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Altitude is a film that I've been somewhat interested in given it's fairly creative concept and potential Lovecraftian vibe. Sadly all the movie had was a concept, because the final product would've been better off as a short or a segment in some sort of anthology.

The flick has a pretty strong opener, following the point of view of a female pilot flying a family around in a small plane. Things seem fine until another aircraft suddenly crashes into them, sending the passengers falling to their death. The story then picks up present day with a young rookie pilot named Sara, who happens to be the daughter of the female pilot that died years prior. She's prepping a flight with a group of friends, with a destination set for Canada, just in time for a concert.

All things are normal until they hit a cloudbank ahead, followed by a mechanical failure that leaves them at an undesirable height. Paranoia and hysteria within the group ensues, and to make matters worse, something large and unsettling is hiding within the clouds...

The movie started off pretty good, and kept my interest for a majority of the running time, but there are a few points in the second half that I found myself a little bored by. There's only so much they can do in this plane before these uninteresting characters and drab dialogue become the only thing worth mentioning, especially since the creature that's lurking in the clouds doesn't really become a menace until the last 30 minutes, and whose appearance isn't made public until the last 15.

In the film's defense, there are a couple interesting scenes in the mid-mark with a few somewhat suspenseful moments. However, as things start to come to a close, the flick's weak script becomes more and more apparent, namely when it's revealed why they're in this particular situation accompanied with piss-poor reasoning behind the giant octopus-like creature that's giving them all this trouble.

By the time the credits roll you'll likely be confused, angry, or  bewildered as to how such a horrendous plot-hole-filled script would ever been given the greenlight. On a positive note the effects for the creature and other aspects of the film are surprisingly decent and above average from your typical straight-to-DVD fair.

Those hoping for a Lovecraftian tale with a "Cthulhu in the sky" will be disappointed, as the movie was more of a psychological look at a group of friends in a survival situation, with the creature mere background noise until the last bits of the flick. As stated earlier, this would have worked better as a short film or a segment in a horror anthology, but as a full length feature it fails, especially with its ridiculous climax. Not recommended.