Flyboys

Flyboys
by Tony Bill

Flyboys
Our Price: $29.90
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.50 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: James Franco, Mac McDonald, Philip Winchester, Scott Hazell, Todd Boyce
Director: Tony Bill
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Format: NTSC
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Movie Reviews of Flyboys

Movie Review: Even better than 'Top Gun'
Summary: 5 Stars

'Flyboys' is one of the best films I have ever seen, period. I was a skeptic of the movie at first, there have been so many good war movies made already, what could this one do to top any of them? While watching however, I was pleasantly surprised by not only the acting and storyline, but the soundtrack by Trevor Rabin put this one over the top.

Also, 'Flyboys' is based on the real life adventures of the Escadrille Lafayette, created during the early years of WWI by the French to allow volunteer American pilots to fight even though the U.S. had not entered the war. The fact that every character in this film was real makes it hit home. You really become attached to each of the main characters as they struggle to live and fight honorably in a war with very little purpose behind it.

'Flyboys' is the first 'modern' era film to attempt a portrayal of this particular story, and it does an AMAZING job. The effects, particularly the dogfights, are epic, and as mentioned, Trevor Rabin's soundtrack compliments the movie perfectly. The film summarizes itself succinctly during the opening titles...

"Though the airplane was only recently invented, it was quickly adapted for war. The young men who flew them became the first fighter pilots, and a new kind of hero was born..."

This movie is a must have for any cinema enthusiast or history buff, and spring an extra couple of bucks for the collector's edition, it comes with some neat postcards.

Summary of Flyboys

World War I aviation action gets an impressive digital upgrade in Flyboys, a welcome addition to the "dogfight" sub-genre that includes such previous war-in-the-air films like Hell's Angels, Wings, and The Blue Max. While those earlier films had the advantage of real and genuinely dangerous flight scenes (resulting, in some cases, in fatal accidents during production), Flyboys takes full (and safe) advantage of the digital revolution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures, and CGI environments requiring a total of 850 digital effects shots, resulting in an abundance of amazing images, many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. Unfortunately, the film's technical achievement is more impressive than its screenplay, which conventionally and predictably tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.

There's a familiar clich? to match every thrilling scene of aerial combat, but director Tony Bill manages to keep it all interesting, from the romance between a young American maverick (James Franco) and a pretty French girl (newcomer Jennifer Decker) to the exciting action in the air, which includes a stock variety of heroes (many of them composites of real-life WWI pilots) and an intimidating villain known only as "The Black Falcon," whose Fokker Dr-1 triplane (one of many in the film) recalls the exploits of German "ace of aces" Manfred von Richtofen, the dreaded "Red Baron" of legend. With impeccable production values that will impress even the most nit-picking aviation buffs, Flyboys (like Superman Returns and Apocalypto, also released in 2006) was also one of the first feature films to be shot with Panavision's state-of-the-art Genesis digital cameras, resulting in beautiful images that meet or exceed the visual nuance of film. Flyboys also benefits from painstaking attention to physical detail, making it easier to forgive its shortcomings as a generic and formulaic slice of romanticized history. So while some viewers may have wished for a more realistic and grown-up depiction of the Lafayette Escadrille, it's safe to say that Flyboys will be thrilling its target audience for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in DVD
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 ImageBattlestar Galactica: Season 4.5
DVD
Best price: $31.99
Price in other shops: $49.98
Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism ImageJillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
Lions Gate; Release date: 2009-02-03; DVD
Best price: $8.22
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Wrestler ImageThe Wrestler
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops: $29.98
The Concerts ImageThe Concerts
Release date: 2009-04-28; DVD
Best price: $26.49
Price in other shops: $34.98
Quantum of Solace ImageQuantum of Solace
Release date: 2009-03-24; DVD
Best price: $8.85
Price in other shops: $29.99
Marley and Me (Single-Disc Edition) ImageMarley and Me (Single-Disc Edition)
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-31; DVD
Best price: $10.55
Price in other shops: $29.98
Caprica ImageCaprica
Universal; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $13.50
Price in other shops: $26.98
Slumdog Millionaire ImageSlumdog Millionaire
Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-31; DVD
Best price: $10.40
Price in other shops: $29.98
Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition) ImageTwilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Universal; Release date: 2009-03-21; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $32.99
Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred ImageJillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred
Lions Gate; Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $7.57
Price in other shops: $14.98
Similar DVD Movies
3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition) Image3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition)
LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-01-08; DVD
Best price: $8.90
Price in other shops: $19.98
The Day After Tomorrow (Widescreen Edition) ImageThe Day After Tomorrow (Widescreen Edition)
QUAID,DENNIS; Release date: 2004-10-12; DVD
Best price: $5.56
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Guardian ImageThe Guardian
Guardian; Release date: 2007-01-23; DVD
Best price: $4.85
Price in other shops: $14.99
I Am Legend (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy) ImageI Am Legend (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $2.33
Price in other shops: $34.99
Black Hawk Down [Region 2] ImageBlack Hawk Down [Region 2]
DVD
Best price: $35.06
National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets (Widescreen) ImageNational Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets (Widescreen)
National; Release date: 2008-05-20; DVD
Best price: $8.38
Price in other shops: $29.99
Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition) ImageLetters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-22; DVD
Best price: $1.99
Price in other shops: $34.99
The Patriot (Special Edition) ImageThe Patriot (Special Edition)
Sony; Release date: 2000-10-24; DVD
Best price: $3.40
Price in other shops: $14.94
Kingdom of Heaven [Region 2] ImageKingdom of Heaven [Region 2]
DVD
Best price: $84.21
Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition) ImageFlags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
Paramount; Release date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: $14.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners