One of the most beautifully crafted and scripted war movies to date

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 2018)

One of the hardest tasks in life is dealing with the death of someone close. For some, even losing just one loved one could be impossible to handle. Unfortunately, WWII propelled very young men directly into the heart of stressful and gruesome violence, defining the survivors as some of the most emotionally hardened people to walk this earth.
Saving Private Ryan delves directly into the story of a young man, Private Ryan, who because of the rules regarding death of family members in war, needs to be found and taken out of combat. Opening with an older Ryan, as he grieves the loss of a fellow soldier, instantly defining strong emotion and foreshadowing the tone of the movie. The scene quickly changes, however, throwing the viewer directly into heart-pounding action as an extremely historic and defining battle takes place, D-Day. Stress, anxiety and extreme suspense come over the viewer as bullets, explosions, and life-threatening events overcome Ryan. The movie is no stranger to strong emotion, as it quickly shows death, destruction, and gripping violence that is familiar with the soldiers on the field. The main character, Ryan, is not portrayed to be some valiant war hero either, but rather more vulnerable, and life-like. Ryan is a character people can relate to, feel for, and become much more connected to, making it much easier for the emotions to be shared between him and the viewer.
Throughout Saving Private Ryan, an overall sense of urgency and looming danger is felt. Whether it be directly in the middle of heart-pounding action and excitement, defined by loud explosions, blood-curdling screams, and sounds of bullets whizzing by. Or where suspense is heavy, in the most quiet of times, where silence seems all too bliss. Visual demonstrations of intense action and perfect recreations of life-like scenes help the viewer become immersed in what is happening, almost smelling the fires burning and the gasoline filling the air.
The movie does an excellent job at creating realistic and accurate scenes. Since the movie is based on a historic event, it's crucial that everything that happens needs to replicate the time that it was set in perfectly, or massive reductions in the immersive nature of the movie would be felt, and many parts would feel dull and unrealistic. However, the attention to detail is shown, as everything from the vehicles, to the technology, even down to the way people talk, using slang terms and real conversations that people in the 1940's might have, is spot on. Saving Private Ryan is an amazing, immersive and jaw-dropping movie that easily has the potential to be regarded as one of the greats for years to come.