THE highly awaited documentary series “MH370: The Aircraft That Disappeared” was released on Netflix last week on the ninth anniversary of the tragic incident which claimed 239 lives.
The three-part series includes interviews with family members of the missing passengers and crew, as well as scientists and journalists.
On March 8, 2014, a redeye aircraft from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing carrying 239 passengers and crew vanished from radar screens shortly after departure.
The search for the jet has been one of the most exhaustive in history, but no definitive answer as to what happened to the plane has been found.
We will likely never know what really happened to Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, but Netflix’s latest docuseries has been called exploitative by viewers for giving weight to unsubstantiated claims.
Directed by Louise Malkinson, the series is broken up into three episodes, each looking at specific theories. Episode one opens with what is being called the most “plausible scenario,” that of pilot murder/suicide.
However, the series veers into the realms of implausibility in episodes two and three with theories ranging from a possible plane hijacking from the Russian government to a conspiracy that the plane was destroyed by the American government to prevent the Chinese from receiving the cargo within it.
The producer of MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, Harry Hewland, defended the decision to include those theories because the story lacks a conclusive answer.
"More than anything, we want to pull the hidden truths about MH370 out from the carpet under which they've been swept and remind people that this is still a story with no ending, a mystery that hasn't been solved, that somebody out there knows more than the world has been told,” he said.
He added, “And if we can raise the profile of the story again, and amplify, by even a decibel or two, the cry for the search to go on, we'll have done something useful.”
British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey slammed the Netflix series saying it is “full of misinformation and disinformation".
“The Netflix documentary series is 2 hours 37 minutes 46 seconds full of misinformation and disinformation. Netflix gives conspiracy, fabrication, manipulation, speculation, fantasy, and theory equal weight, but is short on hard facts and evidence.
"Netflix has relied entirely on speculation and fantasy from questionable sources, but they provide no definitive answers to what, where and why of MH370,” Godfrey said.
The series has not been well-received online, with many viewers criticising it for the lack of fact-checking and balanced research.
Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke recently said that he will not “summarily close the book on this tragedy.”
“I reiterate the Government of Malaysia's position that due consideration will be given to future search operations should there be new and credible information on the potential location of the aircraft's final resting place," he said in a tweet on March 5.
“To the families of the 239 passengers and crew members on board the lost aircraft, no amount of sympathy can erase the grief and heartache of losing your loved ones.”
“Malaysians will always stand by you and share the weight of this tribulation together. We honour the lives lost and will not forget them,” he added. – The Vibes, March 15, 2023
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is available to stream on Netflix now
Dear @netflix , the MH370 has to be your worst documentary to ever exist. We are more invested in knowing about that phone call that little girl got from her dad after the disappearance, not some white dudes arguing who’s theory is the best.
— Kokoi (@harshiny_) March 8, 2023
so much of this docuseries — which makes sense considering the team of makers are mostly (if not all) white and British — centers white people (the few white families & the scores of white men-theorists) instead of the predominantly Malaysian + Chinese families impacted.
— Sanjna (@sanjnaselva) March 11, 2023
I’m watching the MH370 docu series on Netflix and this Jeff Wise guy has to be one of the most batshit and ridiculous conspiracy theorists I’ve ever seen.
— mark (@marksiembida) March 9, 2023
Netflix dropped the ball big time on this. pic.twitter.com/gGXm4PvgQz
Wasted 3 hours of my life last night watching the MH370 “documentary” so you don’t have to.
— Maha Jeffery (@MahaJeffery) March 9, 2023
Calling this a documentary would be a stretch since Netflix would rather spend 80% of its screentime on wild conspiracy theories.
Don’t get me started on Jeff Wise. Insulting. pic.twitter.com/oPAEqxCi6l
Just finished watching first episode of #MH370 on netflix, all i can say the theory is ridiculous. The defamation toward the pilot is unfair
— amira (@amrshafira) March 8, 2023
I spent my night watching “MH370: The Plane That Disappeared” documentary and it’s disappointing to see that Netflix gave more screentime to the conspiracy theorists than the actual experts or family members of the victim.
— emc (@eulyxx) March 8, 2023
