Product: Flyboys [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 2.0
The Year Von Richthofen Had Off
"Flyboys" is amazing. It manages to be a dull movie about a fascinating subject, the Lafayette Escadrille, a dull love story, and a dull movie about Great War dog fighting, which this reviewer did not believe possible.Although the film is trying and makes an effort at historical detail and dramatic content it falls flat. The viewer doesn't get chance to know any of the characters ably played by some new faces as well as the venerable Jean Reno. (Reno must have a bell that rings in his agent's office every time an American script calls for a French character.) But no amount of acting can pull this lack luster script from the trenches of tedium.The missing piece in "Flyboys," other than the absence of Von Richthofen, is the near complete lack of any actual aerial photography. "Top Gun" is a mediocre film at best but has phenomenal aerial photography which is exciting and engaging. In "Flyboys" we have only CGI which is sterile. The performers don't have close ups of their faces against sub-zero wind (for which they are woefully underdressed) which detracts from the danger and excitement of a film about Great War pilots. It is obvious they are against a green screen in Vancouver. If "Flyboys" had gone the extra mile and had at least one dog fight done for "real" it would have saved the film. Granted, there aren't may flying bi and tri planes in the world but if massive trebuchets can be built for "Kingdom of Heaven," and Fort William Henry can be rebuilt for "Last of the Mohicans," and fiberglass tanks can be built for "A Bridge Too Far," and a working Tiger can be found for "Saving Pvt. Ryan," then I'm sure the producers of this film could have found a way to bring some excitement to "Flyboys."However "Flyboys" will be a boon to sleep researchers who now have a new way to put test subjects to sleep without the side effects of narcotics or entertainment value