Very competent but...

Rating: 5/10 (1 November 1998)

Yet another Hollywood product where an incredible amount of money is spent on stars, special effects, huge sets... anything but story. The plot in SPR is just too lame. If the intention is to show the pointlessness of war then the story should be absurd - not just stupid. Read Catch 22.
Spielberg is good, some parts of the movie are great but that doesn't help. The melodrama is still there. People tell me that SPR is an anti-war film. I don't agree The battle scenes are really repulsive - but - an eternal glory is still offered to the brave American heroes. And the Germans prove to be bad guys - all of them.
I think that SPR is worth seeing for a few amazing battle-scenes, Spielberg's ability to tell stories in pictures rather than words and for its very good sound. Not for much else.