Not the best Anti-War Film, but arguably the best demonstration of War.

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2012)

Okay, now we are getting into the Best Picture winners that a ton of people are familiar with. This one is frequently regarded as one of the best War films, if not one of the best Anti-War films ever made. And I'll be frank with you, while it is arguably the best Oscar winner up to this point in time, I got to say, it's a tad overrated.
***Contains Spoilers**************************************************
The best way I can review this film properly is to tackle what it aimed to accomplish: Demonstrating the terrors of war from a realistic point of view. In other words, it's an exploitation film. What that is, is a film that relies heavily on shocking imagery in order to try and get its point across. What point is it? Well, that war is terrifying. It's not something one should just jump at the chance to be recognized as a hero; you got to really think about your decisions while also consider what these soldiers are really going through.
So what is the story? Following the advice of their teacher, a couple kids in Germany decide to sign up to fight during The Great War in order to have the chance to become recognized as heroes. Upon entering, they come to realize that war isn't all that's cracked up to be; it's dark place to be where people all around you die, and your number could be up at any moment.
The problems I have with a story like this is that under the wrong mindset, it could be viewed as a way of showing that war is bad and we don't need it in our lives. And maybe if these characters were awful human beings, they would most definitely be correct. But it is called an exploitation film for a reason; it shows the experience rather than preaches anything, leaving one to make the proper interpretations out of this film.
But no matter how one interprets this film, it is definitely a reality check (especially under the right mindset). Rather than glorifying (quite the opposite) or criticizing it, what you see is what is really going on out of the battlefield. It ultimately works because it's real. Right down to the characters themselves serving as blank slates for the audience to slip into their shoes.
The atmosphere in this film is just perfect. There's very little to no music in this film at all, and the only sound you hear are, not to sound melodramatic or anything, the sounds of war. You don't even hear anybody talk. And you know what? Focusing all the sound on the battle around them rather than on the characters talking or the background music makes it quite an effective direction. It actually ties in with the horrors and the suspense around these soldiers. And there's a point to be made here; this is the first Best Picture winner to have won Best Director, a trend that closely ties the 2 categories for the remainder of the Academy's history.
But what this film does for me the most is enforces me the belief that we need to be more supportive of our military than we have been. And I don't mean that we got to keep them out of war as much as possible; but rather, sympathize with why they ultimately go into battle and are willing to risk their lives for our freedom. This film doesn't tell us at all that war is wrong or these people are bad; they are simply doing what they believe is right, and as the people sitting out, we should support and encourage their choices until the bitter end.
But regardless, this is an exploitation film anyways; it's not preaching what I'm saying at all; it's just giving us the experience. And that's what this film is; an emotional experience. And unlike something like Sunrise or Platoon, it actually works because what we see is very much what the battlefield is really like. It's a film that makes us understand reality, but allows us to make our own judgments. The only reason why I felt this film's a tad overrated is because it's frequently regarded as one of the best Anti-War films ever made. It's not. It shows us the realities of war; this film makes absolutely no interpretations whatsoever.
But to be fair, it isn't all that logical either, but it doesn't have to be. Sometimes, it's best to show us for what it really is; not a place for heroes, but a living Hell. I'll give this film and 8.5 out of 10, and round it up to 9 out of 10.