{"id":1996,"date":"2008-10-11T00:03:25","date_gmt":"2008-10-10T14:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fernbyfilms.com\/?p=1996"},"modified":"2018-03-15T22:14:07","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T11:44:07","slug":"movie-review-flyboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fernbyfilms.com\/2008\/10\/11\/movie-review-flyboys\/","title":{"rendered":"Movie Review – Flyboys"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flyboys-Review-Logo-v5.1\"<\/p>\n

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– Summary –<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director :<\/strong> Tony Bill
\nYear Of Release :<\/strong>\u00a0 2006
\nPrincipal Cast :<\/strong>\u00a0 James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, Abdul Salis, Philip Winchester, Tyler Labine, David Ellison.
\nApprox Running Time :<\/strong>\u00a0 140 Minutes
\nSynopsis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The story behind the Lafayette Escadrille, an airborne division fighting in World War I.
\nWhat we think :\u00a0 <\/strong>Popcorn entertainment based on real world events and people always flirts more with historical inaccuracy than this reviewer would like. Flyboys<\/em> shoehorns a mid-level romantic angle into a nicely filmed aerial combat film that at times is genuinely exciting, only to get a little lost when things happen on the ground. Technically<\/em> excellent, yet ultimately dull and insipid, Flyboys<\/em> should remain grounded for the duration.
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Lavishly mounted adventure film starring James Franco as a US farm-boy traveling to war torn France to fly planes against the Germans during WWI, delivers some startlingly good aerial battle sequences, however collapses in a heap when the drama plays out on the ground.<\/p>\n

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Picking up strangers was easier than Bobby thought.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Effectively a love story to the Lafayette Escadrille in France during the time, these pioneering pilots flew biplane\u2019s through the skies of France to defeat the Germans. Franco delivers a slightly wooden and emotionless performance as Rawlings, a gun pilot who overcomes his initial trepidation to become the groups ace flyer.<\/p>\n

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Theres no excuse for Torque. None at all.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flyboys<\/em> is directed with limited dramatic skill by Tony Bill, best known as producer of The Sting<\/em>, the 70\u2019s movie starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and while he may have felt it was a good idea to show the bravery of these American boys during the first world war, perhaps he should have spent more time developing a decent script. The action, firstly, is superbly<\/em> done, although missing some really dazzling music to accompany it most of the way through the film. The CGI effects, which are staggeringly realistic for almost the entire film, are well integrated into the green-screen live action, and you are never once pulled out of the movie. The action is rapid and well edited, the dogfights in the skies confusing at times (which it must have been at the time) and well choreographed.<\/p>\n

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Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines certainly looked different with CGI.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bobby felt the rush of air past his face, and never had he been so alive!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But it\u2019s the drama itself that\u2019s suprisingly limp: the deaths of major characters, heck, even ancillary ones, are treated as though it\u2019s hardy worth a mention. Planes fall from the sky, explode, spin and catch fire all over the screen, yet the people in them are given the barest\u00a0attention by the editing team. The drama on the ground, in particular, is sadly lacking, with Franco and Martin Henderson delivering some woefully wooden lines as best they can: it\u2019s not enough. Poor Jennifer Decker, as love interest Lucienne, barely speaks a word of English and her English accent is so bad it stunts the dramatic flow of the story when she appears. Yes, she\u2019s certainly radiant as Franco\u2019s French love, but hardly able to prop up this wooden, empty plotline as it deserves. It all rings a bit hollow, to be honest.<\/p>\n

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I know, I know, I look like that chick in the Mummy movies, but no, I am not.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jean Reno pops up in a token role as the French commander of the pilot squadron, which, while certainly amusing most of the time, hardly adds anything new to his oeuvre.<\/p>\n

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Yeah yeah, Godzilla was a bad career move, I know, but then, so was THIS film.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The central themes of the film seem confused, with the film trying to promote racism, bigotry and depression in equal parts, but failing wholeheartedly to do any of them justice. It\u2019s quite disappointing. Perhaps it\u2019s the lack of depth afforded to the supporting cast (none of whom really get much time to shine, with the exception of Tyler Labine, who plays wayward rich-boy Briggs Lowry, who is perhaps the best part of the film!) that create such a lack of feeling within the film, which runs at a little over two hours. For such a long film, there\u2019s very little emotional content available.<\/p>\n

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Johnny looked down, and noticed Trevor had split his pants. Seconds later, he laughed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the action sequences are dynamic, thrilling and well executed, something the filmmakers should be commended for.<\/p>\n

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Jerry wondered if this really WAS the way to Skull Island, like he had been promised.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They are not, however, able to prop up what is an otherwise forgettable Sunday-afternoon-TV romp that would have been better served being a TV miniseries, which is kind of what it feels like at times. Flyboys<\/em> is dedicated, but ultimately unfulfilling.<\/p>\n

\"5-Star\"<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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