Flyboys
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Movie Reviews of Flyboys
Movie Review: "Star Wars" meets "The Great War" in this old-fasioned, exciting War film.
Summary: 5 Stars
I for one loved this movie, my family loved it. Even my 64 year old war-veteran father who is very, very picky loved it. I for one am getting sick of all the critics dumping on it. The only other places I've seen aerial action this exciting and dynamic is in the "Star Wars" film series, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" and the 1995 TV series "Space: Above and Beyond". What makes this film special over those is that it's not in an abstract retro-futuristic fantasy world. It's a recreation of real WWI dogfights and they look so damn real. I'm an expert at spotting FX but there where many times when I really couldn't tell when they switched from real plane, to CGI model and then to scale model.
Now as for being historically inaccurate. Most of what I heard was anal-pretentious nitpicking and thus wasn't nearly as severe as some would have you believe. Most of those naysayers are just quoting some garbage some other know-it-all idiot said verbatim. Not to mention if you want precise history at such a nit-picky level as those guys insist on, go read a book. Now I wouldn't call this film a truly serious war film like "Flags of Our Fathers" or "Saving Private Ryan". It's more in the vein of the war films of the 30s and the 40s, just with new state-of-the-art visual effects. Even the love story could easily been written for a 1940s film.
In many ways it reminds of the WWI episodes of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" - In fact if you want a great companion piece to "Flyboys" check out the Young Indy film "Attack of the Hawkmen" which deals with the Lafayette escadrille as well. However keep in mind that a 2007 feature film budget can do way more then a TV movie from 1995. However they both have that old Saturday matinée type feel.
I guess that's why so many people call it cliché. I call it a good old fashion seat-of-your-pants thrill ride and a good way to introduce any young lad to the history of that time.
Oh and the bonus disc of the DVD set is above average with it's highlight being a terrific documentary on the real Lafayette escadrille pilots and explanations on who each of the films characters where inspired by. It's where most of these self-proclaimed war historians got there information I suspect since everything i here them say about who each character is based on, is covered by the documentary.
Now one major beef is with the stupid MPAA (Trey Parker and Matt Stone are so right about them.) They rated "Flyboys" PG-13 for "War Action (which is fine) and Sexual Content" What Sexual content they're talking about I have no clue whatsoever.
The love story is sweet, innocent and old fashion and as G-rated as they come.
Now there are a couple scenes in a brothel but the women are completely clothed and nothing sexual is discussed There's not even any cleavage or garters showing. If this film was made in the golden age of Hollywood I doubt even the Hayes Commission Production Code of the 40s and 50s could have found much to object to except maybe the use of the word prostitute.
However this is 2007 and Anna Nicole's half-naked body is splashed all over ever news program and we have TV commercials that would have been considered soft-core porn 50 years ago so I don't see show that could be it. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if this is reason so many movie-goers and (mostly) critics didn't like this movie. They saw the "Sexual Content" and were geared up for some style steamy love scenes ;in the style the WWI semi-classic "The Blue Max".
Now that I think of it I don't think I ever saw a major film critic criticize a heavily sexualized love story for being cliché'. Go figure. Not that I have anything against sex. I just don't need it to be in every TV show and movie.
Lastly what I really find idiotic is the fact that most the critics who dumped on "Flyboys" for being clichéd and historically inaccurate gave glowing reviews to the WWII submarine turd-fest "U-571" with it's ridiculously well-lit, dry and roomy submarines, it's driftwood-like performance by Matthew McConaughey in the lead (While he's no Marlon Brando I'd James Franco in "Flyboys" over nude-bongo boy any day.)
Not to mention if you want to talk historical inaccuracies, "U-571" completely re-writes history having Americans, rather then the British, find the first Enigma machine and decode it.
Now "Flyboys" having planes a couple years too early or slightly the wrong color is no comparison for that level of deliberate falsification. However at RottenTomatoes.com "U-571" gets a whopping 67% "FRESH" with a consensus "Excellent cinematography and an interesting plot accompanied by a talented cast and crew make U-571 a tense thriller." While "Flyboys" gets a 33% ROTTEN with a consensus "Poorly scripted with mediocre acting and unconvincing battle scenes."
