The story of the Tuskegee airmen, a crew of African American pilots during World War II, deserved to be told but I question whether George Lucas was the man to bring this tale of heroism and discrimination to the screen. Although Anthony Hemingway is the director of Red Tails, the influence of Lucas’ groping mitts is evident in every single frame. It is earnest to a fault, cheesy as hell and laden with enough unconvincing CGI to make it look just as far fetched as the Star Wars saga.

In some ways its old fashioned Boys Own Adventure tone is refreshing but some semblance of subtlety wouldn’t have gone amiss. It attempts to capture the spirit of the war movies…

George Lucas’s last blockbuster production before he finally decided to dedicate 100% of his time to his true destiny: forever re-releasing Star Wars movies. That’s what this recent article told me, although to be fair, it was all in between the lines. (It’s also confusing how they talk about the movies Lucas “made” meaning produced, not directed.)

Given the special effects were done by Industrial Light & Magic, the fact that the dogfights look spectacular goes without saying. It needs to be said anyway. The visuals are breathtaking, the big screen really feels big, and the action sequences are riveting.

And yes, it’s just an action movie. It has none of the appropriate respect to the horrors of that most terrifying…

An important story told with staggering dullness. At times, the rah-rah spirit, laughably empty/random love story and earnestly cheesy dialogue (“I didn’t come here to learn poker!!! I came to shoot down jerries 😤😤😤”) bring WWII era propaganda films to mind, but in all the worst ways. The effects in the combat scenes not only look like a video game, but all the dialogue sounds like it came from a video game, too. It’d be one thing if the characters were one-dimensional but fun or interesting; however, they’re just paper-thin and stiff. It’s too bad because you can tell the cast and director were earnest about this story and it’s value, but it just comes off as dull and uninspired.…

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is one that broke down the barriers of race, and is truly inspirational. They were one of the best aerial forces of WWII, and are just simply legendary. So, who should bring the tale to the big screen? The answer is director Anthony Hemingway and producer George Lucas.

The first Lucasfilm production that hadn't been apart of Star Wars or Indiana Jones in a while for that time, Red Tails is simply ok. The story it's adapting is fascinating, but the execution is ok. You have a great cast here, including Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Elijah Kelley. The actors are great, and play off each other well. The aerial fights…

Another movie I really really want to like.  However, all the strange try-hard chummy dialogue, the inconsistent framing, the frivolousness with which heavy historical events are handled, and the lack of focus is a sadness. I am resigned to not being able to enjoy an otherwise normal young-adult level flick.

What is really disturbing is that even though, in actuality, the Tuskegee airmen were segregated, the only real dialogue in the film between members revolves around their awareness of the white world which they occupy. This leaves little to no room for any character development beyond a surface level. Granted, what the story revolves around is an aspect that is important for the lowest common denominator of audiences, it effectively…