10 Best Movies To Watch After Seeing The Blue Angels Documentary

May 25, 2024, 2:30 p.m.

Movies

10 Best Movies To Watch After Seeing The Blue Angels Documentary

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Summary The Blue Angels documentary captures the high-stakes reality of flying powerful aircraft with precision, inspiring many hit movies.

Realism and accuracy in military aviation films like The Blue Angels provide a level of authenticity that fictionalized films can't match.

The Blue Angels and other military aviation movies, like Top Gun and Midway, immerse audiences in intense action and emotional storytelling.

The Blue Angels documentary is a thrilling look into the real-life training of the Navy and Marine flight exhibition team, and their experiences have inspired many great movies to watch after seeing the film. Centering on the high-stakes reality and intricacies of flying incredibly powerful aircraft at high speeds with razor-sharp precision, The Blue Angels has captured the imaginations of everyone who witnesses them. Produced by Glen Powell, who was exposed to their prowess while filming Top Gun: Maverick, The Blue Angels are brought to life stunningly in the new documentary.

However, when movies dedicate themselves to exploring the highs and lows of military aviation with truth, empathy, and plenty of lightning-fast action, it's impossible not to be enthralled and entertained.

The best military movies are praised for their realism by experts who are war historians or veterans who have received training and seen conflict. With documentaries like The Blue Angels, there is a level of accuracy that few fictionalized films can capture, even when they're based on real events. However, when movies dedicate themselves to exploring the highs and lows of military aviation with truth, empathy, and plenty of lightning-fast action, it's impossible not to be enthralled and entertained. Stories that center on the Navy and aircraft teams across history should be highlighted for their ability to achieve this.

Watch The Blue Angels on Prime Video.

10 Flyboys (2006)

Directed by Tony Bill

Starring James Franco, Flyboys is loosely inspired by the true story of American volunteers who join the French military to learn to be pilots. Flyboys is most concerned with interpersonal relationships and the emotional growth of its characters. However, that doesn't make them any less skilled when they take to the air. The film was overlooked at the box office, resulting in a flop compared to the project’s budget. However, it's redeemed by its genuine, if sometimes misguided, attempts to discuss social and political issues of the World War I period.

If viewers are looking for a more lighthearted watch after the stress of The Blue Angels, Flyboys is a great film to explore next.

One of the major criticisms launched against Flyboys was a lack of historical accuracy, but in terms of emotional truths, it paints a clear picture of the lives of its characters. Additionally, the inconsistencies regarding the aircraft used and the visual effects employed for the fight sequences were more a question of budget rather than the film's intention. If viewers are looking for a more lighthearted watch after the stress of The Blue Angels, Flyboys is a great film to explore next.

Flyboys (2006) Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Tony Bill Release Date September 22, 2006 Cast James Franco , Scott Hazell , Mac McDonald , Philip Winchester , Todd Boyce , Karen Ford Runtime 139 minutes

9 Midway (2019)

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Though the 2001 movie, Pearl Harbor, is one of the best-known films about the event, Midway starts with Pearl Harbor and then delves into the battle of Midway. Midway is a decidedly less romance-centric take on the Pacific front than Pearl Harbor, and it skews more toward the action elements and heroics of the people during the conflict. Much of the story boils down to several key players high up in the military trying to push forward the Midway plan. Conversely, other officers argue against it and worry about its risks and implications.

Midway is available to rent on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.

Despite its poor performance at the box office, Midway still has merit, and for anyone interested in immersive and intense battle sequences. Similarly to the training the real pilots receive in The Blue Angels, the fight choreography and visuals are perfectly timed and planned in Midway. While the movie struggles somewhat to develop its characters and move the story forward, once the actual fight commences, it's impossible to look away. It’s considered a faithful representation of the battle and how military operations take place in the Navy.

Midway Written by Wes Tooke and directed by Roland Emmerich, 2019's Midway is a 2019 feature film starring Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, and Patrick Wilson. The film revolves around the invasion of Midway island and follows the war struggles between the United States and Japan. Director Roland Emmerich Release Date November 8, 2019 Writers Wes Tooke Cast Dennis Quaid , Nick Jonas , Ed Skrein , Woody Harrelson , Aaron Eckhart , Mandy Moore , Luke Evans , Patrick Wilson Runtime 138 minutes

8 Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

However, the amazing stunts, real aviation sequences, and fast-paced action are aspects few other films can boast.

The highly anticipated sequel to Tom Cruise's Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, made a splash at the box office and was a theatrical event few will ever forget. It's the biggest summer blockbuster of the 2020s so far, easily passing one billion dollars at the box office. Part of this is due to the fond memories of the original film in addition to Cruise's star power and ability to draw audiences to the theater. However, the amazing stunts, real aviation sequences, and fast-paced action are aspects few other films can boast.

