I had the pleasure of seeing one of the early premieres of this film, and was impressed by the depth of tone, cinematography, sound design, and acting. Since World War I is not the most popular war to portray, especially compared with the Civil War, World War II, and the Vietnam War, just bringing some of the issues of the Great War to light is a worthy achievement in itself. Overall, this is well-made and anyone fond of war films in general will enjoy this film.
It is difficult to review this film effectively, because as I talk about it with others, I often have the caveat of "for a regional film" or "for an indie film." That is, "This is a pretty good movie for a locally produced movie." And it's true. For a movie outside of the mainstream this, again, is very remarkable in many ways. When a comparison to bigger movies begins, though, The Great War suffers in contrast.
Not horribly, mind you, but there were a few things that were especially difficult to ignore. First was some of the dialogue using some war cliches. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that some people die in a war movie; in this case, a character's dying words sometimes seemed verbatim from countless other war movies. I will say that one character's final words did fit in with the movie's theme and character much more effectively.
Another area was simple blocking issues. In our little movie-watching group, one particular scene stood out as an example of this where a character was within talking distance of a group of the enemy ... and the enemy basically just stood there while the character did his thing. There were a few instances of just not blocking out the action in a believable manner. However, there were plenty of other exciting, gripping action sequences that hold their own against other war movies.
The biggest issue for our group was the basic storyline, though. Namely in how similar it was to Saving Private Ryan. Beat for beat, the sequence of events and even character development echoes what happened with Captain Miller as he looked for Private Ryan. Details of setting and specific actions are a bit different, but in effect this is a World War I version of the 1998 blockbuster. I will say, though, that in some ways, The Great War earns its emotional connections more honestly than does Saving Private Ryan.
Overall, this was a good movie, and I don't regret watching it at all. A few flaws here and there ... what movie doesn't? In the end, the message of the brotherhood of arms resonates strongly in this first major effort by this director. He, the crew, and the actors will all be people to watch in the coming years.
It is difficult to review this film effectively, because as I talk about it with others, I often have the caveat of "for a regional film" or "for an indie film." That is, "This is a pretty good movie for a locally produced movie." And it's true. For a movie outside of the mainstream this, again, is very remarkable in many ways. When a comparison to bigger movies begins, though, The Great War suffers in contrast.
Not horribly, mind you, but there were a few things that were especially difficult to ignore. First was some of the dialogue using some war cliches. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that some people die in a war movie; in this case, a character's dying words sometimes seemed verbatim from countless other war movies. I will say that one character's final words did fit in with the movie's theme and character much more effectively.
Another area was simple blocking issues. In our little movie-watching group, one particular scene stood out as an example of this where a character was within talking distance of a group of the enemy ... and the enemy basically just stood there while the character did his thing. There were a few instances of just not blocking out the action in a believable manner. However, there were plenty of other exciting, gripping action sequences that hold their own against other war movies.
The biggest issue for our group was the basic storyline, though. Namely in how similar it was to Saving Private Ryan. Beat for beat, the sequence of events and even character development echoes what happened with Captain Miller as he looked for Private Ryan. Details of setting and specific actions are a bit different, but in effect this is a World War I version of the 1998 blockbuster. I will say, though, that in some ways, The Great War earns its emotional connections more honestly than does Saving Private Ryan.
Overall, this was a good movie, and I don't regret watching it at all. A few flaws here and there ... what movie doesn't? In the end, the message of the brotherhood of arms resonates strongly in this first major effort by this director. He, the crew, and the actors will all be people to watch in the coming years.