THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

John Moore directs this remake of the 1965 actioner that depicts a group of wildcatters trying to survive after crash-landing their plane in the Mongolian desert. Also on board, he-men pilots Dennis Quaid and Tyrese Gibson, mutant nerd stowaway Giovanni Ribisi, and -- luckily -- loads of useful stuff like a generator, pipes and an inexplicable supply of canned peaches. Moore keeps the pace lively, and the natural horror of real desert mitigates the few cheesy CGI scenes. Add points for a spectacular crash scene; lose points for the gang sand-boogie-ing to the inescapable "Hey Ya" (the Gobi rocks!) Since there's little doubt the plane will get fixed, most of the suspense centers around who gets punched, what new calamity might befall the gang, and which likable fellow will perish just before the flight out.