Review: Stop! That! Train! – I choo-choo choose you

Directed by Adam Shankman
Starring Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, RuPaul, Rachel Bloom 

6.5/10

Stop! That! Train! is the kind of movie that doesn’t so much arrive as it chugs into your life—sequins first, punchline second, plot somewhere in the last car.

From the director of the 2007 remake of Hairspray, the film sets out as both an affectionate homage to classic disaster-comedy spoofs (think Flying High) and a proudly on-brand celebration of RuPaul’s Drag Race. In other words, this is camp cinema providing enough fan service and theatrical personality to engage the intended audience for 90 minutes.

The story follows Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), two stewardesses from Stank Rail who sneak their way into employment with the glitzy Glamazonian Express, the kind of upgrade that only happens in parody universes where nobody checks paperwork. Their new glamorous workplace comes with immediate danger, not just because the service is staffed by petty “mean girls,” lead by Amber (Brooke Lynn Hytes), but because a catastrophic weather system is rolling in. The threat is Stormaganza, a looming, cartoon-sized disaster testing its leads to become the kind of heroes required to save the day.

The cast helps the movie stay afloat emotionally even when it drifts into deliberate chaos. Ginger Minj and Jujubee share fantastic and heartfelt chemistry, grounding the film’s absurdity in something simple: they’re friends who genuinely care, and they make the audience want them to succeed. RuPaul delivers with practiced comedic timing as President Gagwell, a role tailored for big eccentric authority and punchlines that know exactly when to hit. Meanwhile, Rachel Bloom stands out as Donna Dusk, a beleaguered train traffic controller who doubles as the film’s comedic anchor—funny, yes, but also carrying enough vulnerability to stop the whole thing from becoming pure noise.

As a piece of queer camp, the movie’s humor is clearly routed through the Drag Race bubble and influences like Paris Is Burning (1990), replacing the older disaster-parody’s racist, sexist and violent tendencies with something more palatable for a modern audience.

The joke quality is inconsistent. Some bits land with a laugh-out-loud reaction and will have Drag Race fans shouting out their favourite lines referencing the series. Other gags linger too long or drift into cringe. Viewers outside of this world may not always feel included in the joke and consequently not be as engaged.

The film’s production values are less than stellar. The song-and-dance numbers aren’t memorable in the way you’d hope; they arrive more like detours than set-piece highlights. Even the visuals, including the special effects and sets, often look cheap when compared with their predecessors.

Still, there’s an undeniable pleasure here: Stop! That! Train! is loud, proud, deeply camp cinematic junk food, or a sweet cocktail at the bar. If you want subtle humor, tight plotting, or high production polish, this is the wrong carriage. But if you crave Drag Race energy, Flying High-style spoof structure, and the kind of chaotic entertainment that laughs at its own logic—then yes. It’s a very entertaining ride.

ANNE PAVY