Not Much Bite
If you've never watched a British war movie about flying then there is a good chance that "Mosquito Squadron" will entertain you with its dual story of a complicated romance and a dangerous bombing mission. But if this isn't your first foray into British wartime flying movies you are going to probably end up a little bored by the cliche ridden and cheaply made drama which offers little in the form of originality. As I sat there watching I found myself less interested in what was going on and thinking all the movies which it was similar to.
On a mission over enemy territory Sqn. Ldr. David 'Scotty' Scott (David Buck) is shot down leaving his best friend Quint Munroe (David McCallum - The Great Escape) not only the new squadron leader but also given the job of breaking the news to both Scott's parents and wife Beth (Suzanne Neve). His closeness to Scott makes it incredibly difficult for Quint especially as he starts to have feelings for Beth which she reciprocates. But that is not Quint's only concerns because he has to lead a dangerous low flying mission where his squadron are to drop a bouncing bomb down a tunnel which complicates matters even further.
So if I was to ignore everything I had ever watched when it comes to WWII movies the basic storyline to "Mosquito Squadron" wouldn't be half bad. There is action from the various missions including the daring bombing mission, there is romance due to Quint's feelings for Beth which has plenty of complications and a smattering of other war time drama fused with stiff upper lip. Technically the storyline works although when I take into account all the WWII movies I have watched it ends up feeling like a collection of ideas taken from these other movies.
The trouble is that not only does that make it far too familiar and obvious for those who have watched other WWII movies but it is also cheesy and cheap. The whole melodrama of the conflicted romance is over blown with far too much sweeping music and framed camera shots which only makes it seem cheesy. And then there is the cheap and between poor use of models, poor editing, scenes obviously shot on a sound stage as well as a lot of action footage taken from other movies it has a look of a movie pieced together from others.
It doesn't help matters that when it comes to the characters to only are they poorly written with no little depth but they also look what they are, actors with 60s style haircuts pretending to be 40s style pilots. In the end the biggest appeal of "Mosquito Squadron" is not the characters but David McCallum and I am sure his fans love him in this and think he makes a nice looking couple with the beautiful Suzanne Neve.
What this all boils down to is that "Mosquito Squadron" is for someone who has watched numerous other WWII movies a disappointment, a poorly made flying movie which uses ideas and footage from other WWII movies.