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Top Gun: Maverick has flight sequences akin to the amazing scenes in The Blue Angels, and it's especially thrilling because so many of the actors learned to fly and do their own stunts. Overall, the Top Gun movies are dramatized for the sake of the story, but that doesn't make their emotional heart any less real. Both Top Gun: Maverick and The Blue Angels give the characters and real people fully developed lives that make their time in the air all the more compelling.

Top Gun: Maverick Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film's events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick's late friend, forcing him to confront his past. Director Joseph Kosinski Release Date May 27, 2022 Cast Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris Runtime 130 Minutes Franchise(s) Top Gun

7 Red Tails (2012)

Directed by Anthony Hemingway

Featuring fantastic actors who faithfully bring to life the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails, doesn't shy away from the adversity faced by the African American servicemen who were tapped to train as fighter pilots in World War II. Racial bigotry and discrimination are just as rampant in the military as it is in the United States as a whole, and Red Tails tackles these struggles while also demonstrating how the men who served were real people who put their lives on the line. Additionally, the abilities of the pilots are put on display in the aerial sequences.

Red Tails has fallen under some criticism for not being as serious and dramatic as other narratives that tackle the period of WWII and the realities of racism in the 1940s. However, there is also an argument to be made that not every story that touches upon these issues must be emotionally heavy at every turn. Red Tails is uplifting and focuses on moments of levity alongside the harsh realities of war. The Blue Angels take on human issues in the documentary just as much as they explore the feats of flying, as does Red Tails.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Red Tails is an action-adventure movie based on the true events of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. The movie follows the brave actions of African American fighter pilots who battled for their country despite the unjust racial prejudice they faced, proving themselves in aerial battles over Europe in their signature red-tailed aircraft. Director George Lucas Release Date January 20, 2012 Cast Cuba Gooding Jr , Bryan Cranston , David Oyelowo Runtime 125minutes

6 Devotion (2022)

Directed by J. D. Dillard

Glen Powell has a personal connection to The Blue Angels documentary for many reasons and his performance in many movies about fighter pilots. While Top Gun: Maverick is his most famous, Devotion should be as well-known for its depiction of the Korean War, a conflict that's underrepresented in Hollywood. Additionally, the film tells the story of Jesse Brown, an African American Naval Officer killed in action during the Korean War who paved the way for Black pilots in the American military. Due to the tragic end of his life, Devotion is deeply emotionally impactful.

Despite its strong character relationships and great action, Devotion premiered before audiences were coming back to the theaters in droves. However, its availability on streaming has given the movie a second life, and will doubtlessly get further recognition now that Powell has produced The Blue Angels. Men like Brown, who gave their lives in battle are huge inspirations for the people who join the military, like the cast of The Blue Angels.

Devotion Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director J.D. Dillard Release Date November 23, 2022 Cast Jonathan Majors , Glen Powell , Christina Jackson , Joe Jonas , Thomas Sadoski , Serinda Swan , Rossy de Palma , Daren Kagasoff Runtime 138 minutes

5 Speed & Angels (2008)

Directed by Peyton Wilson

Like The Blue Angels, Speed & Angels is a documentary that involves the lives of real people. The movie tracks the lives of two individuals who join the Navy and are later deployed in Iraq. For honest and unscrupulous depictions of training in flying and battle for real combat situations, Speed & Angels is a revelation that delves into even more serious territory than The Blue Angels. The subjects of the film are Jay Consalvi and Meagan Varley. They join the Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy and realize their dreams of becoming fighter pilots.

Speed & Angels is available for rent on Prime Video or Apple TV.

Filmed with Naval permission, Speed & Angels paved the way for documentaries like The Blue Angels in many ways, as the filmmakers got an inside look into parts of the military never seen before. Seeing pilots and soldiers depicted in the movies is one thing, but to get an inside and personal look at the pressures people face when they take this career path is much easier to empathize with. Knowing that they're not actors or performers and that what they're doing matters more to them than anything is vital to the audience's perception of Naval pilots.

4 Dunkirk (2017)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Centering cinematography and atmospheric aesthetics above all else, Dunkirk imparts the feeling that the audience is there with the characters, wherever in the timeline they may be.

Like all of Christopher Nolan's best movies, Dunkirk plays with the timeline of the film and intersects three cohesive storylines that come together to tell the full story of the evacuation of Dunkirk. On the beach, at sea, and in the air, Nolan never gives the audience a moment to breathe in between the action and brutal realities of this part of the war. Centering cinematography and atmospheric aesthetics above all else, Dunkirk imparts the feeling that the audience is there with the characters, wherever in the timeline they may be.

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This is akin to The Blue Angels, and the way the documentary gives insight into what it's really like flying these planes and attempting such daring stunts. Though Dunkirk is a historical epic, the film and the documentary take differing approaches for a similar result of communicating physical and emotional intensity to the viewer. Watching Dunkirk is not always easy, as many lives were lost during the evacuation, but it's a reminder of the cost of war.

