Red Tails Review

[Alonzo]

Well it was finally released and shown here in Southern Alberta.

Hollywood fluff put aside, it all in all was an entertaining show. No where near the quality of Tuskegee Airmen though.

A cringed seeing the CGI Flying Fortresses going down or being blown up. Interesting that a P-51 took a loot more damage from an Me -262 then the B-17...hmmmm.

The local vintage theater house had it on for $5.00 a head plus popcorn and Pepsi for $5.00...hell of a cheap night of entertainment.

[MAW]

As a collector, I thought, as most all others noted, that the uniforms and equipment were great. The flight jackets were very well done,

along with the flight gear. I noticed at least four different maker's of pilot wing (I am a wing collector), plus one that looked theater made.

RAF gear was a nice touch, but I thought only crews in England did that, not Italy, but I could be wrong.

 

 

Best, John

 

 

I have an interview with a local B-17 pilot in the 15th AF who had traded his US parachute for a Brit parachute, among other things. His plane got shot down, and he was one of the last to leave....he had to put the chute on quick and get out. When he pulled the cord, he realized he had it on upside down and landed face first, essentially....only to be captured, escape from a POW camp, recaptured, and escape again. (!!!)

 

The movie was cool.....just nice to see the gear and planes. Yes, the plot was thin......but that's not the attraction for me with this film.

 

I like seeing the interior of the B-17s, the airfields, the painted A-2s, etc.

[ken88]

Looks like Red Tails is finally available on DVD and Blu-Ray... Finally!

 

*Amazon releases on 22 May

[Sabrejet]

The movie premieres in the UK on June 6 (how apt!)...and about time too!

[Sabrejet]

Looks like Red Tails is finally available on DVD and Blu-Ray... Finally!

 

*Amazon releases on 22 May

 

I just checked AmazonUK. To begin with, only Region 1 (North America) format will be available. I don't suppose Region 2 (Europe) will be available until the movie has run its course here?

[ken88]

I just checked AmazonUK. To begin with, only Region 1 (North America) format will be available. I don't suppose Region 2 (Europe) will be available until the movie has run its course here?

 

Yes, that is one of the disadvantages of living in Europe. But, with a little bit of effort it's not that hard to obtain a copy of our American friends. Your computer can run the NTSC format. :thumbsup: Your DVD-player won't play it as our systems work with PAL.

 

Meaning, that if you order the DVD in the States, you should be able to get it in time to watch it in avant-première here in Europe

Ain't that great?

 

Cheers

[willysmb44]

I got the DVD yesterday. It's just the movie only, no behind the scenes anything or deleted scenes. Only a documentary that doesn't give you any info that you probably didn't already know. The sound was pitiful, I actually had to turn the volume up in the action scenes!

[History Man]

I just saw the movie and I am impressed, definitely one that we will be getting for the home. Worth the wait!!

 

Philip :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Bluehawk]

Now, I'm going to criticize first and then praise.

 

...Their attitude towards the P-40 also irked me. Yes, the 99th FS received older P-40s, but what the movie doesn't tell you is that the P-40 was actually a more maneuverable airplane than the 109. It turned tighter and climbed and dove better than the Messerschmitt. The 109 was a faster airplane, but US P-40s did VERY well in the MTO against the Germans.

 

...The reports of the 99th FS being sub-par and being assigned to Coastal Patrols are skewing the actual historical timeline for dramatic effect This was poorly portrayed and made it seem like there was no military use to the interdiction missions they were flying.

 

...They didn't, however, explain the difference between the 99th FS and the 332nd FG.

Jon

 

I appreciate the thorough analysis you and others have rendered.

 

My great reluctance about seeing the film was centered entirely upon the degree to which I feared the makers would abuse history to make political points; an irresistible over-the-top urge in this day and age.

 

At this point, I could probably watch it just to see the gear and uniforms.

[B-17Guy]

Hello All,

 

Finally saw the movie last Sunday.

I would like to say that I really enjoyed the film, and thought it honored the great Tuskegee Airmen well. I have had the privilege of meeting many of them and they

are truly a terrific group.

 

I do have two points of view, first as a pilot of WWII aircraft, and second as a lifelong militaria collector.

 

As a collector, I thought, as most all others noted, that the uniforms and equipment were great. The flight jackets were very well done,

along with the flight gear. I noticed at least four different maker's of pilot wing (I am a wing collector), plus one that looked theater made.

RAF gear was a nice touch, but I thought only crews in England did that, not Italy, but I could be wrong. The base was very accurately put together

as well, in my opinion. In fact, I thought most everything on the ground was very impressive. Even the interaction between pilots and mechanics

I felt was spot on.

 

From a pilot's point of view, it was for the most part, the standard mess of inaccuracies. It was the usual list of things that pilots don't do, say, or

how we fly and things airplanes can't do without coming apart. The dogfights looked like something out of Star Wars, and the whole Darth Vader thing with the

evil German, as other forum members have referred to him, was just stupid. The scene with the destroyer reminded me of Luke destroying the Death Star.

