Flyboys is great! I was so excited to receive the screener for this flick! And now I cannot wait to pick up the Collectors Edition copy on the 30th!

TITLE: Flyboys
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
DIRECTOR: Tony Bill
STARRING: James Franco, Jean Reno, Abdul Salis, Philip Winchester, Michael Jibson, Tyler Labine, David Ellison, Jennifer Decker, and many more.
RELEASE DATE: Jan. 30, 2007
RATING: PG-13
RUNNING TIME: 140 min.
OTHER EDITION(S): Single disc edition DVD, 2-disc Collectors Edition DVD
SPECS: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
FEATURES: Single Disc Edition: Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Audio Commentary by the Director and Producer, 15 minutes of deleted scenes, Short Documentary on Real Life Airmen, Short Documentary on the SFX, Miniature Stunt Pilot Feature
2-Disc Collectors Edition: Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Audio Commentary by Director Tony Bill and Producer Dean Devlin, “Real Heroes: The True Story of the Lafayette Escadrille” Featurette, “Life of a Miniature Stunt Pilot” Featurette, “Whiskey and Soda- The Lion Mascots” Featurette, “Taking Flight- The Making of a Flying Sequence”, “The Real Planes of Flyboys” Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, Flyboys Squadron DVD-ROM Game
STORE EXCLUSIVES: unknown

SYNOPSIS:

“Flyboys,” the first World War I aviation film in over 30 years, is inspired by the epic, courageous tale of the American young men who would become known as the legendary Lafayette Escadrille. They were ordinary boys who volunteered for the first World War looking for adventure, and in the process, they became heroes. Never before has a movie so accurately portrayed the thrill and danger of the aerial dogfights that played such an integral role in the Allied resistance.
-From MGM

REVIEW:
MOVIE: It’s about time someone made a movie like this again! It’s been over 30 years since the last aerial WW1 epic. I have found myself playing scenes from this movie over and over in my head since seeing it.

There are certainly parts that could have worked better in the film, mostly some character development for the smaller supporting rolls. Captain Thenault (Jean Reno), Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson), and particularly Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis) are just a few examples of characters we got a peek at but not a deep look. I personally would have loved to see much more surrounding Skinner, the movie counterpart for the real life Eugene Bullard. In fact, can someone please make a movie about this man’s life! He was fascinating!

Is it not a completely accurate tale compared to the real story of the Lafayette Escadrille, but still manages to drive (or fly) straight to the point. A little about the film: Young American men, all for different reasons, joined the Lafayette Escadrille (or the newly formed French flying corps). Airplanes were a new technology, not to mention aerial warfare. The US had not entered the war yet, and it was these brave American volunteers that joined up to fight the good fight.

Focusing on training the new US flyers in the first third of the film the majority of the story takes us up straight into the dogfights and leaves you twisting and turning while the men maneuver their small unassuming aircraft (compared to planes today) while dodging bullets. It is the kind of film that Howard Hughes desperately wanted to make.

The film is not without its faults, but is so completely entertaining that you forgive those faults quickly. Definitely worth a watch on the big screen!

VIDEO: Coming Soon

AUDIO: Coming Soon

SPECIAL FEATURES: The screener copy I received only has a couple of features that I can comment on. The commentary is wonderful! It gives so much insight into how this film was made, casting decisions, actor’s motivations, and most importantly the use of digital. The film was shot entirely in digital (no film here!) and the flawless special effects shots blend seamlessly with the rest of the film. You’ll have to listen to it yourself to believe it, they really are seamless shots! There are also a number of trailers (but let’s face it - this ain’t so much a special feature - I mean you can check them out online!).

I cannot wait to pick up the 2-Disc version to check out all the additional features!

PACKAGE & DESIGN: I’m really only guessing here (as of yet), but the 2-Disc Collectors Edition looks phenomenal. With insert cards, a great box, cover art and I’m sure wonderful menus. The single disc appears to have a snap case with the poster graphics. Nothing special, but hell, buy the 2-Disc copy if you want something special!

Scores:
Movie: 4.5 / 5 - It’s grown on me, I had to bump it up a half a star!
Video: Coming Soon
Audio: Coming Soon
Special Features: 5 / 5
Package and Design: 4 / 5

OVER ALL:
4.5 /5

EASTER EGGS:

FILMS IN THE SAME VEIN: Flags of our Fathers (also a recent war film - different war tho), Aviator (Watch Howard Hugh’s obsession with making a film such as this one!), possibly Letters From Iwo Jima the counterpart to Flags of our Fathers. But nothing before is really quite like this movie!

(Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox)