I really wanted to like this film as the rarity of WW1 epics in today's Hollywood is noticeable. In the end, I was left disappointed at a movie that meshes CGI action with a Pearl-Harbor-ish love story and cliché characters that have reunited from most every other war film here. There's the brash cowboy lead, the minority figure (whom I though could have been used a lot better than he was), the "religious guy", the hardened veteran ace and his nemesis (whom flies his own black-and-white aircraft so we can distinguish him from his red-colored henchmen friends) - gosh.<br /><br />The first 20 minutes starts out honest enough, but the disappointment followed shortly thereafter. How is our hero allowed to FLY A PLANE OFF OF THE AIRBASE to visit and woo his French girlfriend - whom by the way picks up English in a surprisingly short amount of time? A scene where our hero lands his aircraft, runs through the middle of an ongoing battle and tries to lift a paper-mache aircraft off of the hand of one of our other heroes - are you kidding me? Anywho, the plane is too heavy for me to lift so I'll just have to CUT YOUR ARM OFF! Are you kidding me? It had me laughing it was so pathetic. I thought we'd seen the end of the one-armed pilot but on no - they've affixed a hook for a hand so he can continue on with the sub par script. Again - laughing hysterically now as I watched the film. The hook isn't even CGI-ed in there, it's just an obvious cover for his existing hand - making his one arm to what looks like a foot longer than the other.<br /><br />To add insult to injury, they give this poor chap some hokey battle cries like "Knights of the Air!" and "Beware of the Hook!".<br /><br />By film's end, all credibility is lost. Jean Reno's prowess is sorely underused in this film. Some French is spoken in the beginning and adds credibility, but by mid-film, the production must have moved back to LA or something cause it's all English from there.<br /><br />What we need from an attempt like this is something more along the lines of history - make all of these young me who they really were! I was saddened to see a picture of the real Escadrille at the end of the film, as if this film is some kind of testament to their sacrifice and service. Yah - just like Pearl Harbor was for the sailors of the Pacific Fleet.<br /><br />The ONLY thing one can take away from this is the four or five semi-respectable dogfight scenes, though the aircraft are filmed with what seems to be turbojet power aircraft and fly-by-wire control. Stalling only seems to occur when the script calls for it. Our hero makes several dead-on shots from a six-shooter from HIS PLANE at ANOTHER pilot. No wind resistance is taken into effect mind you, otherwise our hero could win this war all by himself if they keep him in the trenches.<br /><br />Get it from your library for free if you can or watch it on an inflight plane trip. Otherwise, pass on this...