Watched in the ZDF Media Library

Even if they have gone somewhat out of fashion in the meantime, disaster films have not completely disappeared. After all, it is always exciting to see how completely normal people suddenly find themselves in exceptional situations and have to fight for their lives. Especially as the range of possible disasters is quite large. For example, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell are currently chasing after tornadoes and the sequel to the 90s hit has also had a surprisingly successful start in cinemas.

In "Horizon Line", everything is much more reduced. Instead of conjuring up a force of nature that could cost hundreds of lives, it's just about two people. And the setting has also been pared down. A large part of the film takes place on board a small airplane, which even under normal circumstances is not entirely comfortable. There's not much room for development. But screenwriters Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken have experience with this, having previously worked together on "10 Cloverfield Lane". It doesn't get comparably claustrophobic here, of necessity - after all, you're out in the fresh air. But that doesn't make the situation much more pleasant. The prospect of falling over the sea doesn't necessarily lift your spirits.

Such a limited setting can contribute significantly to the atmosphere. However, it also always brings with it the danger that variety suffers as a result. In the case of "Horizon Line", an attempt was made to counteract this through the story between Sara (Allison Williams) and Jackson (Alexander Dreymon). For a long time, the film tells of their relationship and their non-relationship, of getting to know each other, breaking up and seeing each other again. In fact, a third of the movie is already over before it even really gets going. In principle, there's nothing wrong with that. Even in the past, there were long introductions that were supposed to bring you closer to the characters. The idea is that if I get to know the characters better, their fate becomes clearer to me and I sympathize more with them in their plight.

However, this only works to a limited extent in "Horizon Line". Sara's difficulties in saying goodbye don't make her a complex character, but above all exhausting. Jackson isn't really any more interesting either. Not to mention the combination: Although the movie invests so much time in setting up the two of them and their relationship, nothing jumps out at you that should get to you in any way. It even gets a little annoying at the end, when the movie suddenly indulges in shameless kitsch again. This is not uncommon in such disaster scenarios. But one could have expected a little more ambition.

Campbell and Stuecken put a little more effort into the disaster part. But even there they have their difficulties in really getting something out of the scenario. Of course, this is also quite limited from the outset. Apart from the sudden death of the pilot, which is a pretty nasty idea, the disaster carousel is made up of the usual components such as a lack of fuel, a technical defect and a storm. What can go wrong, will go wrong. Only towards the end does "Horizon Line" come up with another idea, which may not be the most credible, but is still remarkably nasty. All in all, it's enough to pass the time - there are far worse films in this segment. But you shouldn't expect more than a B-movie from this.

At least one scene made me laugh hard-the one where they decide which things to throw overboard to lighten the weight of the plane and they choose dead Keith David over a dozen bottles of booze.