Flyboys: Underrated Action

This 2006 World War I based film starring James Franco is one that I would recommend to almost everyone, even those who are not particularly fond of war movies. This movie, produced by Tony Bill, is not only an action movie, but also a story of romance and camaraderie in a time of war.

The film starts out by introducing the characters in their original homes and their lifestyles before the war, which aids in predicting their future actions based on their past actions and lifestyles- who will be prejudiced, courageous, daring, etc.

After the main cast of characters is introduced, the film then travels to France, where the rest of the movie takes place. You then see the training process of the Lafayette Escadrille, and how they improve overtime and learn how to fly the airplanes of the first World War.

As the story continues, the personalities of the characters change as they become more experienced in the art of war. This is really the only problem I have with the movie - the trauma of the men isn’t depicted as realistically as I would have preferred. They did add some emotional trauma, but it didn’t seem to fit in very well. Although the trauma didn’t fit in, the tragic parts were well placed between all the humorous and heartfelt scenes, as well as the action sequences.

The action scenes and fight sequences were quite mind-blowing in my opinion. The animation was incredibly realistic, and the thought of if the animation was indeed good or not never even crossed my mind. The action scenes are also not solely action. The fight sequences themselves are infused with scenes of heartfelt camaraderie and admirable sacrifice.

The romance of the film could be classified as pure, simple, yet tragic love. The thing I especially like about the romance is that it incorporates the action at some points, which makes the romantic scenes surprisingly much more emotional and interesting.

On the whole, this film is not just for war movie fanatics. It’s a story of how something as dreadful as war can bring people together in ways that otherwise wouldn’t occur in everyday life. I would recommend this movie to everyone because it has a wonderfully balanced medley of humor, friendship, action, and romance.