Comments on: Air vents are for air

By: steve newman

steve newman — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:28:17 +0000

No heroes in air ducts unless you’re being intentionally ironic. And even then, the courts must decide on a case by case basis. “Galaxy Quest” has a great spoof of this cliche. Sigourney Weaver and Tim Allen make their escape through an alien ship’s ample ventilation system. They don’t even have to duck! Then they’re blocked by huge smashing pistons. Weaver bemoans the arbitrary device (the aliens have constructed the ship based on the earthling’s TV show) and she condemns the writers who came up with it. I was enjoying “No Country for Old Men” until Brolin’s character started opening the air vent in his hotel room. Please no!

By: David Lemon

David Lemon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:42:53 +0000

Hi I’m a first time blogger here and feature writer (a British flick called ‘Faintheart’for Film4) Love the website. You’re right: the air duct escape is a device that should for the most part be thanked for its years of loyal service and allowed to die with dignity. That said, Josh’s post at the top was right to point out honourable exceptions such as the ‘fully grown’ toys of Toy Story 2, and squirels (when’s that squirel film coming out? It sounds great) If the air duct chase is used in 2008, I think there has to be a knowing-ness about it, just as say, ‘Chicken Run’ went through every POW movie cliche to great effect. I didn’t see the Lost ep in question, but it sounds like they tried to pass of this stale stock situation as something fresh and exciting, rather than acknowledging its hokey-ness.

By: John

John — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:00:39 +0000

Whoops, make that “disengage”!

By: John

John — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:58:45 +0000

Of course, in any secure facility worth its salt, a duct-crawling scene would end with:

Rounding the last bend in the duct, the hero is confronted with a series of inch-thick overlapping steel vanes sealing the duct. On the adjacent wall, a large decal reads "To open blast louvers, disenage blast doors".

By: Alan Roth

Alan Roth — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:48:55 +0000

A documentary exploring the use of air vents in 20th century cinema…I’m outlining alreay.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:53:03 +0000

I'm going to write the air-duct scene to end all air-duct scenes. I want to see Bruce Willis crawling through and have a giant gust shoot him out a wall.

Right into the arms of the villian, of course.

By: Oblivio

Oblivio — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:41:09 +0000

I'm a bit late in on the topic, so please pardon if this is a dupe.

Would elevator shafts, wet-walls (walls with space for plumbing behind them) and/or drainage pipes also belong in this category? I think two of them were used in "The Shawshank Redemption."

Air vents are a nice place to conceal a camera, but bad for audio bugs due to noise.

I do have to agree with you on that sequence in the "Lost" episode. Given the ultra-high security of the room in lock-down, it would need its own independent air and electric supplies. The ventilation by-pass was just hokey.

Loved "The Nines"; thanks much for posting the script. Especially loved the way Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" was playfully yet meaningfully worked in. _ "Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles" ~ Monsieur le docteur Ralph

By: Synthian

Synthian — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:59:16 +0000

I’d like to point out that the air vent scene in Boondock Saints is fantastic, and EXEMPT, since they actually have this “air vent conversation” with Willem Defoe making fun of it while they do it.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:37:59 +0000

First off, big fan or your work and especially this blog. Thanks for doing a helluva job over here.

Second, while I agree with most of this, there are exceptions to every rule. For example, "No Country For Old Men." That movie uses an air vent very effectively. Other than that, I couldn't agree more with what you wrote.

By: TrespassersW

TrespassersW — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:39:14 +0000

For my money, the best use of ducting in any movie has to be Terry Gilliam’s psychotic-break reality in “Brazil.” The duct-work invades the rooms, and from the very beginning that insane duct work plays a pivotal role in the film, letting us know right away that we aren’t in Kansas anymore.

By: P. McSherry

P. McSherry — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:59:06 +0000

I promise I will never place my shaft in an airduct, or EVER be caught stuck in a euphism,,I mean uephimism,,,what was the question again?

But seriously, let's not forget we need airducts! We just gotta keep those stupid heroes out of 'em. Nothing worse than the smell of rotting hero stuck in an air vent.