Best war Movie ever made? I think not...

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 1998)

From the moment SPR was announced, I had a feeling that it was mostly hype and little substance. This feeling was confirmed after the first battle scene.
No one doubts the technical brilliance of Spielberg. A movie, however, needs more than special effects to be memorable.
War movies like "Platoon" and "Apocalypse" have it all and I suspect will better stand the test of time.
What I feel that SPR failed to achieve is to sustain the dramatic impact. Between war scenes, we were subjected to all manner of light hearted banter, irony, coincidence and schmaltz. (but then again, this is a Spielberg trademark - he also did it in Schindlers List.).
The plot was highly predictable hence there was little suspense. One became immune to watching the blood and guts after the first hour. By this time the film had nothing more to offer.
A fellow contributor wrote:
"To those who thought the film didn't have a good plot - what film school did you say you went to?"
Well, it didn't have a good plot and I didn't go to any film school, but I know what I like...