I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Neither as interesting nor a quarter as splendid an entertainment as director George Hill's previous U.S.A. Armed Services effort, "Tell It to the Marines" (1926)! But it has its moments, particularly in the earlier scenes in which fascinating character actors like Sumner Getchell (as Kewpie), Gardner James (Specs), Carroll Nye (Tex) and Edward J. Nugent (Dizzy) are the center of attention. Novarro seems miscast as a naval flier, but at least Ralph Graves gives him a bit of a run, although he has to carry the burden of being a "bad" guy. Alfred Allen is excellent in a brief role as the admiral, while the lovely Anita Page holds down the main female role and makes her character's preference for our hero (instead of Mr. Graves) almost convincing. And director Hill certainly does make real good use of all his many fascinating real locations!

MGM was one of the last studios to convert to sound, and this is one of their late silents. By 1929, studios could easily add synchronized sound effects and music scores to films. It was synchronized speech by identifiable individual persons that so grounded the camera and caused so many problems.This late silent, written by one of the founders of naval aviation, has a good if somewhat predictable story with some sound effects to accompany the flight and naval action scenes. The story opens on six graduating seniors at the Naval Academy on the eve of their graduation. The six have been the best of friends for four years, and all six want wings, but only two will make it all the way through. The other four don't make it for a whole number of reasons from being expelled on the eve of graduation, to something as simple and unpreventable as bad eyesight. The last two not only get their wings, they are competing for the affection of a young lady (Anita Page) who lives in San Diego.It's got plenty of action and moves along nicely and absolutely could not have been shot as a sound film for at least a couple of more years when sound technology could finally go outdoors - and in the air - with ease. It's ironic that one of the first of these sound films, 1931's "Dirigible", also stars Ralph Graves playing the same kind of swaggering character that he does here.

Two buddies in the Navy, Tommy (Ramon Novarro) and Steve (Ralph Graves) fall in love with the same girl--Anita (Anita Page). It starts a rivalry which slowly gets serious--can their friendship survive?Very obvious (you KNOW how it's going to end) but pretty good. The story moves quickly, Graves is tall and handsome, Page is pretty and Novarro is just incredibly beautiful with his dark eyes blazing. The direction is very good and there is some truly unbelievable aerial footage. This was all done with the full cooperation of the Navy so we get to see what it was really like back in 1929.No great shakes but a very good silent movie (with some sound effects here and there). Recommended.

This high budget MGM movie from 1929 stars Mr Ben Hur himself, Ramon Navarrow, himself, a cross btw Robert Taylor and Ty Power. Here he has the Tom Cruise role of Maverick. In the Val Kilmer role we have Ralph Graves and the girl is Anita Page who would soon have her own blockbuster with the Broadway melody. Highly exciting aerial sequences are undercut by an underwritten and paint by the numbers, extremely broad strokes plot. Some of the sequences seeem like documentaries, though they should play more like set pieces eg the T-1000 morphing in T-2, bullet-time in the Matrix. You are giving the audience something they haven't seen, like they've never seen it. The movie never gives you that feeling or the necessary iconographic images that are usually associated in this genre. This is definitely a movie dialogue would have made better, for there is sound, through, music in the background, sounds of the planes etc but not enough to give the scenes the necessary gravitas to support a story about six friends and their friendship through naval and aerial school. he aviator movie would go on to be a popular genre in the earlie thirties Hollywood with all the studios throwing in their hats. Most weren't good but had a certain gravitas because of dialogue. Facial expressions just don't do the job here. Overall, not the best movie, but luscious cinematography and slightly above average direction, with fine performances all around from the cast slightly compensate but not enough.