connect the dots war movie

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 1999)

Spectacular action scenes do not make a classic war movie. This film has two of them, that serve as bookends for a rather dull middle.
The war scenes are extremely well done, that much is true. But many people, who hail this film as a classic, seem to substitute well filmed action & carnage for that of a "classic". How many films that came before this one have told us of the horrors of war, that war is hell, & "this is how it really was"? Even if the war scenes in SPR are superior to that of ,say, the Deer Hunter or Platoon, does it make it a better film? No. SPR has nothing new to say about war. It may contain more extravagant war scenes than these other war films, but don't go mistaking it for a classic, or the "ultimate war film".
Something has always bothered me about Spielberg's films. He is incapable of subtlety or nuance . Everything is out in the open, spelled out, leaving nothing to the imagination, or to the mysteries & complexities of human nature.He has always struck me as a kid, showing off his film making skills, trying to outdo everyone else's films on whichever genre. .He takes heavy weight subjects such as the holocaust, war, slavery, & cheapens them. And because of the sensitivity of these topics, we are not allowed to criticize him or his films, because his intentions are worthy or noble. It's not the subject matter of his films I have a problem with, it's his treatment of them that I dislike.
Compared to the Thin Red Line, SPR has a connect the dots mentality.It has none of the compassion, complexity or rich layering that the TRL has. But because it does have the enormous amount of carnage & gore that the TRL doesn't have, it gets more attention.Even in a war film such as the TRL, there is still room for subtlety. Spielberg is only trying to outdo the war films that have come before his. He'll push all the buttons necessary & use all the tricks he knows to do this.
SPR is firstly an action film, and that's why most people like it. The bits about the loss of human life, the sacrifices these men made,etc. are secondary, and only serve to prop the film up and attempt to give it loftier & more meaningful ideals than it actually has. Let's face it, SPR enthusiasts are going to see this film for the very thing that the film (unsuccessfully) tries to denounce: the horror & violence of war. Don't be fooled.