Skip to main content

A Review of "1917 (2019)"

 #1917 from I Review Movies

People call this film “The Birdman of WWI” and to be fair that is a justified assessment. This entire film is filmed like it is one camera shot and it is AWESOME! 

 #1917 from I Review Movies

I think one of the most impressive thing apart from the one looking shot is the AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHY. This shouldn’t be no surprising since it is the legend himself Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049 Cinematographer). Every scene feels like a painting and it is absolutely stunning. There is a scene at night where the lighting was done in such a creative way that heighten the tension of the scene. On that note there must also be praise for the score by Thomas Newman who somehow manages to make a score that somehow manages toe elevate every scene and help tell the story. There is also some amazing sound design that manages to make the War actually scary with moments that give horror movie jump scares a run for its money. Additionally, the props and set design should also get praise for creating such large,realistic but elaborate sets to accommodate for a more natural one shot scene. Everything in this film just feels like a technical achievement. We haven’t even touched on the acting or story yet but just for the way this was filmed is already engaging enough. Nevertheless, the two main actors George MacKay as Lance Corporal William “Will” Schofield and Dean-Charles Chapma as Lance Corporal Thomas “Tom” Blake manages to do a phenomenal job in showing the horror of war and giving authentic,believable characters. The story, while relatively simple, is engaging enough to keep you invested in the objective of the main characters. They must send a message to allies stop them running into a trap. It’s simple but works well for the aim of one shot as now it makes the audience a part of the journey.

 #1917 from I Review Movies

There isn’t much negative to this movie but I guess if I have to be quite nitpicky it is the fact that halfway through the movie there is a obvious cut. So this movie is actually really a two shot film. The cut was necessary to make the situation more desperate and allow for a unique change in scenery even though it was a bit of a jarring cut. Another sort of nitpick is that we don’t really get much info on the main characters. We get their names and we know what their mission is but their backstory is just given in tidbits. It goes in a Dunkirk route in which we care about these characters because of the situation they are in rather than the fact that we are invested in the characters. It can be argued that the tidbits more than gives you enough info about the characters but it’s really up to the audience in the end. Personally, I don’t find it too much of a fault but can see how others could consider it so.

#1917 from I Review Movies

Positives
+ Amazing cinematography
+ Great acting
+ Gripping moments and action
+ The amazing props and set design are realistically done
+ The music elevates the scene very well and great sound design
+ A simple but investing story

Negatives
- There is a scene halfway through the movie where they use a cut. While necessary it does technically not make the film a one shot looking film.
- No backstory or much information about the main characters

Honestly my negatives are just nitpicks. This movie is amazing and it is definitely worth watching right now. No doubt one of the best films to come out in 2019.


 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A “QUICK!” Review of “Kandahar (2023)”

  This is a 2023 action movie about a US operative having to fight his way out of Afghanistan with his interpreter while being hunted. Wait isn’t that the same plot as Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant? It’s a little weird that this movie came out just a month after The Covenant with almost the same plot. The 3rd act and the ending is also VERY similar. The difference comes in execution and unfortunately, Kandahar isn’t as good. The first hour is incredibly slow as it setups the whole plot but it takes ages. The relationship between the main lead and the interpreter isn’t that strong. The message isn’t delivered in a very meaningful way. There is also not a lot of action set pieces even though there is a stellar night sequence in this one. It’s just another passable movie starring Gerald Butler.
Post a Comment
Read more

A Review of “Wicked: Part I (2024)”

  I am not the biggest fan of musicals and it is the one genre in movies I rarely watch. I knew of the popularity of the Broadway show “Wicked” but I never brought myself to ever watch it. Now, there is finally a movie adaptation of the show. I did enjoy the legendary 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and a prequel about the Witch is an interesting idea hence why I gave it a shot. Does this movie defy gravity or is it wickedly bad? Firstly, the production of this film is phenomenal. The song and dance numbers are all incredibly choreographed. It is impressively visually seeing close to 100 people all dancing in unison. The songs and dance feel very flamboyant and campy but it works in the film. In terms of the actual songs, I liked a fair amount of them, especially “Defying Gravity” at the end. I also appreciate how this movie uses lots of actual practical set design. It makes the world of Oz feel more real and believable. There are some genuinely huge-looking sets in this...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Review of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)”

  I once said after watching Black Panther, that it would be cool if there was an all Asian cast similar to it. There were some all Asian cast movies like Crazy Rich Asian (2018), but that is a romcom, and Mulan (2020), but that was bad. In comes Shang Chi which is the first Asian lead Superhero movie ever. The premise is “Martial-arts master Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) confronts the past he thought he left behind when he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization”. So does Shang Chi succeed in giving us a good all Asian cast big blockbuster or is it just another failed attempt? Firstly, the action sequences and choreography are some of the best from Marvel since Captain America and the Winter Soldier (2014). Martial arts are the focus of the action scenes in Shang Chi and they are beautifully choreographed. We get the classic wire-fu/floating style of Crouching Tiger but we also get some Jackie Chan style with the utilization of the environment for the a...
Post a Comment
Read more