Regarded as one of the best movies of 2019, Sam Mendes’s 1917 more than lived up to the hype for me. One of the things I was interested in about this movie was the fact it was set during World War 1. There have been a million movies based on WWII so it was interesting to see a big-budget movie based on the first world war instead.
How to Stream or Download 1917
To stream or to download the movie either from Google Play or from iTunes, click on the Download button below this review. If you are interested in the times of WWI, check out also our review of Battlefield 1.
The Movie Review
Talking about 1917 is kind of hard as on paper the plot is not all that exciting in theory. The movie is about two young British soldiers who are sent on a dangerous mission in enemy territory in France. These two are Blake played by Dean-Charles Chapman and Schofield played by George Mackay.
The mission they are sent on will save the lives of thousands of troops who are in danger of walking into a trap. The stakes are super high and you would think that Blake and Scofield are the best and most elite soldiers and that is why they are being sent on this mission. That is not the case at all, they are two regular soldiers and that is what makes you get behind them.
These are two very likable characters and the performances are truly fantastic. The movie is set during one period of 24 hours and the whole thing is shot to look like it is one continuous moment. I know this sounds weird and it is kind of hard to explain, but it is done very well and adds to the drama and tension of the movie.
I will admit that this is not something that I actually picked up the first time I watched it. It was a buddy who pointed this out. So, I went back and watched it again recently and was very impressed. Not just by how this is used in the story, but how clever they were going from shot to shot and making it all look continuous.
The whole movie really is a spectacle. Many war movies tend to be dark and gritty and that is here. However, 1917 has a lot of variety to its locations from open fields, the trenches to war-torn towns. It looks fantastic and some of the action scenes really will take your breath away and have you on the edge of your seat. I was surprised at the amount of “action” in the movie, but it is done very well.
The story and the two main characters are what really got me invested in this. I do not want to give to much away, but the little bits of back story we get here and there makes you like them even more. You just want them to succeed not just for the thousands of troops that they will save, but for themselves too. These are two average Joe’s and that is what makes them so likable in my opinion.
I really cannot say enough positive things about this movie. It is just a fantastic movie from the start all the way to the end and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a rollercoaster of a ride and it is one of the best war movies I have seen in years. It is certainly the best movie set during World War 1 that I have ever seen.
