The Blue Angels

This is an IMAX documentary I saw on Monday:

I understand why many on Letterboxd would be wary of something that is literally military propaganda, but…

My opinions on the military and the propaganda of same in the United States won’t be related here; none of that will factor into my rating. Instead, I’ll discuss this IMAX documentary on its merits. It will make its way to Amazon soon (as it’s from Amazon MGM Studios… a phrase I probably will never get used to saying) but getting to see it on an IMAX screen sounded delightful for the aerial maneuvers. For those unaware, The Blue Angels is a demonstration flight team of the United States Navy which perform death-defying moves in the air at air shows & have done so since the 1940’s.

Someone I know on a messageboard saw a trailer for this like I did and noted how he was amused that Glen Powell was a producer. It was appropriate-maybe they asked Tom Cruise and he declined? More surprising to me was that JJ Abrams was also a producer. Where in the heck has he been since The Rise of Skywalker? It’s like he fell into a Sarlacc pit! Most didn’t like Episode 9 for a wide variety of reasons; I’d rather not relitigate the Disney trilogy and why it failed so badly. Instead, I’ll note that I didn’t notice too many lens flares so his impact was unknown to me… and unlike what I mistakenly believed without any real corroborative evidence, Powell wasn’t a narrator or a host.

This documentary is standard. Only a small number of pilots are part of that program and in chronological fashion, their 2022 season is followed. There is some footage in the sky but much of the proceedings are on the ground as we see what like is like for everyone in that program—support staff included. The selection program for new candidates (they are replaced every several years) is also shown for a bit.

Perhaps not surprisingly, quite a few people at my screening were of the geriatric type. I can’t say “they have gray hair”, as I have some myself & my age is 43! I wrestled w/ how to rate this. I’ll say “it was pretty good” between learning about these fellows & getting to see their most thrilling maneuvers where at times the planes are only 12 to 18 inches (31 to 46 centimeters) from each other will forever be genuinely impressive to me. People can feel free to skip this if they have little interest in the subject matter.

However, if you are a fan of the United States military for whatever reasons (family or simply a nerdy desire for knowledge) then you may want to view it on Prime in the future. Me, I’m glad I got to see a random full-length IMAX documentary in a regular cinema instead of a typical 45 minute documentary from the company that are a hallmark in a plethora of museums around the world.