The Blue Angels
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
High-flying docu has positive messages, some peril.
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The Blue Angels
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What's the Story?
Only six people get selected from among thousands of combat-ready fighter pilots to participate in THE BLUE ANGELS elite performance team. Putting on the well-known traveling air show takes months of training, teamwork, precision, and power. It also requires sacrifices from the pilots, who must live away from home and their families for months at a time and put their bodies through rigorous training and preparation. They take risks in the air to push their planes into very close formations and aerobatic maneuvers. The documentary shows all of this through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage of the team, and an aerial camera unit that captured the in-air practices and performances.
Is It Any Good?
It's not quite like being at a live performance of this elite flying team, but this film -- especially the limited IMAX release -- is sure to thrill fans with its cockpit views of in-air maneuvers. Fans and the curious will also get a lot out of the interviews and behind-the-scenes insights into the preparation and work that goes into the tradition of The Blue Angels.
The film, however, isn't for those with only a passing interest in the elite flyers and could feel to some like propaganda for the team and the military in general. We don't get a ton of insight into the personal lives or backgrounds of these men, nor what drives them beyond perfecting their performance. There's a definite Top Gun air to the proceedings, heightened by a rousing Hans Zimmer-produced score.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what insights they gained about the work and lifestyle of the elite team of pilots known as The Blue Angels. Where could you go to learn more?
Why is teamwork and mutual trust so important to these pilots?
The makers of this documentary suggest this film "lifts the veil of the Blue Angels mystique," but simultaneously "magnifies the Blue Angels magic." Do you agree? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: May 17, 2024
- Cast: Brian Kesserling , Christopher Kapuschansky , Scott Goossens
- Director: Paul Crowder
- Studio: Amazon Prime Video
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: STEM , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Gratitude , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time: 92 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: May 31, 2024
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