Red Tails movie review

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Red Tails

Took my time on this one, since the initial moviegoer's reviews weren't sterling.

The Tuskeegee Airmen have a legendary status, proving black men could fly, fight and flourish under pressure. This movie attempts to bring this piece of WWII to the big screen, and despite a number of award winning stars, plenty of help from George Lucas, the whole glorious struggle of these brave men somehow does not take flight..

There is plenty of action, which is clearly CGI, for practical logistics, since few WWII planes exist. But the acting is wooden, the dialogue is cliched, the characters are rather two dimensional. HBO made a short series prior to this and that manages to shot down this blockbuster despite a more modest budget and if you want a WWII air battle story with a gripping human element, look no further than the older Memphis Belle, made in more than 10 years ago, with real planes and much better acting.

However, if you are just an action buff, there is plenty of aerial jousts, and very decent surround effects to keep you happy.

Try before you buy will be my advice. I will keep this for a few demos for it's superior surround effects, but watch the HBO version for better acting.

Comments

  1. Unknown12 September 2012 at 12:46

    I like most of the actors that are in “Red Tails,” especially Terrance Howard. I have a Blockbuster @home account, and I added this to the top of my dvd list. I’ve seen the HBO version of the “Tuskegee Airmen,” with Cuba Gooding Jr.; it will be interesting to see his performance in the new pic. I will pick this up from the store after my shift ends at Dish, instead of waiting for it in the mail. I heard it took Lucas over 23 years to get this movie made, too bad there wasn’t much of a pay off.

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