It's George Lucas - one dimensional characters, wooden dialogue and acting but with spectacular visual scenes and backdrops. What we needed was Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks collaboration. Now that would be awesome to watch.

I agree but then it would have been on HBO and not a theatrical release.

I'm going tomorrow first thing after I drop my dog off at the vet. You guys are so incredibly jaded and critical. Aren't we all flight simmers who geek out on airplanes? Why would this movie not be on your must see list? This movie seems to have butt loads of combat scenes and the production quality looks to be very high with at least a modicum of historical accuracy. I bet this movie is a million times more interesting than 90% of the crap released in theatres. I'd like to see how well some of you guys can write a script and keep an audiences attention for 2 hours.

I'm sorry, but George Lucas pwns all of you.

Jason

I'd rather wait and read PanzerMeyer's review later.

This "Jaded attitude" is why he claims he is retiring. Some interesting tidbits in this article about his retirement and the film itself.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/george-lucas-star-wars-red-tails-282905

I read elsewhere that he wanted to make a heroesque inspired film with actual events about a remarkable group of pilots that he would loved to have seen when he was a young lad himself.

I became an "Aviation Enthusiast" after my Dad took me to see "The Great Waldo Pepper", I was 6, and became obsessed with planes. I even made my dad buy me a P-51 plastic model kit after that. I have seen almost every aviation themed movie ever made. Most of them "can't cut the mustard" but I loved watching every single one of them regardless.

If I can pass this love of Aviation onto my Nephew the movie will have succeeded for me.

I'm tempted because of the planes and the subject matter, but on the other hand I'm discouraged because of ... the planes and the subject matter.

Don't take the last part of my statement the wrong way. I've known about the Tuskegee fighter pilots since the mid-1980s, and I find their true life deeds to be inspiring and admirable. They are American heroes, in part because of the institutional racism they overcame just to earn the right to be Army aviators. And while it would be impossible to put their unique story into perspective without framing it with Jim Crow segregation of the time, I just don't know if I can stomach another story of white officers sabotaging black soldiers' careers while German POWs get to eat lunch at a local sandwich counter that is off limits to 'coloreds.'

Of course the Warbird Nerd in me would be trying read the instrument panels and flip switches in the cockpits while I was watching the movie. That would be reason enough to get excited for this kind of film, except the CGI in the clips I've seen looks too much like an XBox video game: I see waves upon waves of aircraft that are all painted exactly the same and that don't seem to have any unique coloration, markings or features. The air combat action in those clips doesn't look very convincing to me either.

I'll probably rent Red Tails as soon as it is available on DVD. I just don't think I'm willing to pay the cinema's admission price to see it on the big screen.

Oh it's a definite must see but going by reviews the film could have been so much better. It's got George Lucas stamped all over it - good combat scenes, visuals and cgi. Wooden dialogue/characters.
Imagine if we got the gritty realism of Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers or with the character depth of Schindler's List.

Yeah in a perfect world that would be the ideal I would hope for. If this were the case we would most likely have the first Aviation movie with an Oscar nod since the Aviator.

There are still many aviation stories to be told so I'll keep on wishing.

Here's an interesting list of Aviation Movies in case you haven't seen them:

http://www.rc-airplane-advisor.com/airplanes-movies.html

As it turns out I have a few left to see. Flying Tigers - With John Wayne is next on my list (after Red Tails of course).

What skycat said.

It reminds me of Pearl Harbour. I watched Pearl Harvour with an open mind, and tried to like it. Some of the visuals are beautiful, but the stupid sequences just ruin the entire movie, and promote an image of the war that is wrong.

Maybe that's why I won't spend money on this stuff, I jus hate seeing the things I love misrepresented.

+1