Holly
10-04-2006, 10:22 AM
Modern computer graphics add a lot to many movies, but they also have the potential to detract from them.
With the World War I adventure “Flyboys,” it’s a draw. The saga of the Lafayette Escadrille picks up greatly when the main characters take to the skies, with special effects adding a lot to their aerial exploits, but they’re effective enough to also set the stage for big letdowns while our heroes are grounded.
James Franco (“Spider-Man”) plays one of the Americans volunteering to assist the French in combating German forces, and in the tradition of so many other military movies, the lives of the aviators are pretty standard -- “Get me up there! I’m ready to go!” “I’ve never done this before!” “I’m in love with a foreigner!” -- until they take flight. Emphasizing such standard subplots is the fact that “Flyboys” is so long, running close to 2-1/2 hours ... easily a half-hour longer than it needs to be, at least.
At least there are solid performers on hand, the standout being the great French actor Jean Reno (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Ronin”) as the leader of the “flyboys.” And there are those technical wizards who give dazzling speed and literally death-defying aeronautics to the scenes of aerial combat. Understandably, you can’t have a movie -- particularly one of this length -- that has ONLY those, but veteran actor-director Tony Bill (“My Bodyguard”) clearly could have picked up the picture’s whole pace by keeping it somewhat shorter.
“Flyboys” does get off the ground, literally and figuratively, but having just too much of it prevents it from genuinely soaring.
(Rated PG-13)
With the World War I adventure “Flyboys,” it’s a draw. The saga of the Lafayette Escadrille picks up greatly when the main characters take to the skies, with special effects adding a lot to their aerial exploits, but they’re effective enough to also set the stage for big letdowns while our heroes are grounded.
James Franco (“Spider-Man”) plays one of the Americans volunteering to assist the French in combating German forces, and in the tradition of so many other military movies, the lives of the aviators are pretty standard -- “Get me up there! I’m ready to go!” “I’ve never done this before!” “I’m in love with a foreigner!” -- until they take flight. Emphasizing such standard subplots is the fact that “Flyboys” is so long, running close to 2-1/2 hours ... easily a half-hour longer than it needs to be, at least.
At least there are solid performers on hand, the standout being the great French actor Jean Reno (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Ronin”) as the leader of the “flyboys.” And there are those technical wizards who give dazzling speed and literally death-defying aeronautics to the scenes of aerial combat. Understandably, you can’t have a movie -- particularly one of this length -- that has ONLY those, but veteran actor-director Tony Bill (“My Bodyguard”) clearly could have picked up the picture’s whole pace by keeping it somewhat shorter.
“Flyboys” does get off the ground, literally and figuratively, but having just too much of it prevents it from genuinely soaring.
(Rated PG-13)