The Red Baron (2009)

[Troy Tempest]

A wasted opportunity, watch The Blue Max instead!

Now first up I have to admit I'm a bit of a WWI aviation buff, so I was really excited about this movie, HOWEVER! I found the movie so very disappointing on so many fronts, I don't know where to start. The biggest joke was watching the paltry extras, and listening to the producer claiming that the film was historically accurate...NOT! There was a non-stop stream of historical inaccuracies, and they even resorted to just plain making stuff up. Very very disappointing, because there was no need to resort to making a work of almost total fiction instead of something that actually resembled reality.

Here was a chance to do a really good WWI aviation flick, and I did quite enjoy the flight scenes, but they were too few. I guess they had to make room for the "love interest" angle, which was another historical inaccuracy, led nowhere, added nothing and took up valuable screen time. I understand that most people watching either wouldn't know the difference between fact and fantasy or wouldn't care, and that's fair enough. It is just such a wasted opportunity. A big budget with great CGI, and they decided to make this instead of something that could have been much more interesting and actually true!

They didn't even show his last flight and his death! Why not? A further blunder was insisting that to this day nobody knows who actually shot him down - total rubbish! It's been proven that he was shot down by ground fire from Aussie soldiers, no recognition given to them in the movie. Don't buy it, it's a waste of money, I wish I hadn't. Wait till it's renting for $1 and fast forward through the dross and just watch the flying sequences, everything esle is a waste of time.

I went from being very excited about the movie to thoroughly regretting spending good money on buying the dvd. About the only thing it gets right historically is his name. Flyboys was better, despite it's own historical flaws, and The Blue Max is so superior to this movie, even though it was made over 40 years earlier, it's not funny. The only thing that saves this sorry excuse of a biography from one star is the flying scenes.

This laughable film deserves to be shot down in flames!

[phylo_roadking]

Flyboys was better, despite it's own historical flaws,

You're aware of the phrase "damned with faint praise"???

[Troy Tempest]

Yes indeed! When I first watched Flyboys, I couldn't believe the Germans were all flying red triplanes! Except the evil German, who naturally flew a black one. However, when I watched the extras, and listened to the producer/director explaining about their choice to use some artistic licence, I calmed down! The thing with The Red Baron is that in the paltry extras, the producer/directors claim that this film IS historically accurate, which it clearly is not on so many levels. According to them, Germans can now get a better understanding and appreciation of the great man, because of their film (their own words). What a crock! I'm off to work now, more rants to follow!

[John W. Howard]

Hello Troy:
Thanks for the review. I was really looking forward to this film and hoped they would do a good job on it. I've always been intrigued by von Richtoffen's depressive episodes towards the end of the war; his solitary hunting expeditions in the woods. I had hoped there would be an exploration of the man as well as the aviator; it appears this is not the case. Another opportunity to make something other than a cartoon-like action picture is lost. Too bad. Best wishes.

[Troy Tempest]

Do you know how many times you see the RED Baron flying his RED Albatross or his RED Fokker? Give up? I know, you're thinking, wow, heaps of times, surely? NOT ONCE!! How can you have a movie about the RED Baron and not show him flying a RED plane? I was going to wait before expanding on my initial slagging off of this movie, but just had to slip this one in. Just to recap - YOU NEVER SEE THE RED BARON IN A RED PLANE! I ask you.....

[donwhite]

My impression upon viewing the film (on DVD in Australia, I can't recall a cinematic release occuring locally) was whether some serious editing has taken place. I found it dis-jointed and the ending was especially a let down.

Cheers