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Average User Score: 6 (35 sources)

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Lokar

-1

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This wartime drama had a number of good fight scenes, and it is unusual these days to see old-fashioned pilot battles; but there are moments when the writing is a bit thin, and it's hard to believe the actors. I'm being a little generous with the...
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This wartime drama had a number of good fight scenes, and it is unusual these days to see old-fashioned pilot battles; but there are moments when the writing is a bit thin, and it's hard to believe the actors. I'm being a little generous with the rating because I like the topic. Some of the subplots could have been reduced or dropped altogether. There seem to be about 30 minutes of padding. I don't know how many times we got to see really long shots of some people sitting across from each other and talking, then pausing, while all we get to see is the room that they're in. This is really aimed at teenagers who are supposed to ogle the cast, but for everyone older than high school, your interest may lag. See this movie if you have nothing better on tap.

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Posted aug 2, 2008 12:27 pm pt

picean

-1

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good movie; it had the basics to be very good but the character development was poor. it starts with a group flying for different reasons and slides into the reality of war. but after that everything is mentioned by point blank word or words to...
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good movie; it had the basics to be very good but the character development was poor. it starts with a group flying for different reasons and slides into the reality of war. but after that everything is mentioned by point blank word or words to reinforce the idea during the movie.To save the movie the dog fight scenes were good and realistic as far as watching a air show. The only serious try at character development was the love between the texan and french woman. the ending was a little unexpected which was refreshing.More could have been done. but all in all it was good.

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Posted jun 26, 2007 7:46 am pt

viveckvivu

-1

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Cool movie, it was not that bad as everyone said it was. A simple movie about Lafayette Escadrille. The special effects were not that great, but it was good. James Franco and Martin Henderson were best in the movie, in my opinion! Was a little...
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Cool movie, it was not that bad as everyone said it was. A simple movie about Lafayette Escadrille. The special effects were not that great, but it was good. James Franco and Martin Henderson were best in the movie, in my opinion! Was a little boring in some parts, but overall it was a good movie. the battle scenes were the best of all in the movie!

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Posted may 5, 2007 6:50 pm pt

Yagr_Zero

-1

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From the producer of Independence Day and The Patriot, Flyboys can be best summed up as a shallow movie full of special effects. The movie centers around the Lafayette Escadrille, the famous American volunteer squadron fighting for the French in...
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From the producer of Independence Day and The Patriot, Flyboys can be best summed up as a shallow movie full of special effects. The movie centers around the Lafayette Escadrille, the famous American volunteer squadron fighting for the French in WWI. More specifically, Flyboys centers around Rawlings (James Franco) as he learns how to fly to becoming the ace of the squadron. The rest of the squadron aren't looked at or given much characterization other than a basic personality and a back story. A great example of this comes between Skinner and Lowry (Salis and Labine respectively), where Skinner, being black, isn't given any respect by the initially racist Lowry. What makes this sad is that the movie doesn't delve into their relationship more showing the hatred/uncomfortable places with them together. With that said, the acting is adequate with no one giving a great performance and no one giving a terrible one. As for the special effects, Flyboys does a pretty good job. The dogfights are a joy to watch, but get boring after multiple showings.

What really kills Flyboys is its rather lackluster story, and poor characterizations as stated above. It feels more like Flyboys was intended for a younger audience, minus the blood of course. That's how bad and predictable everything is.

Overall, Flyboys is an okay movie to catch if you love special effects. But for those looking for a full package of special effects and story, you might want to look else where.

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Posted may 5, 2007 9:57 am pt

afq2846

-1

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Hmn this is an interesting title for an interesting movie. The whole flyboys title is weird because none of these guys are boys. The movie tells the story of the american volunteers in WWI in france. They do not show how they learned how to fly or...
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Hmn this is an interesting title for an interesting movie. The whole flyboys title is weird because none of these guys are boys. The movie tells the story of the american volunteers in WWI in france. They do not show how they learned how to fly or anything like that. Its just like they go to france and fly away. The acting is average at best and they use an interesting way in the dog fights. They create an air bubble so to speak to see the bullets from the airplanes. The action sequences are good but they cannot save this movie. Its pretty predictable and not in a good way. I do not think this is a very good and its not really worth a rental.

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Posted apr 19, 2007 10:55 am pt

jeffy_19

-1

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good movie overall yea jean reno in it!

