Review of The Flyboys (2008) by Brian K — 13 Apr 2013

What a delightful film - not to be confused with the horrendously trite 'Flyboys' starring James Franco - 'The Flyboys' is fresh, original, exciting, and touching. A joyous adventure that sucks you in and holds you in its grasp, 'The Flyboys' is an out of body, out of this world experience.

Jason(Jesse James) and Kyle(Reiley McClendon) are two 12 year old boys who spend their school time avoiding bullies(and their hideously ugly brothers) and escape to an airport after school. Jason's uncle, Ed(Dallen Gettling) is a pilot and he takes the boys flying in his open cockpit plane. Well, when the boys sneak into a private plane, owned by a wealthy client, they are shocked when the client actually gets into the plane. They hide in the cargo hold and are surprised, yet again, when the plane takes off. They are in the air an awfully long time, so Kyle, looking for food, opens one of the bags to find a bomb. The boys enter the cockpit to find that there's no passengers and no pilot. Getting rid of the bomb, the boys - minding what Ed has taught them - land the plane safely on a desert highway(with cars driving on it!). Well, what the boys don't expect is that now, they are involved with the Italian mob. The rest of the film is an adventure unlike anything else!

The film is written and directed by Rocco DeVilliers, whose love for the 'Star Wars' films led to his becoming a filmmaker(George Lucas gets a 'special thanks' credit). His sense of adventure and youth is reminiscent of 'E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial'. This film ranks among those films as a purely entertaining and sophisticated movie that children and adults alike can appreciate and participate in. Just like 'E.T.' the film never talks down to kids. The kids are intelligent, fun, good spirited, and act like normal 12 year old boys. They swear on the school yard, and moon each other out of victory.

Also, the film never shows the kids playing video games or watching television. These kids are out riding their bikes and shooting each other with toy guns that carry foam bullets. It is fair to say that the movie may be a little dated. Having just been released, the film's stars, both about aged 12-14 when filmed, are now about 18 years old. If you're asking yourself what took so long, let me be the first to tell you that the budget for the film was 2 million dollars, barely a dent in the usual cost of a film of this stature(about 30-50 million dollars), and yet, it looks like a big budget Hollywood picture. The special effects are seamless and the cinematography is gorgeous. There's, what I can only imagine is, a blue screen shot that looks like Lucas himself shot it. The scope of the film, and in particular, the editing(by none other than DeVilliers himself) moves the film along at a spectacular pace. It's never slow, yet never feels rushed either.

The kids are well written and give fine performances, but the adults don't get pushed to the sidelines. The usual problem with a so-called 'children's film' such as this one is that the adults are portrayed as stupid charicatures. Not this time. The adults are just as fun, well written, and portrayed as the two stars.

My only regret is that this film has a very limited release, it hasn't been advertised well, and it's probably doomed to becoming a hidden, buried treasure. I can't recommend the film enough. It is deeply touching and a wonderful film for the entire family. Please, support and see the film. Advertise it as much as you can. There are people who need to see this movie. I count myself lucky at the oppurtunity I had to see it. Don't miss out on your chance.