Considering that this film was apparently one of George Lucas' most personal projects, it was a surprise that he didn't feel the need to direct it himself? The last film made by Lucasfilm before that inevitable purchase by the Mouse Company back in 2013, this has some of the finest African American actors around at the time filling the starring roles. Given the effect that Black Panther's mostly black cast had on providing that moment of positivity towards a group of people that had rarely been the centrepiece of Hollywood movies, I'm surprised this film didn't do likewise given the historical importance of the Tuskegee Airman's story?

Red Tails could have done with a more expansive script that fleshed out…

Kind of torn on this one, because it apparently was only able to get made with George Lucas's name and Lucasfilm money attached, and even then, reading the production notes, it was a real struggle --but that same reason it was able to get made is, maybe I think, the reason why I'm so of two minds about it, because the film shares certain, ah...proclivities of Lucas, only in a 21st century film about the Tuskegee Airmen, it's a little jarring.

So: First up, there is a VERY talented ensemble cast here, as well as a couple of very skilled writers and all that Lucasfilm FX money for director Hemingway to handle the plane combat. The cast is so good…

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…

This has to be one of the funniest films I've seen all year along with The Darkest Hour. It's Hot Shots meets Churchill The Hollywood Years. In fact there's no way to parody Red Tails as it does the job itself.

Starting out with the hilarious 80s score and opening credit sequence, the laughs come hard and fast as soon as Ne-Yo's name pops up (doing his best J.W. Pepper impersonation), also starring such respected thespians as Dixon from 90210 and Moesha's little brother. One plane is even painted using the Comic Sans font! We were crying with laugher in the cinema at several points.

The speech dubbing is all over the place - at one point a character is…

A movie made with good intentions, a clunky script and a dispiriting lack of directorial grace, Red Tails barely makes it back to the runway intact. It's the kind of movie you want to like – a racially charged underdog story, about the African American squadron of fighter pilots known as the Tuskagee Airmen and, more informally, as the Red Tails.

Unfortunately, director Anthony Hemingway, helming his first feature film here, seems to have relied heavily on consistently uninspired directorial cues from producer George Lucas, because all of the unfortunate hallmarks of the bearded one's inept style of actor direction are in full view here. Only whenever the movie segues into one of its handful of dogfighting sequences does it…

Red Tails seems forgotten by the masses. Pardon the expression, but it flew under the radar in early 2012 and that's a shame because it's a quality film.

I have fond memories of going to see this in the theater. It was winter of 2012, mere months before the acquisition of Lucasfilm, and George Lucas himself called this passion project of his "the closest you'll get to Episode VII". With that type of publicity combined with my fascination with WWII films and American history, I was pumped to see this. I was in college at the time and needed to travel somewhat to find a theater that was showing it. Unfortunately for me we had freezing rain the night before,…

This was apparently the final Lucasfilm venture before it was purchased by Disney. It’s a shame that they go out on a whimper rather than some big epic. 

The story is interesting, but it’s bogged down by bad dialogue, overly shiny special effects and every war film cliche you could think of. 

Clearly drawing influence from movies of the 40s and 50s, it feels clunky by today’s standards. There’s no real morally grey area and as a result the characters feel quite two dimensional. 

I did find it strange that the film brushes over segregation of black people in the military. Though the film makers intentions were clearly good, surely this is the story they should have told? I’d be…