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Posted feb 19, 2007 2:51 am pt

Kem-Rixen

-1

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What a waste, this film could have been so good. World War One has been ignored so often in the film world. When I first saw the trailers for this film I was so excited, what could be better than biplanes? I thought nothing. After seeing this...
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What a waste, this film could have been so good. World War One has been ignored so often in the film world. When I first saw the trailers for this film I was so excited, what could be better than biplanes? I thought nothing. After seeing this film, however, I was incredibly disappointed. Not only did it walk hand in hand with terrible cliches, it was also historically inaccurate.

This film is, unfortunately, following the same trend of many films nowadays. It tries to put the special effects (which were fantastic) over the storyline, and, well, everything else. It's a lousy trend and I can't wait to see it go, as this film was really a waste of my time and money. Don't see this film unless ...no, just don't see this film.

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Posted jan 28, 2007 1:37 am pt

GeorgeJobson

-1

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I love the airplane scenes as it battle each other over the skies of France. Other than that, there's nothing worthy seeing. "Flyboys" has blown a chance at a compelling movie about World War I.

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Posted jan 23, 2007 12:39 am pt

Mr_Lara

-1

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This movie deserves a half star for the acting, but it's getting a full star because of some cool special effects. Unless you fly planes, you'll fall asleep in a hurry!

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Posted dec 7, 2006 8:09 am pt

• [+] LA Weekly
  
  70
  A highly enjoyable programmer about those brave young men and their rickety flying machines.

  by Scott Foundas | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  67
  As imaginatively as some of them are staged, the action scenes are never authentically gripping. This seems to be the hidden handicap of our new digital filmmaking era in which all big action sequences are generated in the computer and look vaguely like cartoons.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  63
  While the aerial dogfights are handsome and apparently historically accurate, right down to the tracer bullets that leave graceful, crisscrossing trails in the clouds, they have a video-game feel.

  by Maitland McDonagh | Read Full Review »
• [+] Boston Globe
  
  63
  The movie's straightforward and ingratiating, and as pretty-boy history lessons go, it's a lot less obnoxious than "Pearl Harbor."

  by Ty Burr | Read Full Review »
• [+] Premiere
  
  63
  Part of what makes these kind of war movies such cinematic comfort food (aside from the moral certainty they strive to convey) is their familiarity. But I wonder if said familiarity is what compels contemporary filmmakers to overstuff the material -- Flyboys is a good two hours and 20 minutes.

  by Glenn Kenny | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  60
  A decidedly old-fashioned war film that reaches for epic sweep but is often bogged down in cliched drama and two-dimensional characters.

  by Sheri Linden | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  60
  Lovingly and knowledgeably made by director Tony Bill, who got his pilot's license as a teenager, pic nonetheless has a lightweight, airbrushed feel; despite the brutal dogfights and inevitable deaths, there's little gravity or resonance.

  by Todd McCarthy | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  58
  There's something almost perversely old-fashioned about Flyboys.

  by Nathan Rabin | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  50
  Despite its empty head and arduous length, Flyboys is ever so nice, in the manner of a Norman Rockwell illustration. The director, Tony Bill, may not be a philosopher but he is a gentleman, moving things along with a tidy, well-mannered hand. In another context, such politesse might feel tonic. Given the state of things, it's nearly toxic.

  by Nathan Lee | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  50
  Just about everything in the video-gamey World War I picture Flyboys rings false, although the planes certainly are terrific.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  50
  While the music slops and churns and the ground-level bathos rises, the aerial stuff is occasionally stirring.

  by Stephen Hunter | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  50
  Here is the War to End All Wars seen from on high--as it was way back when, in "Wings" or the Howard Hughes "Hell's Angels"--a world apart from the grim, futile slaughterhouses of Verdun and the Marne. Among these combatants, you won't find much "All Quiet on the Western Front"-style despair, and the paths of glory are unsullied by doubt or disillusionment.

  by Bill Gallo | Read Full Review »
• [+] Miami Herald
  
  50
  Flyboys is so schematic and contrived, you can anticipate exactly what scene is going to come next, and who will be the next to die in combat, once you latch onto the structure of the script, which has all the inventiveness and ingenuity of a flow chart.

  by Rene Rodriguez | Read Full Review »
• [+] Philadelphia Inquirer
  
  50
  Shot like a Disney period piece (prettily, with spiffy props, shiny vintage vehicles, and costumes just back from the cleaners), Flyboys introduces its squadron the old-fashioned way: with character-establishing setups.

  by Steven Rea | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Reader
  
  50
  The aerial dogfights are thrilling, but the script seems to have been written by Snoopy.

  by J.R. Jones | Read Full Review »