[Doolittle81]

... I've watched all the movies on the Flight Sim Movies Website and they are very good but the one I've watched several times, so I s'pose it's my favourite is the epic:

TORA TORA TORA !!!!! 7 DECEMBRE 1941
...

This IL2 "Tora Tora Tora" was not selected for placement at the Flight Sim Movies website for a variety of reasons. I note also that it is not even at the IL2 Movie Database website, which attempts to include all serious IL2 movies. I will advise the IL2MDB webmaster of this missing movie, and I am sure he will add it to the Data base. Thanks PDelaney for bringing this old, mostly forgotten, IL2 movie to our attention.

I would note that this IL2 "Tora Tora Tora" was released almost 3 years ago, in 2005, and as with the "B17..." movie which opened this thread, it similarly shows its age, in terms of IL2 movie-making quality, techniques, etc.

It suffers from a somewhat plodding, slow moving plot/story...in spite of its constant 'action', explosions, guns shooting, bombs exploding,etc etc. There's little if any story, drama...something to 'engage' the audience. A 32-minute long IL2 movie is simply far too long to hold the viewers attention without having a very engaging Storyline. (This holds true for 95% of all 'machinima' movies, which tend to be in the 5-20 minute range)

Less subjective are the errors in "Tora 3" production process itself. The visible online callsigns (Upper left), the Ping markers (upper right) and the HUD text (lower left) are distracting in a movie and reveal a lack of attention to detail...all of these could have been easily turned off during the flying and 'capturing' (Directing) phase and/or very easily Cropped out during the Editing phase. Actually these type errors became increasingly rare beginning in the 2004 timeframe...(with the exception of the aforementioned youtube cr*p online 'videos', of course)

In editing also, there was excessive use of crossfading versus other types of Scene transitions.
Directional continuity in cinematography and editing is mostly nonexistent.
Manual panning is a No-No.
The Music (admittedly from the original Hollywood 'Tora Tora Tora'), while it is typically top notch being a Hans Zimmer score, in this IL2 movie it does not match whatsoever the visuals...it is not synched to the visuals. It's random. Often Slow and sensitive in the midst of exploding bombs, then sometimes more exciting at the wrong times...just not synch'ed to the visuals. This was the norm for music in IL2 videos in the 2005 and earlier timeframe...the creation of music (and sound FX) tracks has become much more sophisticated in IL2 movies of recent years.

The French IL2 productions are known for the extremely poor text/subtitling. It was suggested many times that if they are going to produce a movie with English text/titles/narration (written) that they ask a native English speaker to translate or, at the very least, proofread. Proofreading is a very simple and quick process. To my knowledge, the French group has never accepted offers of such help and, to this day, produce their own English texts...which continue to be very faulty and detract from the professionalism of their movies.

At the end of the day,of course, it's individual choice as to what one likes. To each his own, as they say. I'm constructively critiquing here so that AAA Forum members who've not seen many IL2 movies will know that there are many Superb movies available for viewing, only a few of which have been posted/linked in threads here at the AAA Website.