1917

War films are tough to make. This isn't only because of the insane amount of coordination and effort that is necessary to stage believable recreations of real world conflict, but also because of the duty that a filmmaker has in vilifying the very nature of these conflicts for the displays of savagery that they are. And while 1917 surely excels at the former, it's complete mishandling of the latter is what prevents it from being great.

The most notable aspect of 1917 (besides it's focus on the first World War, the seemingly forgotten World War) is it's presentation, appearing as a "one-take" film. While I can concede that the technical aspects of this film are a marvel, the one-take approach is ironically enough the biggest detractor from this claim for me. There are some genuinely incredible sequences presented in this one take format, most notably the trench run scene shown in the trailers, and the sequences that take place under a flare lit night sky. However, when the film isn't throwing you in the middle of these events, we are left with endless scenes characters moving from right to left down the screen, trying to kill the time with conversation that really only demonstrates how shallow these characters are. These moments try their best to keep the audience interested with little drizzles of the brutality of war sprinkled in, such as the mountains of dead bodies both animal and human, but these in tandem with the constantly moving camera make this feel more like the amusement park that it is than the immersive war story it wants to be.

It's this obsession with the spectacles of war that really deflate the film's own anti-war message, more so than any other war film of recent memory. The very fact that this film has marketed itself as a one-take war film that NEEDS to be experienced in theaters, proves itself to be more obsessed with the cinematic experience of battle. This in itself is not a problem, but the anti-war sentimentality that constantly bookends these grandiose battle sequences feels contradictory. The performances in these scenes are undeniably real, but the characters underneath are so calculated within this wartime narrative, that it's hard to see anything underneath. I would've preferred a more honest approach of war as a "necessary evil" rather than the awkward attempt to have their cake and eat it too.

1917 is a contradiction on many levels. A drunk driving PSA with incredible chase sequences. A bottle of chocolate poison. A decaffeinated coffee. It's definitely worth the money to immerse yourself in the heat of battle, but if you want to truly experience war, you're better off using that money on a museum ticket.