Any self-respecting movie rooted in real-life events should at the very least attempt to aim for some semblance of historical accuracy, but being torn apart for its excessive creative liberties turned out to be just one of the many curses placed upon 2006’s forgotten Flyboys.
A small selection of the nitpicks included the blending of two different airborne outfits that did a disservice to subject Eugene Bullard, inconsistencies on the technical aspects of the planes used throughout, military uniforms that were outdated by the time the story took place, soldiers from Britain, France, America, and Germany all being seen with the wrong equipment, all of which made more sense when it was discovered the sole advisor on the project was a convicted defrauder who’d fabricated his resume to gain a job at a war museum.
The misery was further compounded by middling reviews that saw Flyboys failing to reach the clouds in terms of acclaim, as well as a dismal performance at the box office that ended up topping out at less than $18 million, an outright embarrassment for a dogfighting would-be epic that set the studio back an estimated $60 million.
It could have been inspiring stuff, too, with the historical background finding American youths volunteering to enlist in the French forces during the height of World War 1, which led to the forming of a squadron known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Regardless, streaming subscribers have been willing to give it a shot, with FlixPatrol unveiling the forgotten flop as one of the most-watched features on Paramount Plus this week.