Not to mention when it comes to historical inaccuracies don't even get me started on "Pearl Harbor", "Titanic" or Frank Miller's "300" (Which will be a huge hit despite the fact it bares little resemblance to the true story.)
Now finally I know why Hollywood makes so much trash. When they made a good clean old-fashion staurday afternoon action movie critics dump on it and movie-goers end up avoiding it like the plague. Darn Shame.
Movie Review: 'Flyboys' Soars! Four Flying Aces!
Summary: 5 Stars
'Flyboys' is a great epic movie. It zeros in on a group of American World War I flying aces, volunteering before President Wilson reluctantly brought U.S. involvement into the war. Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) is the main protagonist. Born and bred as a cowboy in Texas, he volunteers for the bravado of adventure. He is joined by a wealthy American; an African-American who has expatriated to Paris as a boxer (and volunteered to fight wanting to escape both boxing and America); a pure-bred Bible Christian with a mission; a failed ex-con, fleeing the country; and an American trying to keep the family military lineage going. They join up with a French flying unit and are under the wing of an arrogant and wary American pilot residing at a mansion sized estate and their French commander, Capt. Thenault. Their mission proves to be more daunting than their initial cockiness calls them to be, but they soon learn and develop pilot and combat skills.
The movie contains some dizzying airborne scenes that surpass post-modern expectations. (If this movie isn't playing at the I-Max, then it should be. Afterall, it would be a missed opportunity on the part of both the purveyor and the audience.) Besides a compelling plot (which is based on a true story, afterall) there's good comraderie and a romance added well to the mix. The former provides some well-developed complications and entertainment. For the romance, the innocent balcony-type scenes couldn't possibly offend anyone. If there seems to be a distance between Rawlings and his French girl, Lucianne (Jennifer Decker), it's because of a language barrier (something quite natural, for crying out loud!) But if love is a language, then there is a connection that surpasses the lack of dialogue. There aren't going to be any prizes awarded for the acting, but Franco is likable enough as the swaggering Rawlings, and the rest of the cast provide engaging performances, nevertheless. The tension and resentment based on class, experience, arrogance, and race is certainly given a believable treatment. How they can cover all of the bases, clock in without becoming tedious, mix it all up without becoming jarring, and provide an uplifting experience amongst the war and strife is a major achievement.
Not to be too reactionary, but there's something to be said about the criticism of 'Flyboys'. To some it will seem like a cornball adventure. First, one must divide the worthy corn from the shmaltzy. This film works. (To be fair, critics do honor corny movies, but no one dies in 'Hoosiers' or 'Field of Dreams'.) Perhaps this movie makes some people uncomfortable because it does honor bravery in battle, chivalry, and comraderie. ('Flyboys' does contain some inspiring, but dated little pep talks that may inspire the "cliche'" label.) It may glorify the war experience, but it certainly doesn't hedge about the horrors. Wisely, almost expertly, they glide over the atrocities of war in a way that is both unvarnished, but not enough to entirely gross out the audience. Nothing is swept under the rug. As the new volunteers pass by casualties on a train platform, they find plenty of war's realities. (And, so does the audience.) I also believe that there may be less enthusiasm for 'Flyboys' because the German army presented has almost a generation remaining before they become Nazis (even if the enemy is certainly presented with enough menace). I prefer movies that promote peace over war. But if there is to be war, movies like 'Flyboys' are inspiring works which showcase four flying aces that show courage, heart, and chivalry. 'Flyboys' is a great war movie that soars!
Movie Review: Don't listen to the "experts".
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been looking forward to seeing this movie but became reluctant after reading the rather mediocre reviews it received from the so-called "experts". I decided to ahead and, as usual, the "experts" got it all wrong. FLYBOYS not only met my expectations, but also exceeded them.
I'm a big history buff and am usually very disappointed with Hollywood's rendition of historical events. For me, it really detracts from a movie when I see things like Sea Sparrow missile launchers on the deck of a destroyer in Pearl Harbor, or when William Wallace supposedly has a torrid affair with a Princess who was, in reality, only three years old at the time of his death, and I expected to find similar fault with this movie. I found no such errors here. The true life story was most accurate, including such details as the lion which served as the mascot for the Escadrille LaFayette, the dented bullets which the flying aces had to sort through before each flight, and the fact that over one million allied soldiers lost their lives at Verdun.
