Flyboys

[Onkel Neal]

I recommend it. The film is studded with the usual cliches and more than a few dopey scenes, but there are some good scenes, too. And this is the first WWI aviation film in decades. The special effects and dogfight scenes are really good, this is a great film to see on the big screen. There's one scene where the American pilot is in a turning battle with the German ace...very arresting visuals. :up:

[nikimcbee]

...going sunday afternoon.:|\\
Maybe they'll have an Eindekker:hmm:

[nikimcbee]

Vikings lose:shifty:
..off to see movie:/\\k:

[nikimcbee]

I recommend it. The film is studded with the usual cliches and more than a few dopey scenes, but there are some good scenes, too. And this is the first WWI aviation film in decades. The special effects and dogfight scenes are really good, this is a great film to see on the big screen. There's one scene where the American pilot is in a turning battle with the German ace...very arresting visuals. :up:


Right on Neal.
Here's my thoughts on the movie. I was worried when I saw the preview, that it was another one of these Hollywood arcade game movies. I found one review that called it the "prequel to Pearl Harbor," which made me worry. But, it's still a WWI aviation movie:rock: , so bring it on!
There are a few tacky parts, but they don't hold the movie back in my opinion. The scene where they crash in no-man's land, for one.:dead: (I don't want to ruin the movie, so I'm not saying much). I thought the fighting scenes were believable, unlike the air-to-air scenes in P.H. People die...Planes fall apart...yes even goodguy's get hit! I loved all of the airplanes, I wish they had a larger variety of planes. An Albatros III or V would have been cool! They were much more common than the DR IThank god for CGI graphics. Then the part I feared the most....the love story:damn: :damn: . First of all, I am anti-lovestory in war-movies, (See Pearl Harbor why or any John Wayne love-plot-twist), having said that, the love story in Flyboys, wasn't that bad. It had some interesting twists. They weren't as sexed-up as I thought they'd be.

So...what I learned from watching "Flyboys:"
1. The Germans only flew red triplanes.
2. Some Germans are bastards, but some are okay until they kill you friends.
3. You can fly a plane with a hook...if you fly for the French:|\\
4. The Germans had lots of tanks...oops wrong war.
5. The next time I fly in France (which I haven't) I REALLY NEED TO CRASH MY AEROPLANE IN A TREE...note to self:bring bottle of anti-biotics:doh:
6. All American hero's come from......Texas.

My summary::up: :yep:
I liked the ending, they showed an actual picture of the Esquadrille de Lafeyette. The fighting scenes weren't too "arcadish". The characters that need to die, die and they ones that need to live, live. So, when is the DVD coming out.

[Sarah]

Thanks for the reviews. Was debating between seeing it in the theatre or waiting until rental. Sounds worth seeing on the big screen. About time for a WWI movie, huh? =)

Sarah

[Sailor Steve]

I haven't seen it yet; probably will this weekend.

If you like WWI aviation movies, I would recommend these two:

1) Wings. Black & white, silent, made in 1927, uses a couple of WWI leftovers, but mostly U.S. biplanes from the '20s. Won the first ever 'Best Picture' Oscar. Like all of its successors it has a lot of schmaltz, but it also has things like a town built in the country actually being bombed with real bombs (state of the art FX at the time) and some killer flying sequences.

2) Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen. Part of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series from George Lucas. Some silliness, but von Richtofen is in the proper Albatros, and it features a very nice replica Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter. In one sequence Indy (who is with the group as a photographer) is shot down and captured by von Richtofen, and then has lunch with the Germans prior to being sent to a prison camp (actually prior to escaping, of course). The Baron says he deplores camouflage and that "I want my enemies to see me coming!"

Indy replies "Why don't you paint your plane red, then?" The Baron contemplates...

[Saukko]

From the trailer I got a feeling that they should have done a movie based on Crimson Skies game, instead of "true" story about WWI.
Oh, well, if it comes here, I will probably go to watch it. There goes 10 €.

[cj95]

6. All American hero's come from......Texas.





Well at least they got that bit of Historical fact correct.
:up: Gig em

[nikimcbee]

From the trailer I got a feeling that they should have done a movie based on Crimson Skies game, instead of "true" story about WWI.
Oh, well, if it comes here, I will probably go to watch it. There goes 10 €.


I got the same impressions from the trailer. It drives me crazy when hollywood "dumbs" down movies. But the fighting scenes weren't that bad. Go see it during the day when they prices are lower.:up: I want to make my own movie about WWI aviation. It would have Garros, Anthony Fokker, eindekkers, DH I's... something along those lines. Or maybe the Red Baron's rise to power. Anybody want to donate to my film production?:hmm:

[Sailor Steve]

It would have Garros, Anthony Fokker, eindekkers, DH I's...
October 1914: the first aerial victory comes when five unarmed Be-2s force an unarmed Taube to land. The German pilot runs away, the Brits burn his plane and call it a win.

