You've seen 2004's Flight Of The Phoenix before -- not just the Jimmy Stewart verzh from the '60s, but every "ragtag group with various animosities bands together to beat insurmountable odds, with an assist from ILM CGI" flick before it. As NOT the best pilot we ever saw, Dennis Quaid's Frank Towns throws John Wayne, Barth from You Can't Do That On Television, and a crappish Bill Clinton imitation into a blender to assay a backstory-free brat to whom everyone from Dr. House to EMT Riley to Eowyn is looking for salvation. How long have they been out in the Gobi? How much water is left? Why are Chekhov's nomads wearing Converse? And why did the same single rock in the entire desert that killed Sam Winchester then save Dennis Quaid? A lot of questions, a lot of callbacks to Enemy Mine in the season finale of Quaid In Full.

Overall score: 4.5

QQQ score: 6

Days since a lost Kuffs accident: 35

SHOW NOTES

• Follow us on Twitter


• Get EVEN MORE Qontent (...sorry) at our Patreon page


• S02E11: The Right Stuff


• S03E02: Enemy Mine


• "Iiiiii heard that"


• Part 1 of The Phoenix Diaries, in which the director allegedly yells at the actors


• Ebert's review


• Marc Savlov's for The Austin Chronicle


• Ruthe Stein's for the Chron