THIS is what going to the theaters is all about!

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2018)

I have never seen a war movie on the big screen. I never cared to. I enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, and arthouse stuff. I recently saw and enjoyed The Shape Of Water, The Phantom Thread, Jumanji, and Paddington 2. Not into war films. I went to the theater to see The Post and it was sold out. So, I picked 12 Strong at random, seeing Chris Hemsworth on the poster. Hey, it's Thor!. I never saw any trailers for this movie so I went in blind.
Based on a true story, 12 Strong gripped me from the beginning because it explained everything slow enough for people like me who aren't into warfare. You meet the characters, you know what they are about to get into, and because 9/11 happened in my lifetime, I was suddenly drawn into this movie, which depicts the first group of soldiers who attacked the Taliban.
You are told how long this team of soldiers have to accomplish their mission. They say they can do it in half the time. Once the mission starts, you get a constant count of the days that they are on the mission throughout the film. It's a nice timer that helps give you a feel of their progress. It's sometimes tense, and when it's not, you get a lot of development between characters that creates sympathy. It's always entertaining.
When the final scenes play out, it's very, very intense, with lots of terror, lots of anxiety-inducing moments, but all in all, an extremely satisfying conclusion. The bottom line is, this is based on a true story of a team of 12 soldiers whose story was classified until now. So only now are they getting praised for their heroic deeds.
This movie delivered a great, uplifting story of soldiers who were not given credit when they came home from duty. This is their due. I promise you, if you like action films like Jumanji, which I thought was awesome... this movie will NOT dissapoint, and it's based on a true story. I will DEFINITELY see this again in the theater. It just won't be the same experience at home. See it in the theater if you can!