1917

Released: 10th January 2020
BBFC rating: 15
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Cast: George Mackay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Colin Firth.
The hardest movies to make have always been known to be one shot films and world war one movies. Sam Mendes expertly manages to combine both the genres together to create a masterpiece of movie-making which revolutionises war movies as well as film in itself. The story follows the two soldiers as they rush to warn a battalion of soldiers across France to halt their attack as they wander into a trap. The story for me was one of the strongest part of the film, as in one shot movies the time jumps can often be sacrificed for artistic plot lines, however it very much fits what Mendes wants style wise and very rarely do you find yourself lost. While the one shot gimmick can a some points seem quite distracting it does still look brilliant, especially in the cinema, and does well to emphasises the horror of the war as well as the exhaustion of the characters. In fact for the first time in a long while in a movie I have actually been able to sympathise and feel for the characters in what is going on, most likely due to the fact that you spend the entirety of the time with the two. They also throw in a lot of nice cameos from big actors which for me was a really nice touch, giving the supporting roles more depth rather than people who would usually just pass by in a movie like this. Things that I wasn't really a fan of: well firstly the start of the film is rather slow, which while it does fit with the story and what is going on around you I do feel like some parts do go on for a bit too long, especially to start of with. However I really did like the artistic style of the film in some of the scenes, with the tory showing more of a horror style compared to other war movies, and the ending for me was just perfect, I won't spoil it but for me it is very nice to have a such a compelling ending. My advice for this film is to go see it in cinemas, as it is more of an experince than it is entertainment and really needs to be felt on the roper scale rather than watched on a smaller screen.
Contains Strong bloody violence, gore, distressing scenes and frequent bad language.
My rating: 9/10 ( Incredible )

Image subject and copyright to DreamWorks pictures. I do not won this image.