Wings of Courage

From the director who brought you the Name of the Rose, Seven Years in Tibet and Enemy at the Gates, comes a movie that has all the tangibles of an epic. A man gets stranded in the mountains and must overcome all obstacles to get back home. Now, it sounds like this movie would be two to three hours long, but surprisingly it's little over a half-hour. Yes, a half-hour, which is incredibly surprising since it is starring big names such as Val Kilmer and Tom Hulce (Mozart in Amadeus). However, this was the first dramatic piece for Imax, and since Imax specialized in science theater at the time, which only ran about a half-hour a piece, they were worried that their audiences would have the patience to sit through a two hour film. Thus, they grabbed this film, a rather heartfelt but incomplete film that has good intentions, but rather poor execution. Thus, it is no surprise that this movie was released in Imax theaters rather than traditional theaters nationwide, simply because regular movie goers would be outraged by such a short and half-done film.

Imax movies tend to be technological achievements more than anything. They're basically nature specials on a huge screen, but because of that screen and sound, they seem better than they really are. Unfortunately, Wings of Courage doesn't take advantage of Imax's technological advantages, thus it's a surprise why this movie even was released in such an atmosphere. However, despite it's technological "miscast" the movie is hardly worth Imax's steep price of admission (yes, i saw this in theaters amazingly). The plot is simple and heartwarming, but the characters really never pop out or grasp the audience's attention. They seem aloof and conservative, which is not a good thing to do in a short film. Thus, the audience never seems to get into the characters, and the plot suffers because of it, because instead of getting an inspirational story, it just seems as if the story drags. Thankfully, it doesn't drag on too long since the movie is only 40 minutes.

Anothe problem with the movie is the casting. In all the promotions, Val Kilmer was on everything, from movie posters to all the commercials. However, Val Kilmer really makes a glorified "Cameo", saying a few lines and dying in a newspaper article. It's bad enough that the director deprived Kilmer of any lines, but depriving him of his own demise? Come on! Thus, the movie suffers without any real star power, because none of the other actors really flourish. Whoever was in charge of the promotion obviously did a good job of fooling people, because instead of getting a movie with Val Kilmer, like everyone expected, the audience gets a film with a few lousy actors who never do a good job in their role, making this movie a total bore-fest.

It's a shame that Imax's first drama was such a sappy and boring one, but thankfully they have released much longer and more feature films, most recently Batman Begins. However, while Imax's blunder was great and perhaps costly (i'm sure this movie tanked for them), the director really should be a bit embarrassed with this flick, for it seems as if they ran out of money during production and were forced to do a forty minute flick instead of a two hour epic. While there are some positives in the movie, such as good cinematography, the rather boring plot, lifeless actors and short time make this movie a frustrating snooze-fest that has viewer grinding their teeth after realizing they had just wasted 10 bucks. Too bad they don't give refunds for bad movies.

I was very anxious to see this film, having read all of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's books on his flying adventures. I also love the Imax format. Unfortunate (for me), I missed its run at Imax, but finally rented a copy. Have to say that even on the home TV screen (and without the Imax 3-D viewing equipment), that this film was a memorable and moving cinematic gem. The scenery in the mountains is just sublime - very beautiful! Craig Sheffer, as the main character (French airmail pilot Henri Guillamet), was superb. He portrayed the truest hero there is - the quiet one whose unselfish actions are never witnessed by another soul, while the public applauds men of lesser virtue (such as the pilot played by Val Kilmer). And it was nice to see Tom Hulce portray one of my own personal heroes - 'Saint-Ex'!

This is one of the better films of true survival against near-impossible odds. The participants of those 'Survivor' shows should give this movie a viewing or two... really!

The scenery and representations of the Latécoère 28 airplane are good. Otherwise I found the movie confusing and rather dull. Just how much tromping through the snow can one take/ Difficult to figure out who was who as the characters appear so briefly. As real historic figures they are reduced to mere secondary characters. To someone unfamiliar with aviation they mean nothing. Saint-Exupery's name is merely a come-on as his talent is not apparent. (Interesting seeing Hulce years after he played Mozart. Credit is due for what must have been difficult filming in the mountains. If you are a Saint-Exupery fan, you're better off seeing the wonderful 2015 "The Little Prince".

This is the best IMAX film out there! I'm not joking. It is great cause it is the first drama IMAX film. The cast is just perfect and the plot will get you hooked. Now you can see it in your own home (it is now on video)! So if you can find it rent it tonight or if you have it playing at the local IMAX theater near you see it there.

Grade Average: A

This is by far the best IMAX (70mm) as well as 3D film I have ever seen, and I dare to say, it stands on its own. The only gripe I have is that it could be feature length, but then I guess it would cost WAY too much to film, as IMAX/3D film cameras and processing is extremely costly. Then again, if this was developed into a feature film it would probably recoup the costs of the IMAX 3D version which didn't do anything astounding at the box office. Most of the IMAX Films out there are boring, and rely solely on the fact that they are shown on a HUGE screen that is usually at least twice the size of a regular movie screen, with excellent sound also. The only IMAX screens I know of in the L.A. area are owned by Edwards Theatres in Irvine and Ontario, The California Museum of Science and Industry in L.A. next to the Olympic Coliseum, The one owned by Disney, and the one at Universal Studios Citywalk (which is a lame ride). Because of the scarcity of screens, most films are filmed in 35mm or 70mm films are shown on 35mm screens with apparent higher resolution when projected. So this movie I would say is a diamond in the rough of IMAX/3D films: slickly produced, great sound, picture, cinematography, acting, and script, as well as beautiful breathtaking scenery of the Swiss Alps. Hope this helps you in your quest for movies worth watching.