The Magic of Flight (1996) User Reviews

A piece of its time, but I liked it

[rgcustomer · 7/10 · 14 October 2013]

Despite being nearly two decades old, this is a film I liked. It's certainly US-centric (and I'm not) but who cares? Using the Blue Angels to hold the film together, it touches on a few aspects of flight history, leading up to a thrilling aerobatic display concluding the film. You want to see this in a true IMAX theatre.

At first I was annoyed that much of the film was not shot in IMAX, using only a small fraction of the screen, but it does really emphasize what you're seeing when it opens up to the full giant IMAX size. The looping and spinning as you ride along is so immersive that you may feel just a bit nauseous (but it's so worth it).

I'd like to see an updated version of this film that doesn't pretend to be a history of flight, and just focuses on the Blue Angels, and other aerobatic acts.

Fun fact: the film attributes lift to the Bernoulli principle. While the principle is correct, it is NOT what keeps planes in the air, or they obviously would not be able to fly vertically or upside-down. And we've all seen stealth planes with perfectly flat wings. This part should be edited out.

Succinct in Sixteen

[unclesamsavage · 8/10 · 15 February 2022]

A dizzying dash of excitement with educational material for those aviation laymen. See it in IMAX.

Screenplay...................................... 8 / 10 Interviews........................................ 7 Visuals................................................ 10 Sound................................................... 10 Editing................................................ 7 Music....................................................... 9 Timeless Utility................................. 8 Total.................................................... 59 / 70 ~= 8.4 (which I rounded to 8) Verdict................................................. Highly recommended.

Incredible!!!!!

[jtfsouth · 10/10 · 22 July 2000]

I saw this when it came out in IMAX because watching it for the first time would almost be sac-religious. I have always been fascinated with the Blue Angels, and this only reinforced my previous beliefs. It also profiled another stunt pilot who I love to watch fly, Patty Wagstaff who flies the BFgoodrich Extra 300s.

The narration by Tom Selleck could not have been done any better by anyone else. Listening to his voice on the massive IMAX screen gave it a sense of peacefulness.

Since it left the IMAX theater, I now own it on video cassette. It doesn't have the same draw as it did on the big screen, but I still love to watch it over and over again just the same.

The only bad part of the movie was that it was not long enough. The total length time was 39 minutes.

If you love to watch the Blue Angels, or love the history of flight, by all means this is the video for you.

Another one..

[EvilFlap · 5/10 · 21 May 2006]

This movie must disappoint a lot of people who go and see it, as do a lot of imax movies these days (aside from Adrenaline, that is). Instead of seeing a lot of large-screen moving action, really experiencing, for instance, the intensity of flying, we have to sit through too slick, militaristic, americanistic (e.g. an a blue angels pilot talking about how he does it all for the children who want his autograph) nonsense. This movie format is made to really immerse you in the subject, while a good, not to over dramatic like in this movie, commentator tells you a bit about what you're seeing, it is not meant for 40 minutes of talking heads (with only a few real flying shots).

You'll need the interest already

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 March 2015]

"The Magic of Flight" is a 40-minute IMAX film directed by two-time Oscar nominee Greg MacGillivray and written by Jack Stephens. Both have worked on quite a few IMAX documentary movies. It's narrated by Tom "Magnum" Selleck and as he has been a stereotype alpha male, it's maybe a good choice he talks about a thing so many men dream of and appreciate: flying. But this film is not just about the technology of airplanes. Actually, that was the worst part in my opinion. I mostly enjoyed the short bird sequences and the look in the very very early years of aviation. Those parts about acrobatic flying did not really interest me at all.

Also the interviewees seemed a bit random and honestly I don't remember much they said about the topic. The cockpit recordings were kinda boring, but we get to see some beautiful landscapes, which was another highlight for me. However, there are documentaries I would prefer where I see these from start to finish. This documentary here is really only relevant and interesting for pilots and those with a deep affection for aviation. It's not gonna make you interested in these subjects.