror in the skies'. Nicholas Cage plays a well-meaning prisoner by the name of Cameron Poe who's flying home to his wife and child on a prison transport flight. Of course, the other naughty passengers decide they're not up for life in a new prison at their destination, thanks, and hijack the plane. Cue our moral compass taking on Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom (John Malkovich) and generally attempting to calm everything down at several thousand feet.
The worst bit:
When Cameron meets his daughter for the first time and she shies away from him after he offers her a cuddly toy. Breathtaking ingratitude.
Snakes on a Plane
Not to be confused with the epic food trolley drama Snacks on a Plane (we're kidding, we're kidding, but wouldn't it be great if this existed?), Snakes on a Plane expertly ties in two of our greatest fears - escaped snakes and flying. Samuel L Jackson plays FBI agent Nelville Flynn, who's escorting a witness to a trial in LA. However, he hasn't banked on the on-board assassin who wants the witness dead - and he's prepared to release a flurry of bad-tempered serpents in order to get his way.
The worst bit:
You're spoiled for choice. The couple having sex. The dialogue throughout. [SPOILER] The way one of the characters thanks L. Jackson for his heroism by teaching him how to surf.
United 93
Based on the September 11 attacks in 2001, United 93 is an intense drama which takes place on the hijacked flight that eventually crashed into a field in Pennsylvania as brave passengers tried to regain control.
Made five years after the attacks, the film's hard-hitting yet sensitive portrayal of what might have happened on-board one of the doomed flights is incredibly moving, and poignantly documents the bravery of the passengers as they attempt to bargain with the terrorists for their safety. The film's been careful to remain as faithful to the day's narrative as possible; included in the cast are some Federal Aviation Administration and military employees who were on duty, and dealt with the hijacked plane on the day of the attacks.
The worst bit:
We're going to swap the word 'worst' for 'upsetting' here; if the end of the film doesn't reduce you to tears, nothing will.
Final Destination
Released in 2000 and one of the main reasons numerous twenty-somethings are a little bit wary of flying, Final Destination plays upon the idea that Death wants you when he wants you - and if you manage to cheat him, he won't stop until he gets his way. A US high school student is travelling with his peers to Paris, when he falls asleep, and has a premonition that the plane will crash. Gripped by anxiety, he leaves the plane with a bunch of other students - and, as he saw in his vision, the plane explodes shortly after take off. Needless to say, things don't end well for the people who managed to leave the plane.
The worst bit:
When everyone starts weakly cheering after some turbulence. You're not out of the woods yet, people - better fasten those safety belts.
Image credit: Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, YouTube