Monuments Men is light entertainment that doesn't bore, but doesn't bring anything new either

Rating: 6/10 (11 February 2014)

There is a good chance Saving Private Ryan ruined World War II movies for the rest of eternity because of its sheer realism and ability to not hold any of the carnage and insanity back.
The Monuments Men's biggest issue is having to follow up to a masterpiece (that all war movies nowadays strive to become) with the similar credentials of covering an isolated incident that takes place in the middle of the deadliest war in modern history. Just like in Saving Private Ryan, Monuments Men is about preserving history before it gets swept up by the devastating conflict that leveled Eurasia. Private Ryan concerns pitting strangers together to save someone they don't know to prevent a family line from disappearing forever. With Monuments, it's about preserving art and culture before that gets permanently leveled by a war.
World War II is never a fun subject, no matter which way you look at it. Even at its most entertaining, the usually humorously dark Tarantino kept Inglorious Basterds on check with its grim content. Having more humor than drama and suspense in the middle of such a sad time period with the threat always imminent makes for an awkward watch. Monuments Men never pretends to be a comedy, but the entire movie feels unfocused as Bill Murray (He doesn't have an Oscar yet..hmmm) throws one-liners centimeters away from death—with impending Nazi danger around the corner.
And despite the stellar cast with decent performances (John Goodman and Cate Blanchett deserving some extra credit), despite the good cinematography and usual good direction from Hollywood staple George Clooney, the movie feels very by-the-numbers, paint-within-the-lines. It follows all the credentials, it checks off everything in the clichéd checklist for an inspiring historical drama. You have the likable characters, the necessary poetic deaths, and the uplifting ending in the midst of the odds being stacked against our heroes. So what else is there? The movie plays far too safe. And sometimes safe limits the impact. Saving Private Ryan leaves you numb, leaves you appreciating life, and leaves you desperately searching for good news during the two hours of intense filmmaking. Monuments Men never delivers an impactful emotional punch, even with the incredible true story that could have spawned a mini-series of some sort.
Clooney is like that cool student that is smarter than he leads on, can strive for that A+. But with his latest film, he doesn't really aim for the A+, instead settling for the B grade with the PG-13 content in an environment that is anything but. And with that, the movie feels like a C. Watchable, but ultimately forgettable.