A potentially decent movie that was ruined by...

Rating: 5/10 (20 August 1999)

Typical modern-day-movie predictability and over-dramatization. I'm the kind of person that approaches movies with an open mind, however, certain things may become apparent in these movies which quickly bias my opinion and ruin the movie for me. I can't help it, its how my mind works. As soon as I see something that makes me cynical, I start picking the movie apart. This movie had that effect on me. Realize I'm 29 and have no combat experience.
In the opening battle, I wondered why they would attack a fortified position without any "softening up" of said position by either ship-to-shore artillery or at least hand-held heavy weapons. I assumed this was a realistic representation of what really happened (everyone said it was so realistic). For whatever reason they didn't have the necessary firepower. So be it. But then I see, after they've already nearly secured the position (with heavy losses) there is a guy with a rocket-launcher-type weapon. Where the hell was he earlier when the bunker was mowing down everyone?
There were numerous other things that put me into cynic-mode:
1.) the guy that gets hit in the helmet then just stands there and (very predictably) gets shot in the head. Isnt it a natural reaction to DUCK when you get hit in the head??? 2.) solders shoot surrendering enemies......with friendly troops walking just beyond these enemies. You tell me--at close range, wouldn't one of these rifle bullets go right thru a person and potentially wound another in the line of fire??? Okay maybe these people were just stupid and lucky they didn't injure any friendly troops. 3.) this movie was supposed to be sooooo in-your-face realistic. Did anyone else notice how clean and bleached WHITE Pvt. Ryans teeth were? Oh thats realistic yeah.
I could go on. Don't get me wrong there were things I liked. Like the translator that finally hardened to the point where he killed. But overall I couldnt take the movie seriously.
And Tom Hanks. He was a pretty poor choice for the role. However, this may have been Spielburg's intention. More realistic maybe?
I just watched this movie and Thin Red Line for the first time today (on Direct TV) I'm probably the only one here that liked TRL better (though admittedly that had its flaws too (can you say, under-powered grenades))
Oh and for people wondering about the battle scenes. They were shot with hand-held, fast-shutter speed cameras, but the actual speed of the footage was not increased. It was a good effect, but overused.