Flyboys is set during World War I which began in Europe in 1914. Despite the fact that the United States had still not entered the war by 1917, many brave young American men went to France to fly planes and fight for the French. This movie is inspired by actual events in the Lafayette Escadrille fighter squadron. Even against odds, the Germans had better planes, weapons, and pilots and the average life expectancy for a fighter-pilot was three to six weeks these men risked their lives everyday for the greater good. This was a time when young men were full of hope, bravery and optimism but naive to embark on such an adventure. James Franco (Spiderman, Tristan & Isolde) plays Blaine Rawlings who was forced to leave his home in Arizona after the the bank foreclosed on his family ranch. Blaine sees a newsreel of fighter-pilots in France and feeling a sense of purpose he decides that he has nothing more to lose and heads to France. Other characters in the squadron include Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine) who is shamed into joining the war by his rich father. African-American boxer Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis) who had been living in France, at the time a more racially tolerant country and wanted to give something back to his new country. These brave Americans were under the command of French Captain Georges Thenault (Jean Reno, The Professional) and American Squadron Leader Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson). They became some of the world’s first combat pilots. This film seemed to have all it needed to be epic but instead Flyboys just turned out to be dull and boring. The only time I felt myself drawn into the picture was during the parts of the film where the life of these men and what they went through was brought to life. Also the airial battle sequences were incredible and intense to watch. The special effects were amazing but the love story and character interactions were bland. The film is over two hours long and you felt every minute of it. It goes to show you that you need more then a great story to make a truly great movie. I also strongly feel this movie would be completely lost on the visually impaired. The characters are very one dimensional and the dialogue is poor. The fight scenes are great but completely visual. This film is also not available in MoPix so I would definitely skip this one. Ultimately Flyboys just doesn’t fly.
(MGM)
Starring: James Franco, Abdul Salis, David Ellison, Jean Reno and Martin Henderson
