The Big Picture

The Blue Angels
documentary showcases jaw-dropping aviation sequences shot with IMAX cameras.
Interviews with pilots lack depth, making the film feel surface-level beyond thrilling flight footage.
While best experienced in IMAX, the documentary still captures the magic of watching the elite flight squadron.

When I was five, my dad and grandpa took me to an IMAX 3D documentary about NASCAR. Before then, I had never actually been to an IMAX screen, mainly because at the time, the format wasn’t as accessible as it is now. I obviously don’t remember much about it, as the documentary had more talking head interviews than racing for my pre-adolescent liking, but I do remember being enamored by just how cool the racetrack scenes looked on that big screen. I’d never seen anything quite like it.

While watching The Blue Angels, a new documentary focusing on the US Navy flight demonstration squadron, I couldn’t help but reflect on that experience. At least reflect as much as I could. The film hails from producer extraordinaire J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell, who clearly has an affinity for aviation considering his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Devotion. The Blue Angels also by Paul Crowder, who previously directed the 2013 Formula 1 documentary simply titled 1. Most notably, the documentary was shot primarily with IMAX cameras, using many of the same filming techniques that were used to film the aviation sequences in Top Gun: Maverick. Meaning that if nothing else, the new film will look great.

I grew up being surrounded by the world of aviation as well as my dad’s stories about serving in the Navy right after high school. I still have very close friends who serve, and we occasionally see aviation shows when they briefly return home. As soon as I heard about The Blue Angels documentary, I was immensely excited. How could I not be? There’s nothing more I love to watch on screen than jets soaring through the sky performing seemingly impossible maneuvers. My hope was for this documentary to deliver on that front.

The Blue Angels (2024) Exploring the thrilling world of the Blue Angels, this documentary delves into the lives of the pilots and support crew whose extraordinary skills and dedication inspire awe at air shows across the nation. It showcases the intense preparation, the risks involved, and the personal sacrifices made by the team to maintain their renowned precision and excellence.Release Date May 23, 2024 Director Paul Crowder Main Genre Documentary

‘The Blue Angels’ Is Best Experienced on the Big Screen
While The Blue Angels will be available on Prime Video this coming week, it did have a limited IMAX run this past weekend and while watching the film, you can clearly tell that this is the kind of experience that you can only fully enjoy when watching in the premium format. Much like that NASCAR documentary, the main attraction of The Blue Angels is watching the elite flight squadron soaring through the sky in their jets.

These aviation sequences are nothing short of marvelous, and they are without a doubt some of the most invigorating images you’ll see on-screen all year. While IMAX is without a doubt the optimal way to enjoy this documentary, the footage still looks good on a television screen. It captures that exhilarating magic that Maverick had and often makes you feel as if you are right there in the cockpit with the talented team of pilots. For those who grew up watching Blue Angel shows but are unable to find parking for their next event, this documentary is the next best thing and is the closest you’ll get to experiencing their demonstrations outside of seeing them in person.

‘The Blue Angels’ Keeps Things Too Simple

Between all the impressive aviation, this documentary suffers from a major identity crisis. The jaw-dropping footage is spliced between interviews with the pilot crew, primarily Captain Brian Kesselring aka “Boss,” who is in his last year in the role of the Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels. That said, the documentary doesn’t tell us much about Kesselring outside the basics. Kesselring’s charisma undoubtedly seeps through the screen in the interviews, but by the time the credits roll, it still feels as if we barely know him. Throughout, there are interviews discussing how tough it is for the pilots to be away from their loved ones, as well as an explanation of just how dangerous it is for the Blue Angels to perform. Yet it still feels entirely underdeveloped, as if Crowder mainly just wanted his subjects to briefly mention different aspects of their career to fill out the documentary’s 90-minute runtime.

The Blue Angels also touch upon the squadron’s first female pilot, Amanda Lee, but Lee’s introduction comes so close to the finale that we never get much information about her. It’s almost like you’re watching a Justice League movie, only for Wonder Woman to wave hello for 30 seconds before becoming part of the background. While certainly shallow, the film still isn’t as sugary as you might expect it to be and has heartfelt moments that feel honest. First-year flyer Chris “Cheese” Kapuschansky gives several heartfelt interviews and his passion for his career shines throughout his every scene. Crowder’s documentary could have just felt like another puff piece and, in some ways, it can be. However, the movie always feels completely genuine and told from the heart. The emotions that these pilots show feel just as authentic as the aerial footage. It’s just too bad that so much of it feels like it was left on the cutting room floor.

Image via Prime Video

It’d be easy to forgive this aspect if most audiences were to see this movie in the way that it was intended, on ginormous IMAX screens with booming surround sound. However, most will likely be watching the film at home, and the interviews are never interesting enough to hold your attention. It’ll be very easy for viewers both young and old to be enamored by what’s happening on the screen, and pairing the footage with The Killers’ “All These Things That I Have Done” certainly ends the movie on a high-note where you can’t help but smile. However, when reflecting on the documentary as a whole, it feels like it might’ve worked better as a 30-minute short film rather than a feature-length film.

Crowder has put together a production that is full of enough crowd-pleasing moments to warrant a recommendation. The Blue Angels could have been much deeper and more introspective than it actually is, and it can sometimes just feel like a demonstration of how great IMAX cameras are and just how impressive this flight squadron is. Yet The Blue Angels knows that the entirety of its audience is there to watch some incredible aviation, and for that, they’ll get more than their money’s worth.

The Blue Angels (2024) REVIEW’The Blue Angels’ delivers some incredible aviation sequences shot beautifully with IMAX cameras. Just don’t expect much else out of it.ProsEvery single aviation sequence is jaw-dropping, it’s the next best thing to seeing a Blue Angel show in person.The Blue Angels doesn’t feel as sugary as you might expect thanks to the genuine passion that the pilots show in their interviews. ConsA lot of the content covered outside of the aerial footage feels surface-level.

The Blue Angels is available to stream on Prime Video starting on May 23.

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