1917 Review & Comments

Finally saw it last night in IMAX at MK and thought it was absolutely brilliant...some of the photography as others have said was simply stunning and I was drawn in quickly by the one-shot approach.

Felt the whole cinema jump at the scene with the rat in the underground bunker, it was so tense at times I had to check I wasn't still holding my breath!

If Roger Deakins doesn't win the Oscar for best cinematography, I think this would be a worse oversight than Martin Scorsese not winning for Goodfellas!!
 
I must be missing something here, as whilst the movie was enjoyable and the cinematography is stunning, the film in itself, I thought, was a bit slow and the story line was pretty simplistic.

a solid 7/10 for me.
 
Did it need to be complicated?

I guess not, I just found the film a bit boring tbh, was expecting better, especially given the rave reviews. Each to their own.
 
I appreciated the barebones plot. Allowed the characterisation and tone of the film to breathe and open up to the audience. Mendes' direction and use of the single-shot narrative coupled with Wilson-Cairns' script made it easier to become absorbed in the boys' plight and experience. Glad plot took a backseat here.
 
Just got back from the iMax in Melbourne, I have to say the film was excellent, typical British
stiff upper-lip!!! attitude
 
Saw this last night and was a bit underwhelmed to be honest , sure the visuals were fantastic, but the story line lacked a lot , the acting wasn’t great although passable for such a big movie , the characters were pretty wooden i felt ,
I know everyone will compare this to SPR , but it doesn’t come close in my book , SPR , I tasted salt water in my mouth , and actually felt I was in the Normandy fields in the 1940’s . Didn’t get any of that with 1917 , also felt they copied a few bits from SPR , story line similar and the night scene through the French village reminded me of Full Metal Jacket .
I won’t be buying it on 4K , rather a casual viewing on a streaming service .
 
I like George MacKay he's good in everything I've seen him in, and I enjoyed this film. Technically astonishing, with a great score and glorious work from Roger Deakins. However the linear storyline was a little too littered with coincidences or sheer blind luck for the main protagonist and at times resembled a Call of Duty video game when you're on a REALLY good run, especially your shooting skills, collecting the right thing skills and your buried under rubble survival skills. Still, thoroughly enjoyed it even if I wasn't exactly blown away by the story. 8/10
 
really curious about this one... going to see it asap.....
 
Watched this in my terrible local cinema last week, but saw it again at an iMax yesterday and *still* jumped out of my seat at that scene. You know the one. Definitely push the boat out and make an effort to see this in a decent cinema.
 
Saw it again last night. Still got goosebumps at the ending climax. My problems with the plot armour disappeared on second viewing.
 
Yeah, I really had no problem with that either. Let's face it, you needed a ton of luck to survive the war anyway, so that playing a part didn't really stick out to me.
 
Watched this at the 2D IMAX. I loved the film but this was my first time at the IMAX and it made be feel a bit sick. The size of the screen and the low frame rate meant there was juddering on the horizontal pans that I really didn't enjoy.

Was it only filmed in 24fps?
 
Didn't know what to expect, stayed away from reviews and went in blind.
never seen a film, filmed like this and loved every minute. 9 out of 10 from me
 
Ok I have an odd question.

How many jump scares are in this film please? I'm asking on behalf of someone who scares easily at periods of silences followed by sudden loud noises (i.e. me).

@FUNKYWINKERBEAN mentioned that they jumped out of their seat!

Many thanks and pleased to see the response that this film has had on everyone.
 
To be fair, it is a jump scare but you can kinda see it coming.
 
Yeah, just one really.
 
Can we say how amazing that rendition of Poor Wayfaring Stranger was by Jos Slovick.
 
Watched this on my own earlier this morning. It wasn't the masterpiece I was expecting going off the awards and reviews it has been receiving, not to mention the comments on here. It was well made and the filming style was nicely done but it wasn't 'Saving Private Ryan'.

It had a few moments that stood out but nothing that blew me away. I didn't feel any suspense and wasn't gripped in the way SPR had me many times. Comparing 1917 to Dunkirk I would pick the former, even though that left me underwhelmed as well. I would have liked to have seen more trench warfare but I guess that wasn't the aim of the film. Again like Dunkirk I felt it had been watered down and didn't really feel the gritty realism of war. SPR and Band of brothers had this and more. I'm glad I got to watch it so I could make up my own mind but would have waited to watch at home. I'd give it 6 out of 10 for the visuals, originality and the soundtrack..
 
Could be wrong about this but I feel like Mendes and Wilson-Cairns' take on WW1 feels different to films like Saving Private Ryan (there are similarities too, of course), Band of Brothers, etc because it's a story with a much narrower focus than those epic war films. The horror and psychological trauma is brought down to a more personal level so we're spared the big battles that work brilliantly in SPR and Band of Brothers. This plays more like a horror film at times.

As an aside, I wonder if Schofield
ever makes it home? I got the impression that his reward for his heroic ordeal was to vicariously reunite with his family owing to his encounter with the woman and baby in the ruins of the firebombed town but that war is unfair and he'd never get to return home. We'd already witnessed the cruelty of war when Blake is stabbed in the guts for playing the good samaritan to the downed German pilot. Both characters deserved a hero's bounty and reward but were met with the cold, harsh reality of war. [/spoilers]

Makes for a tragic story.
 
Just wondering if the rave reviews are coming from folk that never saw SPR - Full -Metal Jacket - Platoon - 4th July - etc on first release at the cinema ?
I came out of the cinema with “open grave eyes” as they say with these films .
1917 had nowhere near this effect on me .
 
Hacksaw ridge and Fury more recently were better imho
 
You know what's funny, I literally just finished watching Hacksaw Ridge. To me it was filled with war tropes and no more than a 7/10, boy meets girl, boot camp scenes, war scenes, the end. 1917 was a little different and the visuals were more subtle in its depiction of war which make it a more interesting and thoughtful watch. We all like different things and that's fine.
 
Just wondering if the rave reviews are coming from folk that never saw SPR - Full -Metal Jacket - Platoon - 4th July - etc on first release at the cinema ?
I came out of the cinema with “open grave eyes” as they say with these films .
1917 had nowhere near this effect on me .
I have seen all those,, Full Metal Jacket being the best film out of those, Platoon was a bit more 'Hollywood' no? Great film of its time. I think 1917 is a completely different type of film based on a completely different type of war.
 

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