Utterly Brilliant - hasn't suffered from being over marketed!

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2020)

Before going into this film I'd seen plenty of reviews, award mentions, trailers and a strange amount of behind the scenes clips. Everything I saw told me that film should be fantastic and that's what I was worried about. Had I built up an opinion of the film before even seeing it? Would I only focus on the one shot cinematography?
So by the time I sat down in a full cinema a few weeks into the film's release I was a bit nervous about the end result. Thankfully I didn't need to worry. Every exception was met and then some. I was in awe of the cinematography but I was certainly not distracted. It served the film excellently. There were some beautiful images to be enjoyed coupled with some of the most tender moments to come out of a horrific war film. The rise and fall of the score kept up with the scenes being laid before us and it's true that George MacKay was utterly brilliant.
The performance of his was brilliant and I fear it was outshone by the rest of the noise about the film. None the less he pulled off a difficult and demanding role that I'm sure kept the audience on the edge of their seats to holding back tears in the final moments.
A fantastic film, not just an art film and not just a war film. Something greater has been captured here by the team the brought together 1917.