The age-old question: what should I download for my *insert time here* long flight? Definitely not an age-old question, but still one that puzzles me every time I have the privilege of flying somewhere new. In an attempt to find the perfect formula for films to watch on the plane, here are some guidelines, namely length, content, to rewatch or to first watch, and other considerations, that I often follow when deciding on my next watch for a long plane ride.
To preface this unnecessarily long post, I have made this all out to seem much more important than it actually is. In all honestly, no one really cares what you are watching on the plane, and it’s not that big of a deal. With that being said, let’s begin.
1. Length
The length of both the flight and the films is of utmost importance. For instance, the films I would choose to watch on a 90-minute flight to New York City from Toronto would vary largely from those I would choose for a 12-hour flight from Toronto to Japan. I always want to ensure that I have time to finish the film(s) I begin watching on a flight. This means the length of the film should be less than that of the flight, allowing for time to pause the film for announcements, snacks, and other breaks required.
The length of the film also very much relies on the viewer’s own attention span. For a long flight, which would allow for multiple films the be viewer in their entirety, I would not personally recommend downloading loads of 75-minute films. For myself, this can sometimes make the flight seem even longer, as after watching 3 films, I would still be less than 4 hours into the flight, making a 7+ hour-long flight seem very long. This also goes for television series, as it can seem like a good idea to watch multiple episodes and seasons of your favourite sit-com in one flight, but can start to feel very repetitive over the length of a flight. In contrast, I would avoid only downloading 3+ hour long epics, as these can sometimes become very fatiguing to watch, and as soon as a film seems to be dragging on, the whole flight then seems to take forever. With these points in mind, I often like to download films of a variety of different lengths. This way I can mix up what I am watching throughout the flight, alternating between quick 22-minute tv episodes, 75-minute comedies, and 3-hour-long thrillers or dramas, resulting in the different speeds of the narrative arcs of the films providing just enough variety throughout the time on the plane to keep me interested and thus making the flight go by much faster.
2. Content
The content of a film is also important to consider when choosing in-flight entertainment. There is no worse feeling than watching a film, and having *that* sexy scene come on just as the flight attendant is coming around, or while sitting next to an elderly couple or a young child with their family. Similar with horror films, no one wants to be the reason that the snooping kids the row behind you end up with a life long fear of the gruesome images on your screen, or the reason for the old lady next to you to clutch her chest in fear of the horrors you are watching. With this being said, I would not recommend only downloading films of one genre, like all comedies or all thrillers, as this lack of variety can become cumbersome over a long period of time, watching films with very similar narrative arcs and characters.
Films with too many raunchy images or sexual content can be very uncomfortable to watch on a plane, a very public space. The same goes for films with very graphic horror, or any kind of body mutation or violence that may seem difficult for any viewer of any age to watch. This isn’t to say that these sorts of films shouldn’t be viewed in a public setting, but for me personally, I wouldn’t want to feel like I am missing scenes of a film because I am too busy hiding my screen from wandering eyes around me. A good rule of thumb that I follow is asking myself if I would watch this with my younger cousins or grandma. If the answer is no, then I steer clear. If its a “maybe I would watch this” or a “yes, definitely watch with them”, then I download it. Thus, a Cronenberg film, or a film from the mind of Lars von Trier, are better saved, in my opinion, for a viewing at home.
3. To rewatch or to first watch?
I never know if I should watch a new film for the first time on a plane. While rewatching films can be a good idea, as you will be watching on quite a small screen and thus miss out on stellar sound and video quality, this can also become a bad idea if the film seems to become repetitive and lengthy on a rewatch. In contrast, watching a film you have never seen before can sound like a good idea, as you will be experiencing a new story to keep you interested, but this can become a bad experience if you end up not enjoying the film. Also to contemplate is the fact that you could be watching the greatest film you will ever see, but with constant interruptions, as well as watching on a small screen through headphones in an attempt to drown out the many surrounding sounds.
