Flyboys (2-Disc CE)

A group of young Americans join the French military to help fight back against the Germans during World War I. These men were among the country's first fighter pilots, and were known as the Lafayette Escadrille. This is their story.

For history buffs and war movie fans, FLYBOYS makes for passable entertainment, but it may take some work getting over how predictable and contrived the whole thing is. If it weren't for the stellar special effects and pristine image quality, I would have guessed this movie was made sometime during the 80's. There's not one aspect of the script that doesn't feel dated, and that's including everything from the pathetic stock characters to the painfully obvious climax. And on that note, I'd like to play a game. It's called...

GUESS WHAT HAPPENS!

The rules are simple. All you have to do is guess what happens later on in the film regarding whichever paragraph you're reading. This may be easier if you know a little about the film, so be sure to read what it's about in the above section. The prize? Dignity, honor, and respect. Go forth, young schmoe soldiers...

(*WARNING: SEMI-SPOILERS AHEAD*)

1. There are two pilots: one of them is pompous and rich, and the other is black. Upon being asked to bunk with the black pilot, the pompous pilot refuses because, "It would be like sleeping with one of my servants back home." Can you guess what happens?
2. There's a pilot who can't seem to do anything right, especially when it comes to aiming his plane's gun. The rest of the pilots joke about this, saying he wastes enough ammo to take down over five enemy planes. Can you guess what happens?
3. After being shocked from the heat of battle, one of the pilots becomes too frightened to fly again. Day after day, he sits back and watches his friends fly up to their possible doom, all the while being too scared to help them. Can you guess what happens?
4. A pilot's plane crash lands, but the pilot survives. Meanwhile, another pilot (Franco) is being chased by an enemy fighter. Intense music starts to play in the background. The pilot on the ground waves to Franco as he rapidly passes by, all the while shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'm alive! It's okay! I'm alive!" Can you guess what happens?
5. An experienced, abrasive, and oh-so-mysterious pilot has one goal: to take down the enemy fighter who's killed all his friends. However, it's important to note that this person is NOT the main character. In fact, the main character (Franco) has learned a lot from this "mysterious" pilot, and is also trying to take out the same enemy. Can you guess what happens?

(*END SEMI-SPOILERS*)

(To find out if your answers are correct, scroll down to the Final Diagnosis and highlight them with your mouse! Obviously, there are spoilers. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.)

As unbelievable as it may sound, the above passages don't even come close to capturing just how trite and cliché this film really is. But hey, if you're the type of moviegoer that can just ignore that aspect of the production, you might find yourself enjoying FLYBOYS quite a bit. The most notable highlight is obviously the dogfights, which are simply outstanding. They're not only exciting and cool to look at, they're also the sole defining factor that makes the film worthy of a rental. Think of them like the action sequences from THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, except in the sky and set during World War I (man, I can just hear Comic Book Guy saying... "Worst analogy ever").

As for the rest of the film, it's just as "blah" as the tired script. There's a semi-cute romance that gets old fast, and I can bet dollars to donuts that the runtime will far exceed pretty much any viewer's attention span. In terms of storytelling, there's nothing really standout here. So if you rent it, make sure you're doing it for the spectacular dogfights and nothing else.

Video: Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. Both the transfer and image look terrific, helping to give a slight upgrade in appearance to an otherwise completely old-fashioned production.

Audio: English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, and French/Spanish 2.0 Surround. The sound is equally as impressive as the video quality, delivering an intense and engrossing sound experience. If you enjoy your audio loud and with plenty of range, then you're watching the right film.

There are two separate editions for FLYBOYS. One is a bare-bones single-disc edition (with only the commentary and nothing else), and the other is an extras-filled 2-Disc Collector's Edition (reviewed here).

The other difference between the two sets (besides the exclusive collectible cards, which you can read about down below) is the packaging. There's a slick cardboard slipcase that holds the regular DVD case inside... not really practical, but it looks nice.

DISC 1

Audio Commentary (with director Tony Bill and producer Dean Devlin): A very interesting commentary that adds some much needed substance to the film. They explain not just details about the production, but information regarding the true story as well. History aficionados should not pass this up.

DISC 2

Real Heroes: The True Story of the Lafayette Escadrille (26:48): This is an informative look at the actual pilots on which the characters are based. I guess that means the reason they lack so much depth in the film is because the writers applied only two or three character traits per person.

Diary of a Miniature Stunt Pilot (8:05): Although the actual content is interesting, this featurette is just plain goofy. A guy walks around holding a small model pilot in front of the camera while checking out different plane models and effects used for the film.

Whiskey & Soda: The Lion Mascots (5:08): This featurette offers up some info regarding the two actual lions owned as pets by the Lafayette Escadrille.

Taking Flight: The Making of Aerial Battle Sequences (15:37): This featurette is definitely worth watching for any fans of the film. It goes in-depth as to how the amazing dogfights were created, including everything from storyboards to the great-looking CGI.

The Real Planes of Flyboys (24:40): A nice look at the real planes used during the war.

The Flyboys Ride with the Blue Angels & the Thunderbirds (4:34): This demonstrates how the actors prepped for the roles by riding with actual jet fighters. Short, but pretty cool.

Deleted Scenes (16:21): A collection of 6 deleted scenes removed due to time constraints. Fans will probably wanna give them a look-see, but they're nothing special.

Also available is the Theatrical Trailer, as well as a DVD-Rom Game.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Collectible Cards: These don't really serve any purpose, but they're a nice addition all the same. There are 5 exclusive postcard-sized collectible cards, each one with a cool picture representing the film.

If you watch FLYBOYS with expectations of depth, strong storytelling, and characters that go beyond being one-note cardboard cutouts, then prepare to be disappointed. If, however, all you want is a constant flow of kickass aerial combat, then FLYBOYS should make for some damn fine entertainment (...that is, as long as you have the fast-forward button ready).

Highlight below for the answers to GUESS WHAT HAPPENS!

(*WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*)

1. The black pilot saves the rich one's life, of course. The rich pilot then apologizes for being such a "pompous ass," and offers some of his fine cognac. They become friends. How nice.
2. When a pilot has an enemy right on his tail, the pilot with bad aim swoops in and saves him at just the right time. He did it! What a shock!
3. He randomly appears (pumped, cheering, and ready for battle) and saves Franco's life at the most opportune moment possible. Hooray.
4. The crash-landed pilot takes about five minutes to actually turn around and notice the enemy fighter right behind him. He tries to run, but he gets shot down before he can escape. Jeez, talk about pulling a fast one on the audience - I didn't see that coming at all!
5. The "mysterious" pilot ends up getting shot by the movie's central villain, but he ends his life on a heroic note (by suicide diving into a passenger carrying airship for the Germans). Franco avenges his death (and those of his friends) by taking out the menacing enemy in predictably glorified fashion... heck, even the way he kills the villain is predictable.