November 1914: the first aerial kill is made when two Frenchmen in a Voisin LA-3 shoot down an unarmed German two-seater with a Hotchkiss gun. Both of the Frenchmen survived the war.

Oh, yes, the great Roland Garros shoots down several Germans before a malfunction forces him to land behind enemy lines. Anthony Fokker views the captured Morane 'L' and promptly comes up with a working interrupter gear to arm his M-5 monoplanes, creating the E-1 and the 'Fokker scourge'.

I love those early days. I'd love to see Lanoe Hawker and his DH-2 against Manfred von Richtofen's Albatros D-II.

More than that I'd love to see a movie about the early naval struggles.

[Jager]

PLEASE NOTE: I refer to some scenes in the movie and it might spoil it for those who have not seen it yet. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! :)

I went to see the movie a week ago and I had high hopes. I was not completely disappointed however as it was the first WW1 movie in a long time. I thought, when I went to see the movie, that it would be historically accurate...well the Escadrille Lafayette is on the mark but what about the Germans ? They began in 1916 (presumably April 1916 when they talked about the "new Nieuport 17"). After the starting scenes and such it advanced one month and to the new pilots first sortie over the lines. They encountered Fokker Dr I 's ?!?! That in itself is historically INACCURATE as the British didn't even field the Sopwith Triplane until June 1916 (Sopwith Triplane was copied by the Germans and fielded as the Fokker DR I as early as late August 1917). The planes they should have encoutered in mid 1916 were the Eindeckers and Halberstadt D II's with the possbile Albatros D I's but did we see any in that movie ? Later in the movie, the mentioned that the American government declared war (April 1917) but still five months short of the first Fokker DR I appearing on the Western front. That being the first thing I noticed, I also noted when the German pilot fell out of his aeroplane that he didn't pull his chute (maybe just waiting to get away from the plane prehaps) as almost all German pilots were equipped with parchuates unlike their allied counterparts. But, on the other hand, it turned my stomach to think of any pilot, esspeically the allied ones in the bombers, falling from that height to their doom. Another thing that was noted was that all the triplanes were red but I assuming they ran into the same Jasta each time. The air battles were pretty good though but some of the manouvers the planes were pulling would result in the plane ripping its wing off (especially the dive made by the lead actor during the first sortie) but its hollywood. The one scene that was off in my mind by a large % was the end scene between the lead character and the German ace, how can you pull a manouver like he did, end up perfecly side by side, same speed and such and pop two shots with a pistol into him ? If you think about the very brave early aviators who had to fight this way when machine guns weren't even on aeroplanes it makes it look like a walk in the park. And what about the large amount of German tanks in 1916-1917 ? I was warned, when I went to the theatre, that there would be alot of historical elements that would be twisted or changed to suit Hollywood but I accepted them knowing I would atleast get to see a WW1 movie. Amazing how a few weeks before, i sat in the cockpit of a Fokker DR I at an airshow not far from my house so I could not resist the temptation of missing Fly Boys. I just hope next time they will stick more to history but still add that flare that makes a movie good...thats the real challenge. BTW I also heard during the commerials, that the movie was in the theatres only ? Or is it actually coming out on DVD ?

[Saukko]

There is a another WWI aviation movie coming, made by germans, about the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.

http://www.redbaron-themovie.com/

I hope they make it realistic.

[Sailor Steve]

Let's see: I saw several lovely Albatroses, including a red one, Voss's black-and-white DR-1...

I have high hopes already.

[Tchocky]

Saw this a few days ago, and I want those hours back. I could have read, gone for a walk, spent some time with a friend, chewed on my eyelids.

The historical innaccuracy does not bother me. The lead character being the only man in 1917 with highlights does not bother me.

The hackneyed, stomach-wrenchingly wimpy script bothered me. That and a few other things

[RickC Sniper]

The script was corny and full of the usual cliches but overall it was entertaining.

Well worth my $7.

[Sailor Steve]

Finally saw it.

The Good: Fairly entertaining story, I liked the characters and the actors enough to get involved. The CGI was pretty good and the combat scenes were fun.

The Bad: Little niggly things bothered me. The real planes all had rotary engines, which means they went around with the propellors. In the aerial scenes this would have been easy enough since they were using CGI anyway, and they could have rigged one mock-up for the 'engine-starting' scenes. The zeppelin was cute, but the one in Hell's Angels, made clear back in 1930, was better (at least the crash scene was) and that one had a cloud car!

The Ugly: The N.17 was no match for the DR.1, which is not a problem because the first DR.1s weren't flying until late 1917! In fact, the Germans should have been in Albatroses, and they are just as easy to fake as any other plane. It would have been a lot better if "Based on the true story" was actually about the real Lafayette Escadrille. The real story is always better than any fiction.

Still, I had fun, and will definitely add it to my collection when it's on DVD. Probably wait for a used copy, though.

[Grayback]

And here I was thinking that you guys were talking about Bradley's book Flyboys.