Easily the best war movie of the year and possibly the decade.

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2020)

Easily the best war movie of the year and possibly the decade. The "one take" concept, while also a technical marvel, made a spectacle of the passage of time and distance in a way only a filmmaker with a clear vision and mastery of pacing could accomplish effectively. The plot felt purposeful, the stakes felt high, the actors felt talented beyond what their experience would suggest, and the climax had hearts pounding audibly throughout the theater. A small complaint is the film was a bit over-scored. The thunderous and booming soundtrack clashed with the gritty and visceral imagery. A tense but altogether quieter score would perhaps have had more of an impact but even the tracks used were not distracting enough to break immersion. 1917 is a movie that has earned its place among the year's best pictures and should be remembered as nothing less than a brilliantly made ode to the brutality of the first World War.