[WWI] Another Flyboys Review

[J.R. Boye]

   I saw this movie yesterday with my brother. The matinee showing was
not packed ( about 50 people ), so I predict it will be available for Bob
on DVD fairly quickly.
      I remember being thrilled by The Blue Max when I saw it as a young
teenager. I must be jaded now, because I wasn't all that excited by this
movie-I just can't really pinpoint why.
      Probably a big reason is the computer generated sequences - somehow
the planes don't move right. The flying sequences in films like The
Battle of Britain, The Blue Max, Those Magnificent Men, Tora Tora Tora
and Memphis Belle are amazing and will stand up to viewing after viewing.
Only the ground scenes in this movie can compare because real planes are
involved. I think I would rather see a surgically altered Tiger Moth in
real flight than another computer generated red triplane .  
     In fact, Flyboys has a lot more in common with Pearl Harbor than
with The Blue Max. The pacing is similar in both films as well as the
disregard for historical facts. There are enough amazing real stories
from WW I aviation to make an incredible movie without resorting to this
kind of fiction.
       Little things bothered me: severly wounded patient in medical tent
with bed next to wide open door, Croix de Guerre pinned on man moments
after being under arrest - no wait for command approval, no squadron
ceremony. Pilots remove goggles when they want to look around, fly in a
straight and level course when guns are jammed even though enemy is on
tail. Rotary engines not only do not turn, there is visible paneling
between the cylinders. Sopwith 'Strutter wears the markings of a single
seat Comic version stationed in England more than a year later. These
guys never do any missions as mundane as fly a contact patrol or
intercept a reconnaisance plane.
     And......  WHY HAS NO MOVIE EVER PORTRAYED A GERMAN AIRCRAFT IN
CLOSE TO ACCURATE COLORS ?
       As far as plot: go see A Very Long Engagement. For accuracy, The
Lost Battalion still rules.
      Things I did like : photography was excellent, Nieuports looked
great, settings were detailed, actors are pretty. Those are good enough
reasons to add this one to your DVD collection.