1917
By Quinn Marcus
(2020)
AGE: 15+
95/100: SWEET
So What's The Story?
1917 tells the story of two young British soldiers in WW1. Both soldiers, Lance Corporal Scholfield and Lance Corporal Blake are given the task of stopping an attack on the Germans. If they fail to do so, the British will lose 1600 men, one of which is the brother of Blake. Together, these two men must travel through the perilous ruins and treacherous dangers that await them. Is It Worth Your While? 1917 is arguably the greatest war movie ever made. You might be thinking, now isn't that a pretty profound thing to say? Well, I'm telling you, there is nothing to question about this spectacular movie. There have been many good war films, my favs include Saving Private Ryan (85% sweet) and Gallipoli (85% sweet). Both of which were able to bring alive the true complexity and emotion of war. However, they were not groundbreaking achievements like this. Think of it this way, there has not been a film that has taken such a risk as to change the way filmmakers look at cinema. Sure, new shots can be taken, new performances can be surprising or amazing, but this was a film that made a huge change.
A quarter through the movie, my papa whispered in my ear "Have you noticed that there hasn't been a single cut?" Now, of course, I had noticed it, but I was so immersed int the film that I barely thought about it. "It's like a video game," my brother had said. Most new video games today work as a one-shot scenario, you travel with your character, fight, meet some people along the way, but there's rarely a cut. Some experts classify video games as immersively addicting. This film is not a video game, but it certainly has similarities. Making a film in one shot is not easy to do. Whether they did cut a few times without the audience knowing, it's not that simple. Actors need to memorize the entire script if a crew member makes a mistake halfway through shooting, they need to start again. It's tiny problems like these that could disrupt the whole operation. Then again, with a director like Sam Mendes in the chair, nothing can stop him from making it work. Sam Mendes has gone for long shots before, for example: In the James Bond film Skyfall, a beginning scene is eight minutes long with no cuts! Now just imagine extending that to a full-length feature. Now, there is an obvious blackout in the middle of the film, but you can't expect the crew to go through the entire film without a break. It's one of those films that people will talk about forever, "Hey remember 1917, the first film to be one shot?" One scene was super inspiring where George Mckay is running across the field full of explosions trying to get the message through. The soundtrack and intensity of that scene are incredible. Overall, 1917 is a beautifully filmed, well-done amazing addition to the war genre that is important to see.
How Was The Cast?
The two mains in 1917 had the hardest job of any cast member, Both cast members, George Mckay (Lance Corporal Scholfield) and Dean-Charles Chapman (Lance Corporal Blake). Seemed as if they were put through extreme labor during the shoot. However, the more qualified the actor, the better. There is a surprising twist about halfway in the movie when the character we thought to be the main, just so happens not to make it during the movie (no spoilers as to who). So, one of the actors is to take the rest of the journey alone. This actor struggled through rivers, rubble and a load of dead bodies. It's hard not to give him some recognition. Both mains had impressive emotions which provided a fiercely realistic performance. After this movie becomes huge in the box office, every director is going to be wanting these two. These two cast members are truly the definition of amazing.
Aging 'World War I'
1917 has bloody, dead bodies practically everywhere. One of the characters sticks his hand inside a dead German soldier. There are a few jump scares. Explosions, gunfire and a whole lot of running make as a big part of the film. Characters are often put in peril, there is rarely a time where the film is peaceful. If you're a teen or above who is a fan of a gory, entertaining war film, be my guest.
