Anti-climatic war film

Rating: 1/10 (5 November 2005)

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the highly anticipated film, Jarhead. I thought that the problem was not with the direction, cinematography, or acting, but, instead with the story itself. I thought the film was beautifully done, but there was not enough meat to the story. I understand that this is an accurate depiction of Desert Storm in 1989, but therein, lies the problem. As the film depicts, Desert Storm was anti-climatic. It was over before most of us knew it. While I was not misled that this was the focus of the film, I kept waiting for something to happen, just like the soldiers.
I guess the bottom line is that the nature of Desert Storm of waiting doesn't transfer well into a movie. One can not help and compare this to other war films where things happen and large lessons are learned about mankind. In Jarhead, very little happens and unfortunately, very few lessons are learned. I also didn't like the ambiguity of the end. What happens to Peter Sarsgaard's character? I look forward to see if people praise this movie for its great direction over the lack of substance in the film.