The Blue Angels

Paul Crowder's 2024 documentary follows the United States Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, through a season. The selection of new pilots, the intense winter training and the show season itself are tracked in order. The film's real reason to exist is the imagery: aerial photography shot for IMAX shows six aircraft flying metres apart, from inside and outside the cockpit at once, and on a large screen it is genuinely striking. What the film never does is put any distance between itself and its subject. The Blue Angels are also a military publicity programme, and the documentary speaks in the language of one; cost, the squadron's accident history and its recruiting function never come up. The pilots' personal stories are warm but stay shallow. Who it's for: viewers who love aviation photography and large-screen documentaries. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a documentary that looks critically at military institutions, or who will find the promotional tone uncomfortable.