1917 Movie Review (2019) | A Rare Cinematic Feat

1917 movie does a Birdman in a war backdrop and the result is just fantastic! Not only does the movie take you back in time, but it also lets you experience a war survival story firsthand.

There are twists galore hiding in the bushes waiting for you to get all nestled in as they come out of nowhere to deliver a whole new different kind of war-ridden cinematic experience

One part of your brain is inevitably thinking – How did they pull it off? Or other things like – Where must be the cameraman, and how is he invariably managing to stay with the character? And then the plot takes you from one set to another, badgering you for attention, even as it constantly moves forward with the rest of the crew never to return to the point it was seconds ago.

The amount of work that the 1917 movie manages to achieve is beyond commendable. It has some extraordinary visual effects and laudable camerawork that gives the movie an impression of a single shot, and that’s one of the movie’s many strengths.

The Direction of 1917 Movie

Sam Mendes has some superlative feathers tacked to his hat. I mean, just look at his past movies, his past record. Every movie crafted with meticulous care.

The latest one is no different. He wants people to have an unmediated war-zone experience that is complemented by sheer thrill and excitement. There are crazy things lurking in the corners waiting to jumpscare you. It’s a war after all. Every element hides its very own share of suspense. Even the most mundane things are encrusted with the unprecedented.

Sam Mendes uses every possible component he could find and leverages it to weave a firsthand first-grade war-tale. To complement his vision is a polymath Roger Deakins, yes the very same bloke who bagged an Oscar for Blade Runner 2049 in the year 2017. His cinematography is an art to witness. Their combination is simply what perfection asks for.

The Plot and Theme of Movie 1917

Set in a backdrop of the year 1917, the plot of the movie primarily explores the final crumbs of the first world war as the German forces retreat from a sector of Western Front from France. Two British soldiers are assigned the task emanated from an aerial intel that the retreat is, in fact, a strategic ploy to ambush the unprepared British soldiers. Now they are supposed to race against time to deliver that message, to stop a massacre from taking place.

To constitute the storyline with substance, we have elements of war doing their job. Basically a survival story where worldly elements are keen on killing everything that moves, and our protagonist is lodged at the very epicenter of it all.

Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns toy with the idea of a deuteragonist making us believe one’s cause stronger than the other, but then it was always written in a manner so as to leave you guessing, and to probably give you a blow in the gut when the time felt right.

We have Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) and Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) in the vanguard setting off to do a ballsy act, fumed by a personal and emotional trigger. It educates us in the ways of war – Your life doesn’t have meaning when put against the lives of others.

With a mission that shouts a definite fadeaway, both the corporals wage their very own war to upend a calamity, an avalanche that was on its way to become a surefire storm if not dammed.

That Gaming Outlook (Spoilers)

If you are a gamer then tacking it against the likes of a game can’t be helped either. It has strong instances from all those popular games you have played like “Call of Duty” or “Battlefield” with somewhat lesser theatrics.

The movie’s whole look and feel appear to be divided into levels where each step hides new surprises, and every dramatic gust is akin to checkpoints where strong characters portrayed by the likes of Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch sit comfortably.

Start off with the briefing and we have General Erinmore (Colin Firth) handing two blokes a mission.

Down to Gehenna, or up to the Throne, He travels the fastest who travels alone.

En route they come across Lieutenant Leslie (Andrew Scottt) who calls into their folly, beckoning a cat a cat, making them lose all their pluck they had packed in before embarking.

He is like that quintessential element in such stories who is a mixed suitcase of hope and despair, someone who is honest to the core.

Then Captain Smith (Mark Strong) walks in as a resurrector when our protagonist has lost all hope, like yet another checkpoint where you stop to refuel.

While Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) is like that boss who beckons you after all the struggle you put in to make it to the end.

I hoped today would be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing.

Beyond everything is that elusive diamond that awaits in the form of Lieutenant Joseph Blake (Richard Madden), the final reward of a mission that felt like a lost cause.

All these short but powerful cameos reshape the story into little boxes, and make the whole long shot appear like chapters in a book.

The Final Verdict

It takes the world to do something out of the ordinary. If you take a look at the number of rehearsals that have gone into the making of this beauty of a flick, you would be surprised to see how much time and effort was spent in the production.

The variegated use of cameras involved in the making leaves you wondering if a director would be bold enough to do something like that in the foreseeable future again. Just thinking about their sheer effort is exhausting per se. That one final scene in the movie is the one to watch out for where Schofield just goes for it.

You can order 1917 movie from here:

You can’t even begin to imagine all the humongous workload the movie entails. Just envisioning how much work and effort might have gone in the making of 1917, gives you the jitters, and to just think how the cast and crew who were involved alongside Sam Mendes managed to pull it off, numbs your brain.

It’s a rare feat in the history of filmmaking, something that puts faith back in unity. It still holds true to the core – if people set their minds to something, they can achieve the unthinkable.

Check out the trailer of 1917 movie here: