Ignore the stupid nit-picking and go see it

Rating: Null/10 (25 September 1998)

Reading some of the above comments, it becomes obvious that some people are busy composing their criticisms when they would do better to watch the film. e.g. why didn't the high command just radio instructions to send Ryan home instead of sending a squad after him? The answer is in the film. if you're paying attention. The airborne forces, were scattered, lost, decimated by casualties and out of touch with what was going on generally - which is, by the way, historically accurate.
Also to address the moans about the lack of characterisation among the US soldiers. If you met such a group in real life they would probably appear just as 2-dimensional. Soldiers in combat only relate to each other - they don't care about anyone else. Through their shared experiences, they already know each other intimately, and nobody else counts outside of their immediate circle. So nobody else gets to see the real side of their characters. Let's not forget that these men are in a war, not a Chekhov play.
As to the "standard mix" of soldier's backgrounds, this is the way armies organise their units. If units all consisted of men from the same town or area, the social consequences can be disastrous if that unit suffers heavy losses, as with the British "Pals" battalions of the First World War.