Review Detail

Red Tails is as deep as saran wrap and as subtle as a mallet. It's George Lucas's love letter to WWII movies like Sergeant York that are exercises in myth building and mild propaganda. No doubt the real life story was a lot more interesting than the breakfast cereal version we get in Red Tails. What kind of fanedit is possible starting with that?

A fine one, it turns out. Red Tails Redux is fine work because the editor knew exactly what his target was and went straight to it like a heat seeking missile. The best part of the story is the friendship at the center, so strip away everything that doesn't contribute. Change up the scene order and dialogue to make the audience care more about those characters. Whole subplots disappear without a trace. Preachy and groan worthy dialogue is beaten back. The end product is enjoyable, quick paced and even gripping at times.

What's most impressive is how the fanedit pays attention to the whole structure in a way that not many fanedits do. Rearranged scenes do a better job of building the emotional investment. And they give the movie a new rhythm. Now when you watch the spectacular dogfights it's more than great eye candy, you have a sharper concern for the pilots.

Technically speaking the cuts, dissolves, new music, and a little bit of new footage flow without a hitch. There's no sense that big chunks of the movie have been chopped out. The viewing experience is much better for it and without the digressions and preachiness the movie zooms like a P-51 Mustang.