A New Film Experience

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2020)

1917 is the latest Oscar bait war movie to come out, though this time set in World War 1. Most of these films like to be set in World War 2 or Vietnam, or even Iraq. The only other film in recent memory set in WWI is Wonder Woman, which barely counts as a war movie. I'm personally not the biggest fan of war movies. They can get boring, and many of them tend to feel the same. The last war movie I saw in theaters was Dunkirk, which everyone adored except me. I thought movie was a boring slog. There are some war films I really like though, such as Apocalypse Now and We Are Soldiers. The ones I enjoy the most tend to be ones like Wonder Woman and Overlord where the war is just the backdrop. It isn't the main story. Apocalypse Now could fall into that category as well.
Is this movie good? Yes. As war movies go this one is definitely solid, if not above average. The performances were good. The cinematography is amazing. The score, coupled with the set pieces, give the film a very eerie and tension-filled atmosphere.
The thing that stands out the most about this film is the way it's shot. This film is made to seem like it was filmed in one take, or at least two takes, even though that's not the case. I don't know how they did it, but they truly made it look like they shot the entire film all in one go. I don't think I've seen another movie shot like this. This sets 1917 apart not just from other war movies, but other films in general. Because of this it truly feels like you're taking this journey along with our lead characters, and it almost never gives you time to breathe.
If you're looking for lots of action, which is typical for a film like this, you're not going to get much of it. While it has its action, this is much more of a thriller than an action piece. I find it funny that a movie like Dunkirk had much more action in it, yet I was more engaged by this movie than that one. This probably because you're with the characters much more in this film and you get to see them constantly struggle against overwhelming odds all alone. Dunkirk was much more focused on its massive action that the characters got lost in all of it.
There's not much characterization here either. However, because we're with these characters for literally the entire film I was able connect with them and their plights much more. The performances by the lead actors helped as well. I felt the acting was pretty flat all around in Dunkirk.
Overall, if you like war movies then this is definitely a must see. If you just want to see a good thriller then this is worth checking out as well.