Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid) is the pilot of a shuttle plane run by an oil drilling company who is ferrying a group of workers across the Gobi desert to China when a sand storm causes them to crash in the middle of nowhere.  Faced with either a march of death to civilisation or to wait in vain for a rescue, an aircraft-designing stranger who tagged along for the ride (Giovanni Ribisi) claims that he can get them to safety, but they are going to have to build a new plane from the wreckage.

Quaid is convincing enough as the washed-up pilot and Ribisi does a good turn as the aloof saviour, but it’s the desert that takes the plaudits, reminding audiences what a beautiful, dangerous and desolate place it is.  The picture doesn’t improve on the original, but it holds its own well.  Good weekend popcorn fare.

(4/5)

Flight Of The Phoenix