The Best Types of Movies to Watch on an Airplane
Airplane flights and movies are made for each other. During the flight, the guaranteed time is exactly enough for one or three films, there is plenty of room for breaks. You should download a few options to your iPad or laptop, but not so many that you are faced with hesitation. You don’t want to get hung up on flight options; each movie on the tiny built-in screen is either mediocre or has the best parts edited. (If you’re stuck with this, just watch the last ten minutes .) Here’s which movie to watch, depending on your goal.
Tear jerk
Traveling on an airplane puts you in a vulnerable emotional state , according to several doctors who spoke with The Telegraph, so you are more likely to cry while watching a certain movie in the air than at home. In your delicate state, you want a happy or bittersweet ending, not a complete tragedy. Try:
- Moonlight
- Lady Bird
- Magnolia
- Any Pixar movie in which the hero is not a person or a machine.
Relaxing comedy
Your emotional vulnerability can also make you laugh more easily. Unless you’re working at your peak, you probably want something slapstick or good humor, not an arc of satire like In the Loop . Watch:
- Girls Ride
- Big sick
- Step brothers
- Harold and Kumar go to the White Castle
Sleep-inducing classic
I like to sleep on the plane; it feels like I’m still working productively. And watching a movie helps me get there, especially if it’s slow or if it’s something weird that easily turns into dreams, like this:
- Megapolis
- Sinekdokha, New York
- Seventh seal
- Whitneyle and me
Action movie
I think laptops are too small for action movies, but I see the appeal of countering the sensory deprivation camera, which is an airplane seat. Your best bet is to pick an action movie that has something to say besides fights and explosions, or that is so dumb and stupid that it doesn’t matter if it’s small, for example:
- Kiss kiss bang bang
- Hot fluff
- Crank
- Searching for the Lost Ark
Wallpaper
Maybe you want to do a little bit of work and like the movie in the background. I never understand how people divide their attention like that, but if that’s your thing, go for it. Here are some familiar classics that won’t completely distract you:
- Jurassic Park
- Princess bride
- Sing in the rain
- The Big Lebowski
Avoid: The Distractor
Look, most flight crews will let you watch whatever you want besides real porn, but an airplane is a shared space and you have so many options that won’t get in the way of your neighbors in your seat. So if you want to be kind to strangers, skip horror movies or anything with a lot of violence, sexual assault, or anything else that is visually disturbing.
This does not mean that there are no fight scenes, but it does not mean any extended scenes of suffering. At least fast forward through the gross stuff. (If there are children nearby, don’t show nudity either.) And nothing with scary jumps that force you to check the bodies of your neighbors. You want to watch these things so badly, put them on in your hotel room.
As long as no one around you is thinking, you can watch whatever you like. But once you’re in the air, unless you pay for Wi-Fi, you’re stuck with everything you’ve downloaded. So think about the mood you usually find yourself in when you board and play accordingly.