Not really that good of a movie

Rating: 10/10 (12 December 1998)

Saving Private Ryan's going to take a whole bunch of oscars and probably best picture, but it shouldn't. Okay, it may be a realistic portrayal of war and blah-blah, but let's look at it as a real MOVIE. Tom Hanks doesn't deserve any sort of oscar for this (he was good, but it's nothing Jim Carrey didn't do ten times better in The Truman Show). Matt Damon, let's face it, reeked. Jeremy Davies gave about the only oscar-caliber performance in the whole thing. Any movie that opens with a shot of an american flag can't be too original. It must have been done by fifty other movies. The script was pathetic, with some pretty dumb lines and not much of a story (if the script is even nominated for an oscar, it'll show how low the academy sinks to meet hype.) But every review of the movie gave it 5 out of 4 stars and so-on, and I'm starting to get the feeling this is one of those movies the media almost *forces* you to like, such as Titanic and Forrest Gump. I'm not saying it's not a decent movie. It is very realistic, and the cinematography, sound and art direction is great. Jeremy Davies should at least be nominated for something. And it's one of Spielberg's best directing efforts. But as for being the best war movie of all time.... to this day, nothing compares with Apocalypse Now. And if Saving Private Ryan wins over the Truman Show (heck, over Pleasantville) then there's something seriously wrong. But that's just my opinion.