Our Take

Wings (1927) - Forget the melodrama; this is about the screaming roar of engines and the terrifying ballet of wood and wire in the clouds. These weren't stunt doubles on green screens—these were madmen in real planes, filming dogfights while plummeting toward the earth at terminal velocity. It’s the original high-octane war epic, a visceral explosion of aerial combat that makes modern blockbusters look like they’re flying paper airplanes. It’s a tragic, beautiful love letter to the doomed youth who traded their lives for a patch of sky.