78
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- This is a great and glorious movie, and its makers have a right to be proud of themselves.
- 90Film ThreatKyle BainFilm ThreatKyle BainCinema has come a long way since the 1920s, so there’s no way to compare a product from that time to a similar one from the modern-day with any equitability. Wings, however, stands the test of time and remains a masterpiece.
- 88LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenSure, this is mostly propaganda, a self-described memorial to the men who sacrificed their lives in World War I, but at the same time it’s honest enough to include a scene—60 years before Born on the Fourth of July—in which a returning soldier makes a tearful confession to the family of a lost pilot.
- 80Time OutTime OutA spectacular tribute to the American flyers of World War I, born of Wellman's and John Monk Saunders' own experiences with the Lafayette Flying Corps, it's distinguished by matchless aerial photography, logistically-detailed battle scenes and dogfights, a unique blend of 'European' directorial touches with Hollywood pace, and solid performances holding the straightforward love/duty/camaraderie plotline together.
- 80Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesCertainly, Wings soars beyond human experience. [17 Jan 1928, p.11]
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliObvious technical considerations aside, it holds up surprisingly well after so many years and is not hard to recommend for anyone with an interest in film history and World War I.
- 75Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneIt is the aviation scenes that make the movie memorable. The story around which they are built is just another story, similar to, but not so gripping as "The Rough Riders." But any lack here is made up for in the airship maneuvers. They are magnificent. [01 Nov 1927, p.37]
- 70When the action [from a story by John Monk Saunders] settles on terra firma there is nothing present that other war supers haven’t had, some to a greater degree. But nothing has possessed the graphic descriptive powers of aerial flying and combat that have been poured into this effort.
- 60EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonClara Bow is mesmerising in this ahead-of-its-tie air force drama.