Give Roger Deakens his 2nd Oscar!

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2020)

It's been a while since Sam Mendes's last feature film. Spectre was quite a disappointment but I'm sure that 1917 will be a definite crowdpleaser.
1917 follows two British soldiers who are assigned a task to deliver a message in order to stop 1,600 men from dying.
Like Birdman, the main selling point is how the entire film looks like it's been shot in one single take. Through long demanding long takes and clever editing, the makers were able to achieve this. Whilst Birdman was shot in a very small area, 1917 traverses through many different locations which makes it really difficult to achieve the goal they were going for. What we got in the end is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. You never feel bored since the location and action that takes place feel extremely real. This movie acts like a VR game as it genuinely feels like you are there with them about to embark on a perilous journey that may prove to be fatal.
Roger Deakens has always been my favourite cinematographer and here he gives it his all. If he wins an Oscar for Best Cinematography, I wouldn't be surprised. The way the camera moves in front and behind the characters is fantastic. There are some absolutely gorgeous shots including one with George MacKay running which is just a feast for your eyes. What impressed me the most was the use of lighting during the dark scenes. There is one which involves flares and it's incredible how Deakens lit the scene up just using that. I really have to commend Deakens and Mendes for their work here. Making a war film seem like it's done in one shot is not easy at all but they managed to do it extremely well.
Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay were required to do a lot for this movie but they both gave off very believable performances. On the other hand, their characters could have been better. Through the whole film it's very hard to care about both of them since we don't learn much about them. There is a very important scene that tried to bring an emotional reaction from me but I could not feel it due to how one dimensional the characters are. If Mendes and Wilson-Cairns tried to flesh out the characters more then this film would be much better.
Altogether, this is a great achievement that should be viewed in the cinemas to get the full experience. The lighting, acting and camerawork are all done with tremendous skill. 1917 could have been better in terms of its writing but the aesthetics are what make this film unique from the other war films. Roger Deakens deserves another Oscar for this film and I have no doubt he will win it.