Hollywood movie critics have a difficult time with true stories. True life, especially when accurately presented, doesn't always have the same flair as fictionalized accounts, and critics have given rather harsh reviews of the plot, totally missing so many details surrounding such things as camaraderie, respect and traumatic real life emotions. And no, in real life, people don't always live happily ever after and the hero doesn't always ride off into the sunset with his sweetheart.
Beyond the historical accuracy portrayed here, the film has sensational filming, particularly in the air battle scenes. The aerial views depict the miles of devastation of French countryside surrounding the trenches. The casting is more than adequate with particular mention going to Jean Reno as Capt. Thenault. James Franco also gives a superb portrayal of American Ace Blaine Rawlings.
If you are a history lover, and particularly interested, as I am, in the Great War, I urge you to go and watch this movie. You will find it historically accurate and yet able to bridge the gap into being an entertaining movie. Remember that this is not some Hollywood enhanced idea of war, but rather an accurate depiction of the real life events that surrounded the American pilots who became the Escadrille LaFayette. The critics got this one all wrong. Surprise, surprise.
Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com
Movie Review: For the movie-buff, not the historian
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many have said before, this was a film I waited months to see as well. That kind of anticipation can swing both ways, setting one up for either a great film viewing experience of a real let-down. Flyboys kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. If you are concerned with the technical details of aircraft, insignia and flying techniques, then just relax, please! This is a entertainment, not a didactic examination of aerial combat. There was one comment about "physics" and aviation here. One must remember that Bill needs to appeal to the audience of 2006, most of whom who have seen airships move through space and time in the blink of an eye cinematically, and who have traveled on commercial aircraft, if not experienced ski-jets, ninja bikes and ultra-fast rollercoater rides. So, how do you make aircraft that travel along at barely over 100 mph look exciting on the screeen. Perhaps a little poetic license is to be permitted, no? If the acting was less then stellar, I didn't seem to notice. I cared about the characters. I wanted them to succeed and survive. Sure, there were cliches in abundance, but I didn't mind. There are cliches in just about every action film I've seen in the last decade.
And the love story was touching and kept the film from being a stringing together of combat sequences (which, incidently, were stunning).
I came to this picture with a bit of a bias as I love reading and learning about combat aircraft of the two world wars. Flyboys was exactly the type of film I was looking forward to seeing. It embraces a time when air combat was still almost hand to hand, and could be face to face.
There is a certain existentialism about the short lives these men led and yet they wouldn't have made their choices differently.
I am grateful to the producers and all involved in making a film that is the noble aspects of human beings, as opposed to making entertainment about people doing "dumb" things or mountains of ironic statements.
Movie Review: First Rate WWI Flying Epic
Summary: 5 Stars
It may be the tenor of the times that critics feel a need to pan a war film glorifying heroism and bravery, but Flyboys is much better than the critics admit. You'll want to see this while it's still in a theater to appreciate the flying and special effects.
Based loosely on the Lafayette Escadrille, Americans who flew for France before the United States entered WWI, the story traces the lives of men who volunteered to fly and fight in a foreign land at a time when the average life expectancy of a pilot was measured in weeks. Although elements have been simplified and dramatized, the accuracy of many of the details is stunning. Yes, all the red Fokker DR1s are a bit much, but given that an audience might have difficulty quickly distinguishing between authentically painted Albatrosses and Neuports, it is an acceptable compromise.
The film owes a lot to films of the 20s and 30s. For example, the attack on the zeppelin resembles that in Hells Angels and the attack on German munitions reminds me of both Wings and Dawn Patrol. The flying is generally the equal of the earlier films and the special effects add to the realism. One strength of Dawn Patrol is the absence of the usual sappy romantic subplot, but this one is less painful than most - and doesn't pull the movie down as it did The Blue Max. While Jennifer Decker, as a French farm girl, is stunning, the romance could be edited out without significantly changing the movie.
Anyway, I'm glad I saw Flyboys on the big screen and I'll be one of the first in line when it comes out on DVD.