jdonalds-5 I did not view this movie for it's historical accuracy or lack thereof. I simply enjoy WWI and WWII fighter airplane scenes and this movie was full of themThere must have been a good deal of CGI in this movie but it was done so well it didn't distract from the movie at all. I wasn't specifically watching for CGI as I was simply enjoying the movie too much.These old bi-wing and tri-wing aircraft was real combat in the air. The pilots could see each other, the action was close up and, as much as possible in the air, hand-to-hand. From the time I started watching The Red Baron I knew it was going to be good. The direction, including camera work, was very enticing. All of the sets and locations were wonderful, and the views of the airplanes in combat from all angles were very well done. It isn't often I give a director full credit but in this case I do.Yes the dialog was a bit juvenile but I thought it fit the movie, especially given it was depicting an era of almost 100 years ago.The story may not be accurate as far as how it portrays The Red Baron's humanity, but it made a decent story. Overall I thought the story was the weakest part of the movie.One complaint was sometimes the dialog was so quiet I had to have the volume up to 100% on my computer (for most movies I have it about 30% of max), then the loud scenes of airplanes flying, or bombs going off were so very loud. I finally put my earphones on so as not to wake the sleeping child in the next room.If you love air to air combat give this one a watch. It's worth it.

sddavis63 The most powerful part of this movie is the very effective way in which it depicts the chaos and insanity of the First World War. You could, I suppose, say that any war fits that description of chaotic and insane - but the First World War is the classic example. It had no real purpose; it was in many ways a war that started by accident as a chain of events got set in motion that no one had the courage to stop. And the end result was 4 years of slaughter. And, of course, the First World War introduced a new element to warfare - aerial warfare, and the emergence of the "aces" - pilots who shout down large numbers of enemy planes. The movie's absolute strongest point is almost certainly the recreated aerial battles. And at the top of the list of flying aces was Manfred von Richtofen - the Red Baron.As a biography of Richtofen, this movie falls far short. It doesn't really portray much of his life, aside from his war experiences, and much of what is portrayed in heavily romanticized. His romance with the French nurse is unlikely, and the friendship with Canadian pilot Roy Brown (who in real life was incorrectly identified as the pilot who shot Richtofen down and killed him) in which the two shared chats in No Man's Land never happened. The movie was, however, correct in pointing out the respect in which pilots from the opposing sides held each other.The movie progresses along a path which is increasingly sombre, starting with an almost joyous feel as pilots took to the skies, and gradually descending into a depiction of the horrors of war, graphically displayed in a scene shot inside a military field hospital, and in some depictions of ground combat.Unfortunately, while this does have strong points, it ultimately comes across as largely flat and often passionless. It's the sort of movie that you really don't feel you need to pay close attention to - and sometimes you're quite compelled not to pay close attention, because large stretches of it are rather dull. But it does do a decent job of depicting the insanity of World War I. (6/10)

elomusic I read several of the comments and reviews and found them to be unfair. Some talk about the lack of historical facts, which to a point I agree with. When Tarantino did like he did in Inglorious Basterds (by changing history), he's considered a genius, yet these guys are hammered for doing the exact same thing. No doubt some facts were wrong in movies like Apollo 13 and many other movies.I watched the movie for the pure enjoyment of entertainment for a couple of hours. I wasn't obsessed with the fact the Red Baron talked to Brown, or anything else.I love the fact that there can be some sort of chivalry during war. This is shown in movies like Gods and Generals, The Battle of Britain, Flyboys, and other movies. I would rather see scenes like this versus Americans raping young girls in Platoon, Americans kidnapping a girl in Casualties of War, or Americans shooting Germans who are surrendering in Saving Private Ryan.I found it ironic that some made negative comments of the possibility of dropping a wreath in the grave early in the movie, however when James Bond does his impossible things, we clap and yell for him.Is this movie of the Germans apologizing for their history during the first half of the 1900's? Probably, but that's OK. It also showed a Jewish pilot in a very favorable light fighting for Germany.When I want to read history, I will find a time and place to do so. When I want to be entertained, I will find a time and place to do so. When I watched this movie, I wanted to be entertained, and the movie was very entertaining.

JoeB131 The movie's main problem is that it moves very slowly, with long scenes of exposition between the dogfights...The thing that got me worked up the most, when Roy Brown and Richtofen have a drink in No Man's Land, and Brown says "You should hook up with that nurse, she has the hots for you." So why is a Canadian in 1916 using 21st century American slang? Did the writers not know what the equivalent slang of that period would be, or did they just assume we wouldn't know what that means.Oh, yeah, and Brown and Richtofen having a friendly drink. Ironic because Brown would eventually kill Richtofen. Or not. (He was actually killed by ground fire, but I guess having a drink with an Aussie gunner wouldn't have the same effect.) Similarly, the story rewrites Richtofen as a humane pacifist who told his pilot to target planes, not pilots. In reality, he did the opposite, and his own high kill rate was due to his ability to kill pilots at long range as a sniper.Oh, and then the ultimate burn. WE DON'T SEE HIS FINAL DOGFIGHT!!!! I just dropped my rating to a four based on that!