Say hello to Marty Stu.

Rating: 6/10 (24 December 2016)

I make a point to avoid reading hype and review before seeing a film and this case was no different.
I walked into the theater knowing absolutely nothing about the film, only that it was a WWII film and a Mel Gibson one.
It was an enjoyable film and I don't understand people giving it very low scores. But I also don't understand people giving this film a perfect score or really high scores. This film is far from perfect.
It has one thing to say and it says it over and over. There is no subtlety, no nuance, no depth.
As entertaining as this film is, the main character is a Marty Stu. People (rightly) call out every Mary Sue they see and it's only fair to call out this Gary Stu.
He is the strongest, fastest athlete in the whole crew. He can finish first in an obstacle course even if he's attacked in the middle of the course. He gets the hottest girl. He never lies. He never defends himself (even with his arms) when attacked. He doesn't even flinch. He's so brave. He's the perfect son, the perfect American, the perfect Christian, the perfect husband. He's also a vegetarian. The only flaw he is is that there's just one of him.
There are parts of this that are based on reality, but many aren't. Was he really the fastest and strongest? Doubt it. In real life his fiancée was not a nurse when they met. Father was not abusive. Doss never bricked anyone as a child nor did he almost kill his father with the gun. That never happened. Gibson just tried to win brownie points for Desmond intervening in a domestic abuse case. The real Doss Sr. was not abusive towards the mother nor the children. The actual fight was between the father and the uncle, but a fight between brothers with the mother stepping in doesn't get you as many points as a drunk husband beating his wife, threatening her with a gun and the son stopping it, saving his mum's life. The mother is the real hero in real life, but Gibson wants us to think she's the victim and Desmond is the hero, the superhero or Marty Stu.
The war scenes also have some major inaccuracies for something that is thoroughly researched. The bulletproof human shield was something from a video game, not a serious film. Bottomless magazine technology is something we're still researching today, but they apparently had it in the 40's.
The drill sergeant scene was funny, but out of place. The whole love at first sight is cheesy and that too felt out of place.
Saving Private Ryan, for example, is one consistent piece in mood and quality. This felt like pieces of Full Metal Jacket, the Notebook and and then some gory war film tacked together to make this into what it is. The moods are inconsistent.
I enjoyed this film but would not watch it again.