Visually great, but not perfect

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2020)

"1917" sits somewhere between "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Revenant" story-wise, even if can't match the sheer dramatic ferocity of either of those two films. The first half hour or so is essentially an exercise in perfectly executed tension, but after that the film becomes a bit more uneven. Basically, the movie could've used a few cuts to propel its sometimes slowing story (e.g. scenes in the truck, an encounter with a French woman, etc). While this movie is pitched as a single shot, it actually has a deliberate edit roughly midway through (involving a blackout), and could've used a few more. Still, Deakins's cinematography is stunning and even when the story lags the images we see are quite striking. But ultimately, in its two hours, the movie doesn't generate enough dramatic tension, particularly as it inches towards its ending, which kind of fizzles. The payoff to this cinematic feat is, without any spoilers, unsurprising, familiar, and typical of so many other war films - it's unfortunate that so much work went into the craft of its production but more didn't go into developing the characters and building up the story.