Awful. Loathsome. Repellant. Unworthy of Spielberg.

Rating: 1/10 (9 August 1999)

Here we have another in the series of Spielberg formula drek. Mr. S. has stumbled on a great gimmick... he makes films that may not be disliked because of some taboo or other. To dislike Schindler's List is to not be sympathetic with the Jews who were killed by Nazis. To dislike Forrest Gump is to not be properly respectful of retarded people. Give me a break. Now we're all supposed to like Saving Private Ryan because if we don't it means we don't understand that war is bad or appreciate the sacrifice made by all the people who died during WW II? Spare me.
Without all the emotional baggage, SPR is an awful movie. The plot is trite. The writing labored and formulaic and it in no way justifies the emotional bludgeoning delivered by the opening sequence.
I will admit that the opening sequences is probably the most powerful half hour of film ever to be projected on a movie screen. Spielberg know all the emotional buttons we have and how to push them. He was a brilliantly manipulative filmmaker 25 years ago and he's only gotten better. That being said, did Mr. Spielberg forget to actually add a story? Lots of movies deal with the ugly side of humanity. The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect example of how to show these things in the context of a riveting story. I guess the most disappointing aspect of this is that we all know that Spielberg can do better. He has done better. He has made some of the greatest American films of all time. He, of all people, should remember that and remember that every time he makes one of these ponderous abominations he is desecrating the memory of films like Duel and Jaws... and even The Lost World. It was a far better movie than this.
On a scale of 1 to 10. I gave it a 1 only because there was no zero which was what it really deserved.