A Pat-Oh-Meter Review
War is Hell. War is gruesome. War is futile. Politicians are fools. Generals are obsessives.
We've seen these themes, film after film, from the original 1930 "All Quiet on the Western Front" to "Bridge on the River Kwai," "Apocalypse Now," "Saving Private Ryan," and "The Hurt Locker," among many others.
However, this remake was staged, set, and filmed exquisitely. Told from a young German soldier's point of view, the story adheres to the original film version well, with a tweak here and there. Both films are based on a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I.
On Netflix, we chose to view it in the original German with English subtitles. If I ever watch it again, I'll select the English version, as the subtitles distracted me from the beauty of this film's cinematography.
I'm not a lover of war movies because I get too upset at the tragedy of war. Frequently, I turn away to avoid the pain. Hubster, who is a military veteran, says he found himself somewhat disinterested. Perhaps his familiarity with the first film and the similar anti-war themes made the remake seem somewhat rote. But he did add that it was very well done.
I hope this new version preaches to a much younger choir who may not have seen as many old war movies that Hubster and I have. I also hope the message gets across. War is Hell. War is gruesome. War is futile. Politicians are fools. Generals are obsessives.
4-Star Rating on the Pat-Oh-Meter: The film is so beautifully made and well-acted, it deserves at least four out of five stars, even though I really don't like remakes or war movies.
NOTE: The Hubster and I do our best to see all Academy Award-nominated films. This is our review of one of them.