Review as if it was just released today

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2017)

For years I heard so much about Apocalypse Now, but just tonight I finally got around to watching it. Since so much has already been said about its importance, significance, and achievements, I'm going to do a raw review, like I just watched a brand new movie that came out today so rather than analyze, I'll be a reactionary film-goer just exiting the theater.
Wow, this movie is crazy! It is one of the craziest movies I have ever seen.
From a technical perspective, it is really phenomenal. Coppola directs a stunning depiction of the Vietnam war as a backdrop for the story of a man on a classified mission to find a former well-respected Colonel who has lost his mind in the midst of the war and is now running some kind of a cult in Cambodia with a small colony of Vietnamese, Vietcong, and Cambodians in the jungle.
Most of the aspects of the film are perfect, from the acting to the directing, writing, cinematography, action sequences, and editing. In addition, there are several unforgettable characters (Kilgore) and some unforgettable lines along the way (I love the smell of napalm in the morning).
But the story itself is insane as it unfolds and you get to eventually see Colonel Kurtz, the mad soldier who went astray from his command and formed some crazy pagan-worshipping like cult, where he is some sort of high priest of some sort.
I still am not sure what to think about it. I don't know how much I like the film because the end is sort of disturbing and open to interpretation. all I know is it seems possible to assume that the whole entire point of the film was to expose and reveal the horrors of war, especially the Vietnam war. It is not a movie that is meant to take lightly, it seems.
It is more of a social commentary on the questions of war. For that, I would say it succeeded in most ways, but for a movie that is going to become one of your favorites because of entertainment purposes, it won't be that kind of movie. While some parts, you'd want to watch again (anything with Kilgore and a few of the scenes in the beginning), as a whole it doesn't have much rewatch value. But it is definitely a riveting film and technically it is excellent. The story, however, is just a little too disturbing and dark to become a favorite.
I'll give it a high score for the technical achievements, but it is not even close to being one of my favorites because in the end I thought the story was too dark and needed more explanation. For example, we knew the guy was nuts from the beginning, and while it was hinted he might be a genius, he never spoke anything that was totally mind blowing and his character therefore could have been developed more once the assassin arrived. The open interpretation works as a contemplative trick to produce an uncanny reaction and unique response, but more explanation or perhaps more plot development once the film arrived at Kurtz would have actually worked even better, and the potential was there.
7/10