My Cultural Diet

I’ve always loved a good air show, ever since my parents took me and my brother to Offutt Air Force Base to see demonstrations by the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels. Paul Crowder’s documentary focuses on the Navy squad to chronicle their 2022 season. Over the course of 90 minutes, we watch their demanding pre-season training, glimpse the planning and coordination required to put on a Blue Angels show, and even walk through the process of selecting new pilots. At times, The Blue Angels does feel like a puff piece. Although it addresses the dangers faced by Blue Angel pilots as well as the difficult logistics that military families must deal with, there’s no way the U.S. Navy would allow anything truly critical or negative in the film, not if the filmmakers wanted any significant level of access to the squadron, that is. Even so, it’s impossible to not be inspired and even moved by the men and women of the Blue Angels: by their camaraderie and precision, their pursuit of perfection, and of course, their elite flying skills, which are captured via some truly striking and never-before-seen aerial footage. If you thought Top Gun: Maverick was thrilling, just wait until you get a first-person view of the Blue Angels flying a mere 12 inches apart from each other while pulling off intricate maneuvers at 400 miles/hour.

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