Story was good, but cinematography and directing was perfection

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2020)

Surprisingly there's a lot of fake 9 and 10's, but even worse there are the idiots who gave a film of this production value and caliber 1 and 2's.
I will say, I've rated over 1000 films and reviewed 800+, and the directing and cinematography were both perfection in 1917. The 1-take style was incredible. The first time I saw something similar was Birdman, but I hated it in such small quarters as it made me nauseous and dizzy, and there really was no point to do that. But in a film like this that is outdoors with such long detailed sets, it was perfection. It makes you wonder if it's even possible to pull off, yet here it is. The acting was outstanding and helped with the tension and suspense even though the camera never left its targets. The score was also perfect. Although the pacing was good, the story only had a few "wow" moments, thus making the 119 min run time feel much longer. I would've have liked to see less trenches - albeit magnificently put together, and more of anything else. Nevertheless, the sets were spectacular. I'd normally give a story like this a 6 or 7, but 1 stars added for the great sets, and the unique and captivating directing and cinematography, thus a well deserved and honest 8/10 from me.