Shuttle (2008)

Running Time: 107 minutes

Release Date: March 8, 2009 (SXSW Fest) March 6, 2009 (US)

Review by: Stacey

 

Sifting through the collection of films on Shudder, I stumbled on 2008's Shuttle which had a pretty basic plot and seemed like it would just end up being another "survival horror".  To my surprise, it ended up being a pretty entertaining movie that didn't play out like I had expected it to.  It also reaffirms my belief that people just shouldn't be trusted!

 

Mel (Peyton List) and Jules (Cameron Goodman) have just returned from a trip to Mexico when they realize that Mel's luggage hasn't arrived.  With few options for a ride home, they decide to board a shuttle where the driver (Tony Curran) has offered them the lowest price for a ride.  Matt (Dave Power) and Seth (James Snyder), who were trying to flirt with the girls in the airport, decide to board as well along with another man, Andy (Cullen Douglas), who was already on the shuttle.  Once the driver takes off, the passengers are on a ride that will result in bloodshed, death, and maybe something much worse...

The movie doesn't waste any time and everyone is on the shuttle within the first 10 or so minutes.  From there, the character buildup moves along really smoothly and you're able to get a feel for their personalities.  And you can also tell who's going to live or die fairly easily, so there's that.  Everyone gave pretty damn solid performances, especially for relatively unknown (at the time) actors.  List really held the film together throughout and proved herself to be a worthy "final girl".

  The story itself was enough to keep me intrigued because it didn't feel like it was going to end up like your typical "survival horror" film, and dammit, it sure didn't.  Shuttle is one I just can't give you spoilers to because you have to see it for yourself, but the twist is a grim one and leaves you feeling pretty hopeless for a while after the credits roll.  The fact that situations like that can and do happen around the world makes it all the more frightening.

Sadly, Shuttle isn't a perfect film, especially in terms of pacing.  Clocking in just under 2 hours, the film started to lag in certain scenes once it hit the hour mark.  There were several parts that could have been cut and the film wouldn't have been affected in the slightest.  Aside from that, there were far too many times that I said out loud "YOU CAN TOTALLY GET AWAY RIGHT NOW" and it kind of pissed me off but obviously those moments were the only way the filmmaker could get the story to move in the direction it did.

For being Edward Anderson's directorial debut (he also wrote it), he didn't do a terrible job at all, especially with the help of a totally capable cast.  Despite the minor flaws in Shuttle, I have to say I really enjoyed this movie and wouldn't feel like an asshole for recommending it to y'all. 

 

 3.5/5 escapes that never resulted in escaping

Check out the trailer!

 Find it streaming on Shudder or Amazon Prime!