One of the greatest visually breathtaking movies to hit our screens in years.

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2020)

A side note: I turned up at the local cineplex and the ticket person checked my ticket and pointed out the correct cinema showing 1917. I didn't think I had arrived late but it seemed to have already started. The scene was the trip by the vehicles through the mud and fallen trees. I picked up the story no problem. My impressions at this point of the movie was the extremely inappropriate music that sounded more in keeping with a Star Wars film than something set in World War I. I had similar issues with the movie 'Dunkirk'. Anyhow after 40 minutes the movie finished and I knew something was wrong. I checked back with (another) ticket collector and found that my session wouldn't be starting for 20 minutes. So I managed to see 1917 twice. At least some of it twice.
Seeing the beginning made me rethink a few of the issues I had initially felt. Yes the music was still inappropriate and as the volume and tension slowly increased we all knew that something was going to happen. Worse was that the music was continuous through, I guess, 90% of the movie. Why don't directors just leave everything to the sound effects department?
I also found that the slight overuse of profanity and gestures a bit out of period. Am open to correction here.
To the movie. When I first viewed it I was not conscious of the 'one shot' camera work until the final conflict. Seeing it from the beginning impressed me so much. The camera work and art direction deserve awards and what is sometimes overlooked is the extras casting. Absolutely brilliant.
The two leads had to hold the whole film together and they did that and more.
Ok, I have issues, but over all, if someone asked me what I thought, I would have to tell them that this was probably one of the most visually exciting movies of the past ten years.