Mendes makes war look beautiful

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2020)

While it's usually history's second world war that gets the most attention from Hollywood, the original "great war" gets thrown a bone once in a while. The Sam Mendes-conceived tale of risk, sacrifice, duty and honor that is '1917' is one that should be held on a pedestal as an example of what excellent filmmaking can bring us.
To be fair, what really makes '1917' what it is is the masterful cinematography. Mendes uses the camera in ways that make the ugly horrors of war have a sense of beauty. There's not a single film in the genre, with perhaps the exception of 'Saving Private Ryan,' that brings the frontlines to the general audience in a way that puts them right there on the battlefield. We feel for Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) as they are tasked with the impossible mission of delivering a message to a regiment that could be a matter of life or death for thousands of young soldiers.
The journey over the hills and trenches of war-torn Western Front is one that we are afraid to follow along with, but we must step up to the plate and grip our seats for the sake of those whose lives are at risk. This is exactly how we all feel while watching '1917,' and any film that can have this effect on viewers deserves all the accolades it can get.
It may not have won best picture, but '1917' remains a landmark cinematic milestone for war stories that will be referenced for years to come for its ingenuity.