What was Malick thinking? WAS he thinking? Too much, probably.

Rating: 4/10 (11 March 1999)

I will not sit here and say "this film sucks", but I will advise against losing three hours of your life if you have no desire to see a film with too many characters, not enough plot, and useless cameo appearances that are less than enhancing. I settled into my seat with a hopeful attitude: hoping that philosophical perspectives would not ruin the film, and hoping that my friend and I would not have to take Vivarin to stay focused on the screen.
Well, I was wrong on both counts. I simply could not muster up any sort of feelings about any of the characters in the film, nor did I care much when they died. At times, the battle seemed more pathetic than anything, a group of whiny, spacey young men being dictated over by the tyrant of Nick Nolte. Nick Nolte was probably the only person I had any feelings toward in the whole film. I HATED his character; this was good, because it kept me awake. Nick Nolte should not have wasted his talent on this film. Sean Penn allowed himself to slip into the cracks, and what I had hoped would be a memorable role for him all but disintegrated. It was scene after scene of men having flashbacks and drifting off into dreamland. Beautiful shots of flowers and nature...not as though that helped.
Every man in my family has fought in war, and I do not feel this film does justice or provides any clarification as to what is suffered. People criticize Saving Private Ryan for having "too much blood and guts", "too many explosions", etc. Well, I hate to break it to you guys: that's what war is. Go see Saving Private Ryan instead, and if you still want to go see this film, bring a pillow.