Tanya’s Score: Good-and-a-half*
Rated: 14A
Starring: Mr. Darcy; the hot priest; a couple of throne gamers
Plot: During WWI, two young soldiers (Dean-Charles Chapman; George MacKay) are tasked with physically bringing a message across enemy lines that could save at least 1,600 lives.
Tanya’s Verdict: This is an interesting movie – filmed as if one long, continuous shot; sparse dialogue; random bursts of violence balanced by random bursts of emotional connection. The two main characters are sympathetic and fully-formed in my opinion – due to their actions and reactions; their dialogue – not what was said but why and how it was said; their facial expressions.
Plus, knowing that 1917 is loosely based on a true story that director Sam Mendes had been told by his grandfather as a child – only makes me like the movie more.
And I did like it. A lot. But I thought it would be better – possibly because of all the hype. As much as I appreciated the continuous shot for a variety of reasons – it made the audience see and feel what the two main characters were seeing and feeling as well it provided a thread of sanity in an otherwise chaotic war ground. But that said – it did get a bit tedious in certain parts.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great
Hey Tanya,
We rated it just ‘okay’ and would not recommend it even though it’s a Mendes’ movie. Yes, I do agree that it will win Best Picture but not because it is a fabulous movie.