1917 movie review

MOVIE TITLE:    1917

RATING:    R

LENGTH:   1 hour, 59 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE:   A

IN A NUTSHELL:

Stunning technique and talent in perfect form.  Written and directed by Sam Mendes, this riveting movie has immense meaning to me because it portrays a story that my husband’s grandfather lived through during World War 1.  He was a runner that carried important messages to various areas.  He had to run through the fields enveloped in mustard gas and, because of that, he was never quite the same when he returned from war. He left journals that my four sons and husband have devoured. It’s so sobering to read them.  A moment of silence for all of the brave men who fought in that devastating war.

The realistic and immersive film was actually inspired by Sam Mendes’ own grandfather’s experiences in WWI and based on his book Autobiography Of Alfred H. Mendes, 1897-1991 (The UWI Press Biography Series) and the movie was made in his memory.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Some profanity and F-bombs.
• You see dead horses and bodies (all prosthetic, of course), complete with circling flies, rats, and black crows.
• You see a man’s life blood drain from his face.
• Spoken French with subtitles
• You see a man kill another man with his hands like in that devastating scene in Saving Private Ryan.  That scene has haunted me for years.

THEMES:

• I love war movies because they’re filled with lessons in humanity, sacrifice, hope, brotherhood, and determination.  This movie has all of that. 

THINGS I LIKED:

• Fantastic cinematography by 14 times Academy Award nominee Roger Deakins.  Surely the work he does in this movie will win him an Oscar. I loved the long sequences in the beginning of 1917 when they walked through the trenches.  The entire film is shot and edited to make it look like one long, single shot that takes place in real time.  Wow.  Seriously, the camera work is next level.  For example, the camera keeps running from the ground level, water level, and over the shoulder in incredibly realistic shots that make you feel like you’re standing right next to the characters in the middle of all the action.
• The cast is very good and includes excellent performances by George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, and Richard Madden.
• Some salty humor provided by Andrew Scott’s character.  It’s the only time the audience I sat with laughed.
• The music provides a feeling of non-stop tension yet doesn’t become monotonous.
• How they prepared the fields and landscapes to really look like war-torn Europe was truly amazing.
• I loved how Blake hurt his hand on barbed wire at the very beginning of his journey so that he had to continue babying it amidst his struggles.
• For a truly visceral experience, watch this movie on the biggest screen you can.
• I loved the way the movie began and ended.  Perfect.
• It doesn’t feel like a Hollywood movie where everyone has endless ammunition.  It feels real.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Some audiences might have a hard time understanding the British accents spoken by the soldiers.
• There is a dark scene where you can’t tell what’s going on.
• The movie is more about the technical feat than it is about character development.  You just don’t get to learn much about the characters, mostly because there is no time, as they’re constantly dodging sniper fire or racing through fields.

FUNNY LINES:

• “Even their rats are bigger than ours.” – Blake  (Dean-Charles Chapman)

INTERESTING LINES:

• “Hope is a dangerous thing.” – (Benedict Cumberbatch)
• “If we’re not clever, no one will get to your brother.” – Schofield (George MacKay)            “OUR brother.” – Blake   (Dean-Charles Chapman)
• “What, in God’s name, did you choose me for?” – Schofield
• “There is only one way this war ends: last man standing.” – Colonel MacKenzie   (Benedict Cumberbatch)

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

 

was also directed by Sam Mendes.

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@TrinaBoice