Meandering and indulgent, but strangely moving and well made meditation on war

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2014)

Terence Malick returns after a 20 year absence. He goes into full philosopher mode with this complex, haunting war movie. A strong ensemble cast, many of who are given little to do, deal with the fight against the Japanese on the Pacific islands. They have many different arcs which are often left unsolved, ultimately adding up to a more universal portrait of the effects of war on both man and nature. If you don't like Malick, don't watch it. This is pretentious and indulgent filmmaking; when it wanders, and believe me it does wander, the film can feel lost and confused. It doesn't quite feel complete even though it's 3 hours long (A bit too long in my opinion) It's not to everyone's tastes and requires patience to appreciate. I didn't get it completely, but I still enjoyed it overall and despite the snail pace of The Tree Of Life, Malick crafts some pretty thrilling battle set pieces here which I wasn't expecting at all. This may be for very specific tastes, but it's a fine war poem to rival Wilfred Owen.
Acting all around is good, even though most of the actors have little to do. The script feels confused in places, but it's well written and has a subtle e but genuine emotional power. Thankfully it's not just endless voiceovers this time. Malick's direction is excellent and the cinematography is absolutely jaw dropping, with beautiful image after beautiful image illuminating the screen. Despite how good Saving Private Ryan's cinematography was, this should have won the Oscar. It's got an interesting narrative and despite the absence of brutal combat and harrowing war sequences, it's a very anti war movie. The Thin Red Line is not as good as SPR and is too long, but it's a very interesting movie with great direction. Despite its complexity which ensures many viewers won't completely get it, there's still plenty of emotion and drama to speak to the audience. The film also has a fine soundtrack, with some great hymns from Melanesian choirs.
8/10