THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS
My prediction before seeing the movie:
I’m not huge into war movies, and wasn’t impressed with director Sam Mendes’s James Bond Movie, Spectre. There were a few things, however, that drew me to the movie theater and helped me keep an open mind- it was a simple war story (you don’t have to know military jargon or much war history to enjoy it), it was a story of determination, and, most impressively, that the movie was supposed to be cut together as if it were one single shot.
Synopsis:
1917 is a story based off of the stories that director, Sean Mendes’, grandfather used to tell him about the war. During WWI, Lance Corporols Schofield and Blake are given outlandish orders to cross enemy war zones and call off an impending attack. If they fail - 1,600 men will die, including Lance Cpl. Blake’s older brother.
My rating: Excellent!
Maybe it’s a bit pre-mature since it’s only January - but I expect this to be the best movie of 2020. This is an absolutely must see movie, and is best appreciated in theaters. The attention to detail, cinematography, and story design really pull you in. It is a beautiful movie about brotherhood, determination, sacrifice, and endurance.
Direction: SAM Mendes
As mentioned before, I’m not a huge Sam Mendes fan. Despite having some extremely impressive cinematography design (i.e. opening scene of Spectre), his movies have been a bit to bro-action for my taste. 1917 is, however, a beautifully relatable story that is loosely based off of his grandfather’s war stories. After seeing 1917, I’m definitely looking forward to Mendes’ next non-007 movie, whatever it may be.
Lance Corporal Blake // Dean-Charles Chapman:
I loved Chapman’s performance of Lance Coporal Blake, and I think he was an excellent pick for the role. He beautifully portrays a young, homesick army boy who will do anything to save his brother. Chapman brought a beautiful range of naivety and ruthless determination to the character, and I was devastated when he didn’t make it to the end of the movie.
Lance Corporal Schofield // George MacKay:
Lance Corporal Schofield is the more experienced, organized of the two young men sent on mission. At the beginning of the movie, I was generally disinterested in the character, yet I related to his hesitancy to run a suicide mission. At the end of the movie, I was completely invested, and all in on his character. I wanted to see him succeed, and make it back to his family. I enjoyed that the audience knew little about Lance Corporal Schofield, and I believe that the mystery of his motivation to survive really pushed the story forward.
Lieutenant Joseph Blake // Richard Madden:
While he only gets about 2 minutes of screen time, I was incredibly moved by Madden’s unforgettable performance. Within those two minutes, he displays excuisit and dynamic range of emotion/character including professionalism, happiness, and devastation that is not only believable, but might bring a tear to your eyes. 10/10
What could have made it better:
Although I was extremely impressed by the single shot direction, I was a bit pre-occupied at times looking for the seams in between shots. Maybe if you don’t know that it’s a one-shot, it’s not so distracting.
I was somewhat unconvinced by the passage of time in the movie. Some moments were very well done, but when Lance Corporal Blake gets stabbed, he goes from rosy to grey extremely quickly. It took me out of the movie, which was unfortunate because it was a huge plot moment.
What this movie did right:
Some of the shots were spectacular. Particularly, the shot in which Corporal Schofield ran the 300 meters on the battlefield to deliver the message.
The trailer didn’t spoil anything for me.
Richard Madden’s performance in hearing that his brother was dead. WOW.
Basically everything else.