Airplane rides are long and boring. There are not many people who enjoy the flying part of travel unless you’re in some sort of Delta One or Emirates Business Class type of thing, then they can be pretty fun, actually. Regardless of the seats you are in, if you’re one of the major commercial airlines and as long as you aren’t on an older or smaller commercial plane, you’re probably going to almost always have a TV front in front you, it’s unavoidable. Now of course you could sleep or read a book… but come on now, it’s 2025. I fly a lot on commercial airlines for lacrosse tournaments, specifically on Delta, as they have a hub in Salt Lake City. If it’s within your budget, then it’s really the only logical choice for the average Utahn. When I fly, I do actually sleep a lot, but if not then I love to watch movies. I have gone through almost all of the actually good Delta plane movies during my couple years of lacrosse travel, and for the six times I flew this past fall and winter I’d like to share my six favorite movies that you can find on the plane. Spoilers ahead!

6. Rogue One

Who doesn’t love Star Wars? Even my dad, who hates superhero things like Marvel and DC, loves Star Wars because how can you not? It’s too much of a classic for old people to hate and too much of a fun time for young people to hate. I know one person who dislikes the franchise, and respectfully, he’s wrong. I will keep this overview short because it has been a while since I’ve seen this one. The basic plot is a girl named Jyn Erso bands together a group of unlikely heroes to steal the plans of the Death Star. This movie is critical to the franchise because it gives us a backstory on how the rebels were able to figure out how to destroy the Death Star, as it seemingly had no weaknesses. I like this movie because it is one where they don’t miraculously save every notable character at the end; they all die, actually, and it brings out the emotional side of the viewer. The movie ends with one of the most aura-filled scenes in film history, with Vader coming out of the darkness to stop the rebels from securing the Death Star plans. The characters and story are great, and the movie is one of Star Wars’ best.

5. The Matrix

What a classic. This movie came out right around the time when people were starting to freak out for the year 2000. There was the whole deal with computers and changing their dates and whatnot, and this movie only added to the scariness of the time. It paved the way for what action scenes could look like and was one of the first popular movies to consider the future of humanity and computers. For those who don’t know, the movie follows Neo, who learns he and the rest of humanity are trapped in a virtual reality world by AI to ensure that the humans couldn’t mess with them. The whole idea was and still is hard to wrap your mind around, and to this day, it has new viewers wondering if there is any truth to the movie. The Matrix is just an instant classic that will be remembered for years to come. 

4. Civil War

This is a newer one. Civil War was released in 2024, and unlike the rest of the movies on this list, I would not have known about it without the plane. I came across it randomly on one of my flights this year and my immediate reaction afterward was, “Whoa how have I never seen this?” The movie follows Lee Smith, played by Kirsten Dunst, who I initially wasn’t a fan of but the way she played her character started to work for me as I got further into the movie. The country, at this point, is in a second civil war. We’re not sure what the government has done, but we know it’s bad, and a lot of people are against them now. Smith is a photographer who works for the press, and in this day and age, they follow troops into battle to ensure they get the best shots. She learns of the potential attack on the white house, and she and her press crew make the nearly impossible journey from New York City to Washington, D.C., to try and get a photo and story. Civil War appealed to me in part because it was something different. It doesn’t follow the guidelines of your everyday movie. Fair warning: the movie is certainly a little gruesome, but if you can handle it, it’s an amazing watch.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey.

There are not many movies that you can say transformed filmmaking, but A Space Odyssey is certainly one of them. Being the naive person I am, I expected the movie to have been from 2001. Now that I think about it, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but still. After watching the movie, I was thinking maybe more like 1990 to 1995. Boy was I wrong. 1968. Crazy. We hadn’t even gone to the moon yet. In a way, though, this makes sense in light of the time. It was right at the height of the space race and a year before reaching the moon, so anything involving space was going to sell. This movie is truly a masterpiece, but also confusing, so here’s a basic rundown. The world is incredibly advanced, and space travel is pretty much the norm at this point. The main character, Dave Bowman, and a crew are sent on a mysterious mission, and they don’t know the end goal. As they travel, their AI computer, HAL, which controls the ship’s functions, starts to act strangely, only acting with the hopes of completing the mission. That’s about where the movie stops being easy to explain. It gets super deep, and I would encourage you to do some research into the other bits of the story. What sets this movie apart from its competitors is its cinematography. The quality is literally mind-blowing. I would recommend you check it out, as even though it might bore you, it truly is a staple of the industry. 

2. Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge is the movie I’ve watched most recently on this list. I was in the mood for a war movie and happened to see a really cool TikTok edit of the movie earlier that week, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Sometimes, movies about true stories seem forced or lacking in actual movie quality, but this one is a step above the rest. It follows Private Doss, a man of deep faith in Christianity, who, after harming and nearly killing his brother in a youthful fight, vowed never to touch a weapon again. The only problem is he also wants to join the army. See the dilemma? He wants to become a medic, but even medics at the time were carrying protection. The movie toys with your emotions, as half this time you want him to suck it up and shoot someone, and half the time you want those who are against him to give him a chance to prove his worth. When he finally manages to get deployed, his assignment is to help take Hacksaw Ridge. After early success, they have to retreat, and while some escape, many are left still alive on the ridge. Doss honorably stays up there through the night and lowers 75 soldiers off the ridge. The movie goes into depth about how grueling the saving process was, so you’ll have to watch it to find that out. 

1. Goodfellas

What you think I’m funny, eh? Of course, the Goodfellas is number one. You can probably try to change my opinion, but you probably won’t. I think I’m good spida. This movie is just really, really good. Now between The Godfather, Sopranos, and numerous other movies, the mafia genre seems like it’d be kinda washed, but for a guy like me, never. It’s hard not to love this movie unless you’re a mother trying to protect her younger child or an actual mob member trying to keep your cover. Fiction action movies can be pretty cool and have a good shock factor, but there’s nothing quite like watching a movie and thinking wow, this type of thing actually happened and may still be happening. Goodfellas follows the life of half-Irish, half-Sicilian Henry Hill. It starts when he was young and shows his life as a gangster and how it evolves and eventually comes crashing down. There’s not much I can say about this movie that hasn’t already been said. All I can tell you is go watch it and put it at the top of the list of movies to watch. It’s worth it.