It's a good movie with very strong war scenes. The makeup and action sequences are so impressive that it really pulls you back to 1941, and you feel like you're in a fort. Why did people fight so ruthlessly during WWII? Why do people go to war? I think World War II was really a unicorn, but it didn't erase the horror of war. War may have dramatic moments, but terrible moments taint all war moments.
The film's downside is its lack of depth in its portrayal of war. Issues of family and love play such an important role before the fight, but are rarely mentioned after the fight begins. I know the point of the film is to contrast idyllic peacetime scenes with the dirty and squalid aspects of war. Also, I can see that most of the budget and effort does go into the battle sequence. However, this imbalance of sentimentality (contrasting depictions) and action (i.e. Combat) ultimately makes this film considered not great. The film struggles to get universal acclaim for its shift in rhythm. I may have been too harsh on this film considering the extremely high scores given by the top reviews, but the truth is that this film cannot escape its reputation as a military/historical buff favorite. In other words, the film failed as art but succeeded in almost every other way.
The film's downside is its lack of depth in its portrayal of war. Issues of family and love play such an important role before the fight, but are rarely mentioned after the fight begins. I know the point of the film is to contrast idyllic peacetime scenes with the dirty and squalid aspects of war. Also, I can see that most of the budget and effort does go into the battle sequence. However, this imbalance of sentimentality (contrasting depictions) and action (i.e. Combat) ultimately makes this film considered not great. The film struggles to get universal acclaim for its shift in rhythm. I may have been too harsh on this film considering the extremely high scores given by the top reviews, but the truth is that this film cannot escape its reputation as a military/historical buff favorite. In other words, the film failed as art but succeeded in almost every other way.