A Truly Cinematic Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2020)

This film was just incredible, this is arguably the finest cinema experience I've had, I felt fully invested in the story, on the edge of my seat as these two soldiers dodge bullets and artillery as they strafe across No Man's Land and through burnt-out towns. This is what IMAX was made for.
Regarding the story, it's rather simplistic, two soldiers are ushered to the frontlines to deliver a message that will prevent the slaughter of 1,600 British soldiers, it sounds rather basic, but its the character development of George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, who both deliver stunning performances, that sells the story. The banter and heartfelt backstories that cover the interludes of battle add realism to these characters, they make them relatable and therefore make us care for their outcome.
On a technical level, this is where the film shines. I'm quite biased as Roger Deakins is my favourite cinematographer, Thomas Newman is my favourite composer and Sam Mendes is one of my favourite directors, so watching these 3 come together (for a fourth time) instantly garnered my attention, and I'll be damned if I can't say that this is Deakins' magnum opus, the way the camera moves fluidly to create the illusion of a one-shot take is just incredible, it places us as an audience in the trenches with the soldiers, in the thick of the hell they have to endure. Newman has crafted better scores (with my favourite being 'Road to Perdition - coincidentally also a Mendes film) but this one is undeniably brilliant, the scores during the sequences set in nighttime Ã‰coust-Saint-Mein and the final push across No Man's Land are phenomenal. And whilst I would love to see Newman FINALLY win his Oscar, it'll likely be another heartbreaking snub.
Finally, Mendes has for a long time retained his position as one of my favourite auteurs, with 'American Beauty', 'Road to Perdition' and 'Skyfall' being some of my favourite films, but this is something truly different, this is his homage to his grandfather, and therefore feels more personal, it feels more grounded and is truly a cinematic masterpiece, and I couldn't ask for a finer film to end the decade with.