I personally try to avoid watching any film that I think could become my new favourite. This includes any films that are hailed by critics and audiences as anything “groundbreaking”, as I personally would rather experience those films in a more comfortable, film-dedicated atmosphere. On the same hand, I try to avoid only downloading films I have seen before, as I want to make sure that I have options, whether I am feeling adventurous and wanting to watch a new film, or need comfort in something I have seen before. I sometimes will download films that I know I would never choose to watch at home or in theatres, just in case I am ever stuck and feel like forcing myself to finally watch a film I have been putting off for ages. I often never watch these picks, but it is still funny to see them in my downloads, to this day, waiting to be watched.
4. Other Considerations
It is first important to consider delays, both on the ground and in the air. Never download just enough to get you through the length of the flight. Flights, especially in these “post-pandemic” times, have been notorious for being delayed, as well as issues with baggage arrival times once landed, and issues on board with difficult passengers delaying the flight. I always download as much as I can, regardless of the length of the flight, but always ensuring that the total length of all my downloads well exceeds the expected length of my flight, to account for needing entertainment during any kind of delays.
It is also important to consider that what you want to watch may change between the time you are downloading your entertainment and the time you actually sit down on the plane to watch. To account for this, I try to download a variety of films, including comedies, dramas, musicals, and animated films. This ensures that I can have more options once arrived at the airport and on the plane, to account for different tastes and types of films I want to watch in the moment. A bad idea would be to solely download all 8 Harry Potter films, for example, just to realize while sitting on the plane that you are not in the mood for Harry Potter at all
Finally, never rely solely on airport or airplane wifi or entertainment. While most airports have free wifi, it is never fun to arrive in the airport or plane, ready to stream a film or TV show, just to find out that the wifi is not free at all, but actually quite expensive, or simply not available at all. A similar idea goes for in-flight entertainment, with most larger and newer planes offering free screens with films for each seat. While these are often available, it would not be a fun experience to sit down to see your screen not working for the entirety of the flight, or not available at all.
5. My Plane Watch History through the above Framework
What follows is a quick retrospective of some of the films I have watched on recent flights, to see where they either uphold or fall short of these guidelines I have put together. See all the films I have watched on planes since 2021 here.
Adaptation: Hailed as one of the greats, I always put this off watching. As well, at the time of my travels, Adaptation was not available to stream anywhere in Canada, but it was offered on the airplane tv. So, very weirdly, Adaptation was a great plane movie choice for me, as I had nowhere else to watch the film without paying to rent it at home. The story had me captivated the whole time, so despite it being my first watch, it worked well for me on the plane.
Fantastic Mr. Fox: While this film has become one of my favourite films, the first time I watched it was on a flight from Toronto to Edmonton. While I loved it then and still love it now, I sometimes wish my first watch wasn’t on a small, iPad mini screen, but instead on a tv or in a theatre. In terms of the other guidelines, this would make for a very great plane movie.
The Help: Despite the controversy regarding the narrative of the novel and film being a very “white saviour” story, which I wholly agree with, before my flight to Rome I had been wanting to rewatch this film, with this new personal understanding of the film’s story. This checked the boxes in terms of content, as I had an older Italian couple sitting next to me and never once felt uncomfortable, as well as being a rewatch that I knew would keep me engaged throughout its runtime, not too short but never feeling overly long.
Blade Runner 2049: After not loving the original Blade Runner, I was still very interested in watching the sequel. Being one of those films that I could never bring myself to watch at home, I finally watched it on the airplane tv on my way to the Dominican Republic. Coming in with a runtime of over 2.5 hours, the film made the 3.5 hour flight fly by, with just enough time before and after the film to catch up on some reading and rest. The content was never too graphic or sexual, with the small amount of nudity blurred out on the tv itself, and I was glad to be forced to stay in my seat to view the film from start to finish on the plane. I can see how viewers not too fond of sci-fi or “futuristic” dramas would not enjoy this trapped on a plane, but I was pleased it worked for me. I do wish I saw this one in a theatre!
Conclusion
To conclude, I have made this all out to seem much more important than it actually is. In all honestly, no one really cares what you are watching on the plane, and it’s not that big of a deal if you have to find other ways to entertain yourself on a flight, like reading a book or listening to music. But for myself, I know these guidelines are always something I consider while flying, and I hope they shed a small amount of light on this issue that is really not an issue at all.
After Screening Cinema 