8 Movies to Watch on Your Next Flight

Every pick is PG-13, under two and a quarter hours, and safe to watch next to a total stranger. No ugly crying at the window seat.

Number one is the most obvious plane movie ever, and I'll defend it.

1. 8
   Gravity (2013)8.8

   The dare pick. Watch a space disaster while airborne.

   91 minutes, so it fits the shortest flight you'll ever book. Metacritic gave it a 96. The seatback screen shrinks the spectacle, but the panic still lands.
2. 7
   Moonrise Kingdom (2012)9.0

   Perfect short-flight movie. Tiny screen, tiny symmetrical world.

   94 minutes of two kids running away together, shot like a dollhouse. Critics rank it above 92% of notable movies. Bill Murray sulks like it's an Olympic sport.
3. 6
   Star Trek (2009)9.2

   Star Trek for people who've never watched Star Trek.

   127 minutes, an A CinemaScore, and Chris Pine plays Kirk like a golden retriever with a starship. Warning: the lens flares get even louder on a seatback screen.
4. 5
   Iron Man (2008)9.0

   The Marvel movie that still works with zero context.

   126 minutes, and Robert Downey Jr. talks faster than the drink cart moves. Audiences rank it above 93% of notable movies. The final fight is just two metal suits shoving.
5. 4
   The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)9.1

   Matt Damon packs light and moves fast. Be like Matt.

   115 minutes, $442.8 million worldwide, and critics rank it above 91% of notable movies. Queasy flyers, beware: the camera drank all the coffee.
6. 3
   Knives Out (2019)9.3

   A mystery so fun you'll forget the seat kicker.

   130 minutes, and a rich family so awful you'll feel great about yours. Critics rank it above 93% of notable movies. Heads up: your row will hear you gasp.
7. 2
   The Fugitive (1993)9.3

   Your dad's favorite movie, and your dad is right.

   An A+ CinemaScore and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. 130 minutes of Harrison Ford sprinting to clear his name, which is basically every tight connection you've ever had.
8. 1
   Top Gun: Maverick (2022)9.4

   Yes, watch the jet movie on the plane. Commit.

   130 minutes, an A+ CinemaScore, and critics rank it above 90% of notable movies. Side effect: your actual flight will feel painfully slow afterward.

$4,456 says you spend the first hour of the flight picking a movie and land before it ends.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it