Netflix's latest documentary MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, dives into the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 but doesn't give as much information as it should. Where the plane went and what caused its disappearance has remained a mystery for nearly a decade. Netflix's new documentary proves people are still determined to find answers, even if that becomes increasingly harder as time goes by. The documentary brings in several of the victim's family members as well as authority figures like the Former Crisis Director of Malaysia Airlines and author Jeff Wise who was heavily invested in the plane's disappearance.
Wise has a lot of interesting theories, as do some others in the documentary. However, most of the theories are not based on evidence, and much of what is shared is simply conspiracy. Unfortunately, there's a lot that the Netflix documentary does not cover, and had it, the series would have had a lot more to offer. For example, Wise raises the theory that the pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah was responsible for the flight's disappearance, while others shared theories of Russian involvement or interference from the American Government. There's still no concrete evidence of any of these, especially not from the Netflix documentary.
7 The MH370 Documentary Ignores The Malaysian Government's Role
The MH370 documentary dives into many different aspects of the story, but a key component it ignores is the Malaysian government's role. The Netflix documentary does showcase the frustration of citizens waiting for answers that never came, but with all the theories it presents, it never fully dives into the Malaysian government. While some conspiracy theorists might be able to come up with a wild theory about how the government planned the whole thing, a more logical angle for the Netflix documentary to take would be why the government gave so few answers to those desperately wanting to be reunited with their family members who were on the flight and why they withheld information.
British private satellite company Inmarsat discovered that MH370 had left its path, moving toward Vietnam instead of continuing North. The Malaysian government knew this information from its military radar but didn't release it until a week after the plane's disappearance, leading searchers to look for the aircraft in the wrong area. The government was likely trying to keep citizens calm and save themselves from looking bad after what happened to the plane. It would have been interesting to see the Netflix documentary tackle this topic.
6 The Documentary Didn't Dive Into The Mysterious Phone Calls
In one scene of the Netflix documentary, Jiang Hui, the son of an MH370 passenger, mentions that while waiting for answers, a girl came running up to him, showing that she was receiving a phone call from her father, who was on the plane. Unfortunately, it stopped ringing when she tried to pick up her phone. Hui explained that he and many others tried to call their relatives, and there was a connection and ringtone, but the government told them they didn't have the technology to investigate further. Unfortunately, this story ends here, and the documentary doesn't further explore it despite being one of the most interesting and confusing things mentioned. It also plays into the Malaysian government's lack of effort to determine what happened to MH370.
5 It Leaves Out Information & Motives For Captain Ahmad Shah
One theory in the Netflix documentary that is heavily emphasized is Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's involvement. Wise dives into this theory, believing the most logical possibility is that Zaharie planned the whole thing as a mass murder-suicide. While there is no evidence that he was involved, Wise's theory seems the most realistic. The documentary briefly talks about Zaharie's possible motives, like political motivations and past mental health struggles, though a lot is left out. Instead, the film interviews his family members, who only have positive things to say about him. Of course, this is completely biased, as even if they knew something, they might be covering up for Zaharie.
Many who were close to the captain confirmed that he'd confessed to being lonely and sad. For example, his marriage was bad, and he had cheated on his wife several times with flight attendants, which she knew about. This is not enough information to come to the consensus that Zaharie was behind the disappearance of MH370, but a deeper look into his personal life could have backed up Wise's theories better than what was presented in the MH370 documentary.
4 It Doesn't Include Chris Goodfellow's Theory
For all the conspiracies the Netflix documentary presents, it leaves out a pretty interesting one by Chris Goodfellow, who, at the time of MH370's disappearance, had 20 years of experience as a pilot. The best thing about Goodfellow's theory is it doesn't go down the rabbit hole of corruption or blame anyone for malintent with little evidence. The pilot believes there may have been a fire in the cockpit, and the change in the plane's route was to emergency land the plane on the 13,000-foot runway at Pulau Langkawi.
Goodfellow believes the fire may have melted electronic wires releasing cyanide gas and knocking everyone unconscious. While this is just a theory like all the others in the MH370 documentary, and there is little evidence of its truth, it's definitely an interesting one and should have been explored in the documentary.
3 Excludes Dr. Schalk Lückhoff Debris Discovery
When it comes to MH370's debris, the documentary dives into Blaine Gibson's mission to find the debris, which he accomplished. However, there's also a story of a South African doctor named Dr. Schalk Lückhoff, who stumbled upon the debris at Mossel Bay in December 2016. Lückhoff said he ignored the debris when he first saw it because it smelled so bad from the rotting mussels attached to it. Lückhoff was not included in the documentary, and neither was his story of coming across the debris.
2 Richard Godfrey's Contributions Aren't Included
Richard Godfrey has also done extensive research into MH370, but nothing of him was mentioned in the documentary. Unfortunately, the MH370 documentary doesn't dive into the information that has come out in more recent years, like everything Godfrey has investigated. For example, Godfrey believes he has found MH370's location in the Indian Ocean, where many others are sure the plane landed. He also believes in the murder-suicide theory that Wise presents in the documentary. With all his research, he would have had a lot of information to offer the Netflix documentary but was sadly excluded.
1 The MH370 Documentary Gives No Concrete Answers
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is flooded with theories on what may have happened but, unfortunately, doesn't offer any concrete answers. While exploring what might have happened is interesting, viewers are left with the same questions they had at the beginning of the documentary. Of course, it's unlikely anyone will ever be able to prove what truly happened to MH370, but the Netflix documentary didn't offer much clarity. Not even the most logical theory about Zaharie's involvement provided enough information for viewers to conclude he likely caused the plane's disappearance.