Powerful, beautiful, but often contrived

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2020)

Initial reactions - I mean this is a gorgeous film with astounding set design, attention to detail, direction, and cinematography. WW1 comes to life. That much is not overhyped. But the plot often feels contrived. The sequence of events flow into one another without believability. The story hinges upon random things that happen to justify cliches that happens later to tug at your heartstrings (cough - the milk, for one) What could feel like a intimate, character driven war story, a small quest with high stakes, often feels like some like a odyssy like fantasy journey. I preferred the realism and temporal tension of Dunkirk. Where Dunkirk lacked in character building (albeit- deliberately) some may feel that this film took a bigger swing. But ultimately, Dunkirk stuck to it's guns and presented war as it was without telling you how to feel. 1917 often felt like it was desperately trying to make you care, trying to make you feel emotion, and it never quite worked. Very good, worth seeing, go see it, be entertained, be astounded, but recognize it's got a few issues.