To begin with I'll state that I found this film to be highly enjoyable. I know it bombed at the box office and was rated poorly by many critics but I can't help it, this is a good film. There are a couple of ways to evaluate this film and I'll list them below. 1. Historic perspective: As many reviewers have indicated in previous reviews this film suffers from many inaccuracies. For true history and war film buffs this may ruin the film them. Myself, I knew very little of the details, other than the German planes were not colored correctly, and so the story line kept me interested. In fact, this film sparked such an interest in the story of the Lafayette Escadrille that I did a lot of research reading on the topic. I would encourage people to read up on the actual events and people. 2. Film locations & special effects: I'm thought the costume design, set locations, props, flying sequences, and special effects were extremely well done. I was completely sold on the time period and setting in which this film takes place. No doubt the film relied on CG animation for some of the fight scenes. These effects were so well done that there is no jarring juxtaposition from real life to animation that the viewer is momentarily distracted from the film's story. 3. Story: I found the story to be very good. Not overly complex but that does not mean it is a simple color by number type story. The supporting characters are given enough attention and screen time, some more than others, that the viewer is emotionally connected to their fates. Lastly, I would say that the main reason this film works for me is that I'm drawn into the story. The writing was good, the acting was good, and the story was believable. Special Effects, good sets, and costume design don't make a good film, think PEARL HARBOR (2001). The story is the thing that links all these other things together and this film links them together pretty well.
