Excellence

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2020)

1917 is a well made, carefully crafted movie.
Brilliant writing, phenomenal acting and directing, and gritty realism make 1917 a truly great movie. The "one shot" aspect initially turned me off to the film, thinking it was a gimmick, but I was thoroughly impressed by how well it was executed. Overall 1917 is an achievement of filmmaking, and worth seeing.
Toting itself as "one shot" is a bit misleading. It nearly accomplishes this, but there is one hard cut, which feels out of place considering the rest of the editing. The "hidden" cuts are sometimes quite obvious. Despite these aspects being flawed, it is still an astonishing feat of cinematography and editing. Thematically this style compliments the story being told and for what is mostly excellent acting and direction.
The film can be divided into three noticeable acts. 1: No man's land/the farm, 2: the city, 3: the frontline. By far the first act is the strongest, the chemistry between the leads is amazing, and the setting is thoroughly immersive. After the farm, the films greatness wanes and becomes a little more standard. There is a great scene when things slow down, and humanity returns in this portion but it is overshadowed by a strong attempt to increase tension. (Strong in that it does work, but by contrast it tarnishes the rest of the film). The third act sees a return to great direction, choreography, and filmmaking in general. Act 3 is a strong conclusion to the film, and redeems some of the lesser qualities in the middle.
On a technical level the sound design was great, and the soundtrack, was refreshingly minimal. 1917 takes logic and action in a fairly realistic (though possibly heightened at times) manner. This means that sound effects needed to feel connected, and the score shouldn't override the visuals. What should have happened is thankfully what did. The score is never overbearing, and each sound effect feels genuine to the scene its placed.
While 1917 almost loses its way in the middle, it finds itself again towards the end. It's an enjoyable movie, which will make its way to being another classic.
Final score (81/100)