In Hijack, a plane gets hijacked during its journey from Dubai to London, which puts the lives of hundreds of passengers in danger. All episodes are now streaming on Apple TV+.
Story
While flying from Dubai to London, Flight KA29 gets hijacked by five armed hijackers. They take control of the flight shortly after take-off and take away people’s phones to prevent them from contacting the authorities.
The hijackers also succeed in getting the pilot, who had alerted Dubai ATC, to open the cockpit door and then assure the authorities that there is no security issue onboard. They hijack the flight without anyone on the ground finding out about it.
However, a passenger named Sam manages to keep his phone for a while and sends a message to his ex-wife to inform her about the incident. Due to this, British Counter Terrorism starts looking into the incident.
Furthermore, Sam is a corporate negotiator. He decides to convince the hijackers that he is on their side to discover their plans and find a way to save all the passengers. Will Sam succeed or will this end badly for everyone involved?
Performances
The show heavily depends on Idris Elba’s performance. As Sam, he manages to convince the audience that he is indeed a skilled negotiator. He adds a touch of intrigue to his character, which makes the show much better.
While Neil Maskell fails to be a frightening figure, Aimée Kelly, who plays Jamie, does come across as a dangerous hijacker. She is the only hijacker who evokes fear.
In a show with too many characters, the actors who make an impression on the audience include Max Beesley, who plays Daniel; Eve Myles, who plays Alice; Kaisa Hammarlund, who plays the first officer; and Ben Miles, who plays the pilot.
Positives
In the show, most of the action takes place on the plane. It is not easy to keep the audience invested in the story without changing the setting, but the show manages to do that.
It is the clever maneuvers in the show that make it intriguing. The various methods used by the people onboard to communicate with each other as well as with the authorities without the knowledge of the hijackers offer the audience something new and interesting in every episode.
There are some scenes in the show that are quite thrilling. The tension builds up as danger nears, which keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. On top of that, there are twists and turns in every episode.
As the flight has around 200 passengers, the audience is introduced to various characters. Although a lot of them do not play an important role in the show, the audience will still remember them, as some of them get their moment to shine while others are quite peculiar.
Negatives
The instances in the show are not always believable. Even if one expects that from a thriller in which the protagonist pulls off daring moves, when it happens over and over again, it makes the protagonist seem invincible. As a result, the show stops being exciting and becomes predictable.
Furthermore, the show fails to develop an emotional connection between the characters and the audience. Even when a character dies, it does not impact the audience the way it is intended.
Verdict
In the beginning, Hijack seems to be a promising thriller, but it eventually becomes a little mundane. It is not a bad show. It is not a great one either, but it could have been great.
Also Read: Hijack season 1 finale recap, review & ending explained
