During countless daydreams we have all wondered the same thing, “where would I go if there was suddenly a Zombie Apocalypse?” No matter how much thought you give this idea, it could take a while before you I arrive at the conclusion that Montréal-Mirabel Airport would be the place to go. Welcome to the second edition of the series ‘Airport Cinema’.
Montréal in Popular Culture.
Montréal airport becomes the setting for the 2013 romantic comedy ‘Warm Bodies’. The zom-com revolves around R, a zombie who spends his days wandering aimlessly around the airport.
While we cannot always trust what the film tells us, as often they claim at an airport is one place but in fact it was filmed it on the other side of the world. Well this is not the case here as the film is shot and set in Montréal airport.
The same however cannot be said of Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Terminal’. The film revolves around Viktor Navorski, played by Tom Hanks, who is a resident of the fictional country Krakozhia. While traveling to New York, Navorski’s home country is plunged into a civil war, rendering his passport invalid. As a result of this is must stay within the confines of the airport until the issue is resolved.
While the film takes place almost entirely in John F. Kennedy Airport, no filming actually took place there. Two airports were used to create the setting for the film, one of which being Montréal, which was used to film the airport exteriors and runway. Stay tuned for a later addition of Airport Cinema to find out what the other one was.
There has often been a fascination with the idea of being in an airport alone, with it being an eery setting in many video games. These two films exploit this fascination and play upon it, still making the idea of being stranded in one oddly appealing.
The airport also was a filming location for 1997 political action thriller ‘The Jackal’ which stars Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, as well as the 1985 crime comedy ‘Hold-Up’ starring Jean-Paul Belmondo
About Montréal Airport
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport is located in Mirabel, Quebec Canada. The airport opened in 1975, having been rushed to open in time for the 1976 Olympics in Montréal. The last commercial passenger place to depart the airport was 31 October 2004, now it serves primarily as a cargo airport. The former passenger terminal apron has been demolished and turned into a racing course.
So if you ever find yourself in a zombie apocalypse or unable to travel due to a civil war in your home country, you could do a lot worse than taking shelter in Montréal-Mirabel International Airport.
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