Dunkirk Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available This epic tale of World War II tells the story of soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who are surrounded by the German army, and the dangerous operation that evacuated and saved the lives of thousands. Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 21, 2017 Cast Kenneth Branagh , Aneurin Barnard , Mark Rylance , Tom Hardy , James D'Arcy , Jack Lowden , Cillian Murphy , Harry Styles , Fionn Whitehead , Barry Keoghan Runtime 106 minutes Budget $82.5–150 million

3 Greyhound (2020)

Directed by Aaron Schneider

Tom Hanks not only stars in Greyhound, but he also penned the screenplay based on the novel, The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester. Many movies that defined Tom Hanks' career have been war movies or involved a discussion of combat in some way, like Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump. Throughout all of his projects, one thing that always remains true about Hanks' work is that he gives his all to the portrayal of all characters, real or fictional. In Greyhound he plays Commander Ernie Krause of the U.S. Navy navigating the Black Pit during WWII.

Unfortunately, due to its release in 2020, the film went straight to streaming on Apple TV+, but that didn't stop it from being a hit for the streamer. What audiences and critics appreciate most about Greyhound, is that it doesn't bog itself down with too much exposition or getting stuck on unimportant aspects of the script. It maintains a quick pace and leans into the excitement of the action sequences. Though Greyhound takes place at sea more than in the air, it shows another aspect of the Navy that The Blue Angels doesn't touch upon.

Greyhound Greyhound is a 2020 Apple TV+ war film starring and written by Tom Hanks. Hanks plays Captain Krause, a US Navy Commander who must lead his crew as they are hunted by the Germans during World War II. Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, and Matt Helm star alongside Hanks in this Aaron Schneider-directed film. Director Aaron Schneider Release Date July 10, 2020 Cast Lee Norris , Elisabeth Shue , Devin Druid , Tom Hanks , Maximilian Osinski , Rob Morgan , Grayson Russell , Karl Glusman , Craig Tate , Michael Benz , Tom Brittney , Stephen Graham , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Matthew Zuk Runtime 91 minutes Budget $50.3 million

2 The Pilot: A Battle For Survival (2021)

Directed by Renat Davletyarov

Though much of the film takes place on land, the tenacity and determination to survive against all odds is something the protagonist, Nikolai Komlev (Pyotr Fyodorov), has in common with all the best lead characters of war movies.

The Pilot: A Battle For Survival doesn't follow the story of a member of the U.S. military, but it does tell just as harrowing and impactful a tale as any to come from Hollywood. It's inspired by the life of a Russian fighter pilot whose plane went down during WWII, and his struggle to beat the elements in a harsh landscape. Though much of the film takes place on land, the tenacity and determination to survive against all odds is something the protagonist, Nikolai Komlev (Pyotr Fyodorov), has in common with all the best lead characters of war movies.

Watch The Pilot: A Battle For Survival on Prime Video or Tubi.

It's a realistic and gritty depiction of what happens in the aftermath of being shot down, and how real pilots are trained to fight on land just as much as in the air. Telling this kind of story from WWII is unique among many offers amidst the genre. While the moments filmed in the air are just as thrilling as anything from The Blue Angels, The Pilot takes these stakes one step further and places its characters in an unbelievable position against insurmountable odds.

2:35 Related How Glen Powell Is Approaching Top Gun 3 Differently After Real-Life Blue Angels Experience Exclusive: Glen Powell explains how his experience with the Blue Angels flying group will affect how he approaches his return as Hangman in Top Gun 3.

1 Top Gun (1986)

Directed by Tony Scott

While Top Gun: Maverick might have faster planes and more advanced visual effects nothing can beat the original magic of the first Top Gun. In some ways, the age of the film and the rawness of the footage make the story feel even more immediate. It immerses the viewer in a way that contemporary, polished movies cannot. Additionally, watching Cruise work before he became one of the biggest action stars of all time is surprisingly refreshing. He's still a force of nature but doesn't have the pressure to perform that came in his later blockbusters.

When the film was released it was universally praised for its action and aerial scenes, while other aspects, including the romantic plotline between Cruise and Kelly McGillis, were panned for being unrealistic. However, as time has gone on, these aspects have become warmly recalled as campy and over-the-top in the best possible way. For all its moments of humor, Top Gun takes its portrayal of the risks the pilots take very seriously, as does The Blue Angels. Without movies like Top Gun, there wouldn't be a cultivated interest in the Navy and what it takes to be an elite pilot.

Top Gun Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available In this classic action flick, Tom Cruise stars as daring young pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Among the other students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school, he competes to be best in the class, and learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom. Director Tony Scott Release Date May 16, 1986 Cast Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , Tom Skerritt Runtime 110 minutes Budget $15 million