All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

A fascinating film with potential that was never fully achieved. “All Quiet on the Western Front” does not rely solely on shock value to disturb its audience; instead, it uses the horrors of war to sober them with facts and dismal realities. The film's story was worth telling; it left an impression long after the credits rolled. It dealt with many weighty themes, including a young man's journey through war, the difficulties of combat, the cruelty of desperation, and the value of friendship and camaraderie, all of which were handled with grace and artistry. Furthermore, it boasted first-rate production values, breathtaking visuals, a terrific score (although maybe a tad bit over the top), and stellar acting. Although there is much to praise about the film, “All Quiet on the Western Front” is ultimately hampered by its drawn-out length, the plot dragging in spots, and several confusing moments. All the pieces were in place for “All Quiet on the Western Front” to be the best picture of the year, and in some respects, it is. Fans of the genre, or anyone who appreciates a well-made film, should not miss this film despite its limitations. ___ Rating: ***7.5/10*** *(Impressive, yet it doesn't quite hit the mark in every respect)*

All Quiet on the Western Front is as beautiful and poetic as it is brutal and blunt. Historically accurate, emotional, and raw, this film is easily the best war drama to arrive since "Saving Private Ryan". Although available in English over dub, watching the film in the native German language with English subtitles is the way to go. Somehow, hearing German commanding officers shouting in English doesn't have the same dramatic effect. The cinematography is amazing. Go watch it.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a dark, gritty, and depressing look at what the effects of war and propaganda have on the soldiers who enlist. Our main characters enter the front all bright eyed and bushy tailed excited to fight for Germany, mainly due to them being naive about what war is truly like. That optimism is soon destroyed in the first minutes of reaching the battlefields as they are hit with mortar strikes that kill countless numbers of their comrades. This is where we first get to see the incredible emotion portrayed in this film. The actors do so much with just their facial expressions to demonstrate their mental decay as the turmoil of war inflict their damage. There is a constant theme of the destruction of peace throughout the entire film, whether be the peace of Germany as a whole due to the lackluster treaty they are forced to sign or the disturbance within the troop themselves. Every time our main characters have a sense of calm, like having a pleasant chat while on guard duty or stealing chickens from a local farmer, that calm is interrupted by more death and destruction. These lulls in action provide a sense of comfortability for the audience that gets ripped away in a second's notice. This juxtaposition occurs throughout the entire film, and I found in incredibly effective. The tension of war is aided with a brilliant score. The subtle piano keys mixed with loud bass crashes create an uneasiness that spells impending doom for our main troop. It was quite excellent. As previously stated, the performances here are downright incredible. Felix Kammerer was brilliant in his leading role. His evolution from an absolute wreck of soldier, crying and panicking on the battlefield to grizzled vet who is able to run headfirst into battle without a second notice was fantastic. But he still kept the sweet and genuine attitude throughout, having moments of clarity during the battle where he realizes the brutality of what he and his other soldiers are doing. These complex emotions are carried over to the majority of the cast and was one of my favorite parts about this film. Overall, All Quiet on the Western Front was a major surprise for me. I am not super experienced nor am interested in many war films, but this may have changed my tune because I genuinely believe it is one of the best movies of the year. Score: 94% Verdict: Excellent

This is the first major film that I have seen where the undoubted atrocities of the Great War trench battles were presented from the side of Germany. More specifically, from the young "Bäumer" (the thoroughly convincing Felix Kammerer) who finds himself along with comrades "Müller" (Moritz Klaus) and "Albert" (Aaron Hilmer) enlisting into the army. Full of enthusiasm and optimism they arrive at a front that very quickly saps them all of both. Food is in short supply, as is sleep, water, safety - indeed just about everything that could terrify these young men is delivered upon them as, meantime, we (the audience) see a parallel storyline that shows just how close to armistice we are at this stage of this most egregious conflict. If you've ever been to the Somme, you will probably conclude just as "Bäumer" does, that there is an immense degree of futility in men fighting for a few yards of bombed out, muddy and corpse-ridden ground. The toing and froing between these equally matched, tired and disillusioned troops demonstrating the pointlessness of it all. Edward Berger marries the strife and struggles faced by those at the front well with the diplomatic efforts being made by those whose discomfort was of an entirely different cut. Daniel Brühl and, to a lesser extent, Thibault de Montalembert go some way to illustrating this parallel game of chess with one side determined to salvage some semblance of honour in defeat, the other determined that victory will be complete and absolute. The visual effects are not quite "1917" (2019), but they still convey excellently the peril and squalor in which these soldiers endured. The audio mixes add perfectly to that sense of menace, and the whole cinematography strikes a chill. The screenplay is sparing; we do not have loads of dialogue - much of the imagery and the facial expressions of the young men, scared out of their wits for much of the time, is left to do almost all of the heavy lifting. It is brutal and graphic at times, but that adds enormously to this frankly terrifyingly authentic look at warfare that pits man against the elements and, ultimately, the politics superbly. Big screen must, if you can. Netflix it may be, but for television this certainly isn't.