A movie, perfect for those easily impressed.

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2020)

1917 is ultimately a frustrating experience, more than anything, given the expectations and hype around the film, and talk of Oscars. Hype in which the film does not live up to. 1917, is a film that is, in my opinion, perfect for those who are easily impressed, allow me to explain.
I will start with the positives, 1917 is a beautifully and audaciously shot film. It is split into two long, unbroken shots, a commendable feat. This is to give the audience a perspective of the horrors and chaos that comes with war and to give the audience a sense of exhaustion throughout the film, the latter, I believe is achieved. The former? I'll get to that.
The cinematography is at times stunning. It has one of my favourite shots of any movie around the midway mark of the film and an action sequence in the finale that will win many viewers over. The soundtrack is also a positive and helps to build tension, as well as it possibly can.
The problem with all of this is, while the movie looks beautiful, it has very little substance to back it all up. Yes, the film is shot in two parts and that is meant to portray what war is really like, but that all counts for nothing when the movie is in essence, a poor portrayal of war. This is, by all accounts, a sterilised, Hollywood version of war, where the only emotion that truly shines through is courage.
The acting, while solid, does nothing to help. Neither Dean-Charles Chapman nor George MacKay deserve awards for their respective performances because neither delivered on what they set out to achieve in their portrayal of the main characters. MacKay was the stand out of the two but fell short in many of his pay off moments. Whether the blame rests solely with them or is shared with the director is a discussion that could be had.
The most troubling aspect of this film is, without a doubt, it's attempt to explore it's themes. As already discussed, the attempt to portray the horrors of war, missed its mark, but many other themes, such as the futility of bravery, hopelessness and what comes after war, were fumbled through almost comically and the opportunity to give any message as a takeaway, was missed each and every time.
For these reason I say that 1917 is a film perfect For those easily impressed, It looks stunning and has all the bells and whistles, but lacks any substance. I likened the experience to a roller coaster, lots of fun and definitely fast paced but ultimately there is nothing to take from it because if you've been on one roller coaster, you've been on them all. 68/100