CGI was, in my opinion mostly bad, with a few moments of cool stuff (evil German putting the 109 on its guts was great and 17's coming apart actually hurt to see).

Not my area of expertise, but if the History Channel's "Dogfights" series got the CGI so right (my opinion), why couldn't the tech's do better in this movie?

 

Over all I liked the movie and was glad to see it made. I will get it when it comes out on DVD for sure.

 

Best, John

Got the DVD and watched the movie for the second time.

I stand by my original review, but I must admit that the cgi looks better on the small screen (46" Samsung LED).

A lot of the terrible cgi didn't stand out as much.

Really glad they had some experts get the uniforms and flight gear right.

Too bad they didn't seem to do the same for flying/combat scenes.

 

Best, John

[juvatwad]

I saw it again on a borrowed DVD. I also stand by my original opinion. It's horrible.......

 

 

Ian

[Lightning Ace]

Everyone on this site should have had the experience of growing up in the early 1950's and watching the 1940's war years aviation movies like I did and still do and then you'd really "Appreciate" this movie for what it is and what it's meant to be-------------"ENTERTAINMENT" otherwise there'd be original film sequences and interviews and etc and then it'd be a"Documentary" and as you also I'm sure know, that not all documentaries are the last word in facts either.

As far as I'm concerned the more WW II movies they put out the better because it keeps the interest in WW II alive for the younger generation and for all of us who have and always will have the interest in anything WW II.

[rr01]

Everyone on this site should have had the experience of growing up in the early 1950's and watching the 1940's war years aviation movies like I did and still do and then you'd really "Appreciate" this movie for what it is and what it's meant to be-------------"ENTERTAINMENT" otherwise there'd be original film sequences and interviews and etc and then it'd be a"Documentary" and as you also I'm sure know, that not all documentaries are the last word in facts either.

As far as I'm concerned the more WW II movies they put out the better because it keeps the interest in WW II alive for the younger generation and for all of us who have and always will have the interest in anything WW II.

I'm reminded of a well known statement from an equally well done piece of Hollywood work:

"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend".

Hollywood and even the writers of those novels Hollywood oftens bases it's movies on DOES expect you to suspend disbelief. How many people still believe there is an escape pod from Air Force One {and don't answer "The Commander In Chief"}? Or that two brothers did all that stuff as depicted in the movie "Pearl Harbor"? I can accept the entertainment part if it is not presented as fact and since many biopics like this one post that all inclusive disclaimer to lies, "based on actual events" I have to take exception to what I feel becomes revisionist history.

As a kid I never noticed that John Wayne and Red Buttons jumped out of the same airplane on the "Longest Day" yet somehow landed in different counties {even MY later jumpmastering was never THAT bad}, but as an adult I will always remember this error.

I have wondered how this movie was received and rated by the veterans themselves.

It's true that it is important to remain aware of our past conflicts I just worry that the media hype with a movie "based on actual events" isn't misleading the public while offering just entertainment.

[downrange troop]

This movie was awful and I cant believe Lucas released this type of product. The trailer pulled me in so much and then the movie turned out to be so stale. That is why it flopped at the box office.

[Sabrejet]

The love story was pretty implausible for 1944. It was just another cliche in a cliche-ridden movie IMHO. On the positive side, I thought the attention to detail re the costumes and kit overall was quite good.

[1canpara]

The love story was pretty implausible for 1944. It was just another cliche in a cliche-ridden movie IMHO. On the positive side, I thought the attention to detail re the costumes and kit overall was quite good.

 

Just watched it last night on Pay-per-View in the comfort of my War Room, surrounded by khaki and OD steel, which added a lot of authentic ambience to the experience, but I have to agree, it was good, not great, but my expectations were low so I was pleasantly surprised. I agree with most of you, I think they did a great job with the uniforms and gear, it really looked great.

 

Rick

[ken88]

The love story was pretty implausible for 1944. It was just another cliche in a cliche-ridden movie IMHO. On the positive side, I thought the attention to detail re the costumes and kit overall was quite good.

 

I agree. We all know movies with pretty females in it sell better right.

 

 

Right?

[5thwingmarty]

I finally got aroung to seeing this over the weekend. It was worth the couple of bucks to rent from Redbox, but I was glad I didn't see it in a theater. As a 15th AF, 5th Wing student there were just too many historical inaccuracies that George could have easily avoided if he had just taken a 15th AF vet to lunch when he was planning this movie. It would also have been easier for the CGI guys to generate 15th AF B-17s for the Redtails to escort on their first mission instead ot the 8th AF planes they depicted in the movie (the 15th didn't use the big three-letter codes on the fuselage of the planes). And I am pretty sure no self-respecting 98th BG pilot would have been caught wearing an A-2 with a pretty B-17 painted on the back (they were a B-24 group).

