Immensely memorable film about a conflict we should never forget

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2020)

The year is, as you may have guessed, 1917. The war to end all wars(oh, if only it actually had been) has been going on for 3 years. The German forces seem to be on retreat. Unfortunately, like other times that appeared to be the case, it is in actuality a trap. Blake(Chapman, green) gets a signed order from the general to the regiment(as he has a brother in it) that are to pursue the enemy. before he was given that briefing, back when he thought it would be something simple like to go gather some food, he was asked to choose someone to go with him. He picked his friend Schofield(MacKay, more experienced, and as a direct result, more reserved). It seems impossible but they have to try.
Their journey shows a huge amount of the countless legitimately terrifying and disgusting realities of WWI. You'll see many corpses. It was rare to bury your dead. Some are being slowly eaten by rats. Others are bloated. We as moviegoers can almost smell their stench. While I have an extremely high tolerance for violence and gore, I do acknowledge that there is a certain line. If you cross that, if you show more graphic material than you "should", the audience becomes desensitised. It no longer packs a punch. This movie does an incredible job of getting right up to the limit, going as far as it can, without going overboard. I agree with those that say this isn't really an entry in the action genre. I'd classify it as a horror-thriller. Within 15 minutes, our duo have crossed into what they just been explicitly told, technically is still enemy territory. No man's land. The focus is not really on battles so much as tension and suspense. Any moment they could encounter someone one who's stayed behind specifically to stop them, to prevent their victory.
This is presented as a one taker, with the few actual cuts, perhaps not entirely successfully, hidden. I found it to be incredibly immersive. Your mileage may vary. It does come with weaknesses, such as dialogue scenes that would have benefited from traditional editing, and are instead bland. And limitations, which I can't discuss since I am not getting into spoilers. Some criticize the low characterization and plot. I agree with them on its presence, not about it being a considerable negative. This is instead about the more general experience of participating in World War I, and keeping to a faster pace and smoother flow. What we see in this is essentially a microcosm. To understand the scope we do have to ourselves multiply it by millions. Far more effective than throwing the real(legitimately overwhelming) numbers at us. No, it's not the exact experience of everyone, that's not what they wanted to go for. The camaraderie rings true. Here's hoping this picture(and it's positive reception, when it comes to critics, general audiences, and awards) will inspire a third adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. The two that are already out are both excellent, covering different aspects really well. And another one could go into new things that those don't, from the book.
In addition to what I've already mentioned, this contains some strong language. I recommend this to anyone that has the stomach for it. 9/10