David Ellison stars as Eddie Beagle. - - Contributed

Fly Boys, is slow to take off but after a while, the film gathers some steam under its wings, builds momentum and makes a pretty good flight. Though it might never make it into the war movies hall of fame, Fly Boys offers both entertainment and emotional engagement.

The film is directed by Tony Bill and scripted by Phil Sears, Blake T. Evans and David S. Ward. James Franco heads off the cast and the film gives him a much-needed good mark against his name, after the devastating inanity that was Annapolis. The movie also features Jean Reno who is apparently Hollywood's go-to guy whenever a French role comes up in a movie.

Set in World War I (the war that was to end all wars but only saw an increase in man's efficiency in destruction), Fly Boys follows the adventures of some of the earliest American pilots (fighting under the French flag) in the war, from the Lafayette Escadrille Aerodrome.

Interesting

Fly Boys makes an interesting film but it is not a great war movie. War movies are successful not merely because they can show the large-scale devastation of war but because they hone in on the personal tragedy of the individual soldier or the impact on a small squadron.

Some of the characters are interesting, but it takes a great while to get to know them. As such, the movie builds momentum very slowly as it takes some time before one can care at all about the characters.

So, a part of the problem with Fly Boys is that it attempts to return to a more sterilised image of war. The picture it paints of these pilots reverts to the images of the noble soldier. An image which cannot carry too much water, not because the soldier's nobility is lessened, but because the questionable intent under which wars are waged, along with the devastating effect they usually have on the soldiers, is now indelibly printed on the minds of modern audiences.

Riveting battle scenes

Additionally, though as the war escalated, the battle scenes became much more riveting. The first battle bears too many of the marks of simulation and so it feels unreal so that one cannot feel the danger in which the pilots found themselves. As such, the battle was disconnected from the tragedy being dramatised.

The movie also attempts to tie in a romantic element and does so through the lead character Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) and Lucienne (Jennifer Dekker) which adds some more texture to the flick.

It also attempts to highlight the camaraderie among the pilots but this element is not nearly as successful as it should have been. It does manage to show some of the varying backgrounds the pilots came from and some of the impact the war had on them.

So, for what it is worth, Fly Boys makes a noble effort. It never quite soars but it is a good flight and it comes in for a much better landing than its take off.