 

I do give George kudos for at least showing them living in tents and flying off a PSP runway. It was also really nice to see the B-17s depicted on the last mission in the movie. They were pretty well done in late war markings for the 99th BG, which did take part in the 15th's mission to Berlin.

 

By the way, the Redtails official call sign for the Berlin mission was "Jetblack".

 

Marty

[claymore]

Well. took a second look at this baby ------ after six months and it was kinda cheesy in some spots Cuba's pipe was unbelievable all too much chit chat on the radio the 262 was a heavy hitter as stated before and would have blown the P-51 to BITS with hits like that and no allied plane in the theater could have chased one down. I like the chief mechanic the most all in all good costuming script needed something the CGI was rather game like as stated the 15th were known for the B-24 heavies. I hear they only had three real fighters to work with, reminded me of the Memphis Bellle

I will give them a nice try and won't pick any more (If it ends up in the $5.00 bin I will pick one up though )

[fstop61]

Two thumbs down-I expected better from Lucas....Boy, did he take a bath on that one. ( I just did watch it- two years post release)

[38Driver]

While I realize this was just bumped after a two year disappearance, I thought I'd add my two cents.

 

If the movie was meant to be a documentary I'd have been angry. But the first thing I thought when I started watching it, was I was seeing an updated version of "Flying Tigers" with John Wayne. How many folks here as kids saw that movie multiple times and enjoyed it for what it was? If we were grading it on historical accuracy we'd rate it below Red Tails. But it was what it was and at least for me, and I'd bet a bunch of the other folks around here, it got me to track down a book or six on the real Flying Tigers and actually learn something.

 

Fast forward to Red Tails. Lucas said it was meant to be a 'Saturday afternoon' movie like those earlier 'war movies'. Lots of action, a bit of a love story, the lead's best buddy dies in the end and the lessons are learned. Go back and watch "Flying Tigers". It's the same thing. For that reason I enjoyed "Red Tails".

 

Now for my second perspective. I have two sons. My oldest is white, my youngest is black. It was no problem for me to share my love of WW2 aviation history with my oldest as the models, the books and the movies all were easy to find and teach around. I never had to think about it as the selection is huge.

 

With my little guy now, there are exactly two movies that feature black WW2 pilots. In the hundred of books I have on WW2 aviation on my shelf, there were exactly none that focused on black WW2 fighter pilots. I've had to build that library from scratch.

 

My little guy is five. We watched "Red Tails" with me fast forwarding through the parts that wouldn't be appropriate for him. He loved the Mustangs. He's loved those Mustangs on more than one occasion. It's a movie meant to get a kids attention. It wasn't made for me and that's fine as the fun in having something to share with my little guy. I'm glad I have the option.

 

No movie is supposed to teach the history. That's my job.

 

My little guy is also deaf so we communicate in sign language. It was great fun to see him point to the black pilots on the screen and then to himself and say he was 'the same'.

[TLHSS]

While I realize this was just bumped after a two year disappearance, I thought I'd add my two cents.

 

If the movie was meant to be a documentary I'd have been angry. But the first thing I thought when I started watching it, was I was seeing an updated version of "Flying Tigers" with John Wayne. How many folks here as kids saw that movie multiple times and enjoyed it for what it was? If we were grading it on historical accuracy we'd rate it below Red Tails. But it was what it was and at least for me, and I'd bet a bunch of the other folks around here, it got me to track down a book or six on the real Flying Tigers and actually learn something.

 

Fast forward to Red Tails. Lucas said it was meant to be a 'Saturday afternoon' movie like those earlier 'war movies'. Lots of action, a bit of a love story, the lead's best buddy dies in the end and the lessons are learned. Go back and watch "Flying Tigers". It's the same thing. For that reason I enjoyed "Red Tails".

 

Now for my second perspective. I have two sons. My oldest is white, my youngest is black. It was no problem for me to share my love of WW2 aviation history with my oldest as the models, the books and the movies all were easy to find and teach around. I never had to think about it as the selection is huge.

 

With my little guy now, there are exactly two movies that feature black WW2 pilots. In the hundred of books I have on WW2 aviation on my shelf, there were exactly none that focused on black WW2 fighter pilots. I've had to build that library from scratch.

 

My little guy is five. We watched "Red Tails" with me fast forwarding through the parts that wouldn't be appropriate for him. He loved the Mustangs. He's loved those Mustangs on more than one occasion. It's a movie meant to get a kids attention. It wasn't made for me and that's fine as the fun in having something to share with my little guy. I'm glad I have the option.

 

No movie is supposed to teach the history. That's my job.

 

My little guy is also deaf so we communicate in sign language. It was great fun to see him point to the black pilots on the screen and then to himself and say he was 'the same'.

I love it! Thanks for sharing your son's reaction to the movie .... and the photo. It's priceless, and was a great way to end the week.

 

Tim