Product Details

• Language: Italian, English, German
• Number of discs: 1
• DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (284 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000WBZZ7A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,243 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

World War I aviation action gets an impressive digital upgrade in Flyboys, a welcome addition to the "dogfight" sub-genre that includes such previous war-in-the-air films like Hell's Angels, Wings, and The Blue Max. While those earlier films had the advantage of real and genuinely dangerous flight scenes (resulting, in some cases, in fatal accidents during production), Flyboys takes full (and safe) advantage of the digital revolution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures, and CGI environments requiring a total of 850 digital effects shots, resulting in an abundance of amazing images, many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. Unfortunately, the film's technical achievement is more impressive than its screenplay, which conventionally and predictably tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.

There's a familiar cliché to match every thrilling scene of aerial combat, but director Tony Bill manages to keep it all interesting, from the romance between a young American maverick (James Franco) and a pretty French girl (newcomer Jennifer Decker) to the exciting action in the air, which includes a stock variety of heroes (many of them composites of real-life WWI pilots) and an intimidating villain known only as "The Black Falcon," whose Fokker Dr-1 triplane (one of many in the film) recalls the exploits of German "ace of aces" Manfred von Richtofen, the dreaded "Red Baron" of legend. With impeccable production values that will impress even the most nit-picking aviation buffs, Flyboys (like Superman Returns and Apocalypto, also released in 2006) was also one of the first feature films to be shot with Panavision's state-of-the-art Genesis digital cameras, resulting in beautiful images that meet or exceed the visual nuance of film. Flyboys also benefits from painstaking attention to physical detail, making it easier to forgive its shortcomings as a generic and formulaic slice of romanticized history. So while some viewers may have wished for a more realistic and grown-up depiction of the Lafayette Escadrille, it's safe to say that Flyboys will be thrilling its target audience for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
If you're an aviation buff, the two-disc collectors edition of Flyboys is a must-have DVD. Disc 1 includes a full-length audio commentary by Tony Bill (whose directorial career began with the 1980 sleeper hit My Bodyguard) and producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day), who spend most of the film singing the praises of all things digital, from the use of Panavision's all-digital Genesis cameras to the film's impressive tally of 850 digital effects shots. They also discuss many of the technical challenges of making such an ambitious (and independently financed) film on a relatively modest budget of $65 million, and reveal many of the secrets behind some of the film's most impressive special effects. Disc 2 is where things get really interesting, beginning with the featurette "The Real Heroes of the Lafayette Escadrille," a profile of the pioneering French aerial combat unit depicted in Flyboys, with details about Henry Bullard, the first African American fighter pilot in history (the inspiration for "Eugene Skinner," the Flyboys character played by Abdul Salis) and the factual pilots who were made into composite characters for the film. "Diary of a Miniature Stunt Pilot" is a humorous, home-movie tour of Flyboys special-effects techniques; "Whiskey & Soda" is a profile of the lions who became the beloved mascots of the Lafayette Escadrille; and "Taking Flight" details the combinations of digital airplanes, models, and CGI environments that were used in the making of aerial battle sequences. "The Real Planes of Flyboys" is a treat for aviation buffs, since it shows many of the full-scale and 7/8th-scale vintage airplanes (some of them one-of-a-kind) that were either used in the film or completely digitized to safeguard their priceless historical value. The deleted scenes are above average (i.e. they're not just throwaways, but good scenes that were reluctantly cut for time), and another brief featurette shows cast members James Franco and David Ellison (respectively) enjoying promotional flights with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Disc 2 also includes a Flyboys Squadron DVD-ROM game for those equipped with compatible computers. --Jeff Shannon

Extras from Flyboys

Director Tony Bill on Filming Dogfight Sequences

...On throwing away the script for pilot training

...On the real-life stunt pilot who stars in the film

Beyond Flyboys

More "War in the Sky" Films

SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille: American Volunteer Airmen in World War 1

More "Military and War" Films

Stills from Flyboys

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I was led to believe, September 23, 2006

By 

Monkdude (Hampton, Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

The critics don't like it for the most part, but I really had a good time. Flyboys won't win any awards, but it sure entertained my packed theater. People laughed at most of the little jokes scattered throughout this long film. Clocking in at over two hours it is a bit too long and some of the dialogue is lacking, but the romance is handled well (unlike Pearl Harbor, thank God!), as are the many amazing CGI dogfight scenes. If your bored one afternoon, you should check out Flyboys, otherwise just wait for the DVD.

