Good movie with a flawed script

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2018)

Honestly, I've never seen such a hard sell of so many overtly cornball moments. Although the movie makes efforts to convince I was rolling my eyes throughout the first part of the film, in particular anytime Desmond Doss talked about why he refused to carry a weapon or was seen quietly contemplating his bible. These aww-shucks moments were too numerous when coupled with the overly saccharine love story. I was left perplexed by the first part of the movie to be honest, it was basically Leave It To Beaver levels of 1950's white male delusions coupled with off the wall christian cult blathering. BUT just when I was ready to give up on the movie they start killing each other, and by they I mean Japanese and American soldiers, which really makes it all worth watching. And frankly this is what Mel Gibson is good at, depicting violence in all its cinematic glory.
As far as the style and quality of the filmmaking, considering mostly the visual aspects, I found it interesting. It was a great though not super great movie in this regard. I would say that it was very fluid and artistically done, but very fake as well. This is like a happy memory of a time you pretty much forgot everything else about.
All in all I was entertained by it in different ways.