A different kind of WWI movie...

Rating: 10/10 (28 August 1999)

"All Quiet on the Western Front" is different from most movies about World War I, because it tells the story through the Germans' point of view. Lew Ayres is heart-breaking as Paul Baumer. My favorite part is when he returns to his school while he's on his leave. He tells the young boys what war is really like. "When it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all!" he says in disgust. But the boys only argue with him, and call him a coward.
Another moving part is when Paul is stuck for hours with a man he has stabbed. Paul is guilt-stricken, and promises to write to the man's family. He is so overwhelmed by the fact that he killed someone.
With all his friends dead, Paul feels lonely and hopeless. But then he spots the first beautiful he has seen in a long time: a butterfly. He comes up over the trench to reach for it, but one of his enemies sees Paul and kills him. It's so sad, because Paul was reaching for something alive and beautiful...almost like hope.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" is a movie everyone needs to see because of its powerful message. It shows the viewer the true horrors of war, which most people never even think about. Most people, like most of the boys in this movie, only think of being heroes, and dying like men for their country. But there's more to war than just that.