345 of 387 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to the "experts"., September 23, 2006

By 

Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
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I have been looking forward to seeing this movie but became reluctant after reading the rather mediocre reviews it received from the so-called "experts". I decided to ahead and, as usual, the "experts" got it all wrong. FLYBOYS not only met my expectations, but also exceeded them.

I'm a big history buff and am usually very disappointed with Hollywood's rendition of historical events. For me, it really detracts from a movie when I see things like Sea Sparrow missile launchers on the deck of a destroyer in Pearl Harbor, or when William Wallace supposedly has a torrid affair with a Princess who was, in reality, only three years old at the time of his death, and I expected to find similar fault with this movie. I found no such errors here. The true life story was most accurate, including such details as the lion which served as the mascot for the Escadrille LaFayette, the dented bullets which the flying aces had to sort through before each flight, and the fact that over one million allied soldiers lost their lives at Verdun.

Hollywood movie critics have a difficult time with true stories. True life, especially when accurately presented, doesn't always have the same flair as fictionalized accounts, and critics have given rather harsh reviews of the plot, totally missing so many details surrounding such things as camaraderie, respect and traumatic real life emotions. And no, in real life, people don't always live happily ever after and the hero doesn't always ride off into the sunset with his sweetheart.

Beyond the historical accuracy portrayed here, the film has sensational filming, particularly in the air battle scenes. The aerial views depict the miles of devastation of French countryside surrounding the trenches. The casting is more than adequate with particular mention going to Jean Reno as Capt. Thenault. James Franco also gives a superb portrayal of American Ace Blaine Rawlings.

If you are a history lover, and particularly interested, as I am, in the Great War, I urge you to go and watch this movie. You will find it historically accurate and yet able to bridge the gap into being an entertaining movie. Remember that this is not some Hollywood enhanced idea of war, but rather an accurate depiction of the real life events that surrounded the American pilots who became the Escadrille LaFayette. The critics got this one all wrong. Surprise, surprise.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good WWI aerial drama, December 26, 2006

By 

T O'Brien (Chicago, Il United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flyboys (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Flyboys didn't last long in theaters upon its release, but don't let that scare you away, it's an above average WWI period drama. During World War I, a group of American pilots joined the fighting in Europe before the United States entered the war in 1918. Flying for the French, they were named the Lafayette Escadrille. The movie follows five or six freshly arrived pilots, most notably James Franco as Texan Blaine Rawlings, as they train and learn how to fly and ultimately join the war as they take on German fighters, most notably the Black Falcon, a German pilot who doesn't follow the "rules of war." All in all, this was a pretty good movie. It's by no means a great movie, but it kept me entertained for the full 140 minute running time. The added love story isn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but the movie didn't need that storyline. It would have been better if the storyline focused primarily on the pilots and the dogfights, which are the high points of the movie. Go see this movie for the dogfights, especially the zeppelin attack on Paris and the final showdown between Rawlings and the Black Falcon!

One of the complaints of the movie was that it is too cliched, and this is partly true, but for me it felt like the actors did the best they could with what they have. James Franco gets top billing as Texan Blaine Rawlings, a young rancher who joins the war after his ranch went under. Along with flying with the Escadrille, he falls in love with a French girl, Lucien (French beauty Jennifer Decker), who can't speak English. My favorite character is Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson), the veteran pilot who slowly opens up to the new pilots. The rest of the young pilots who arrive with Rawlings include Phillip Winchester as William Jensen, the golden boy who knows he'll become a hero, Tyler Labine as Briggs Lowry, a young man from a rich family who is trying to prove himself to his father, Abdul Salis as Eugene Skinner, the lone African-American pilot in the group who must prove himself while also dealing with some racism, and David Ellison as Eddie Beagle, the struggling pilot who may or may not have a suspicious background. Jean Reno is excellent in a small part as the captain of the squadron, Capt. Thenault, but it's too bad he couldn't have been used more.

The soon to be released two-disc DVD, Jan. 30, 2007, will offer a boatload of special features which I'm definitely looking forward to watching. There will be several making of featurettes, some history about the real Lafayette Escadrille, an audio commentary with director Tony Bill and producer Dean Devlin, deleted scenes, trailers, and a Flyboys Squadron DVD-rom game. So for a movie with some excellent dogfights and aerial sequences, a pretty good ensemble cast, and a not so bad love story, look for the two-disc DVD of Flyboys in January!