1917 (Blu-ray) [2019] [Region Free]

I first saw this movie when it was released earlier in the year. As a history-fanatic I was thrilled to see and ‘experience’ this immersive, edge-of-your-seat movie. It’s cast, strong storyline, historically accuracy and fantastic cinematics transport you straight to the era. So it did not disappoint. If you ask me, 1917 is great and momentous, one of the best movies of the past few decades.I will buy most of the movies that are close to my heart and over time I will see them a couple times again. Somewhow I wasn’t looking forward to it to see 1917 again. As I remembered it as an intense viewing experience.Still, I bought the 4k version on disc. And now we watched it with our daughter aged 11 as she is about to have a project about WW1 at school. And she has already read a few books about the topic. There are some gruesome, realistic scenes, but it was borderline alright for her and she actually though it a very good, impressive movie.The movie gives a first hand account of a soldier’s day at the front while he is on a dangerous mission behind the line. As you will have heard, the movie appears as if it is all done in a single shot, which in itself is very clever. I found it less tense than my initial viewing in cinema. Perhaps in the comfort of my home I was a little less drawn in, even though the 4k version is beautiful, with super sharp, deep coloured images that jump from my screen. I buy most my movies in HD format on Prime these days in order to gradually clear out cupboard space. But I wanted to make an exception for this master piece and bought the actual disc, also because it wasn’t yet available in 4K format on Prime.While viewing it at home it now it seemed shorter and it struck me that I almost exactly recalled every second, so I must have been super engaged when I saw it first cinema. Seeing it again made me appreciate the detail and superb acting even more. As well as a few well-timed subtleties, like the fact that we don’t know the main characters name until the end, we that don’t know his motivations and background until the last scene. All very well done. It brings an original, very appealing storyline and new perspective on the more standard trench-war, over-the-ridge WW1 movies. I found it interesting as well that the movie depicts the day that the US joins in the war although there is no reference to that.One thing I found slightly distracting are the brief appearances of several British super stars of acting. On the other hand, I thought that in particular Mark Strong(surprisingly) but also Andrew Scott and Colin Firth absolutely slammed it, though a few more very famous actors are included as well. Of course there is nothing but praise for how well the two lead actors, George Mackay and Dean Charles Chapman perform.So, to conclude this a non-typical war movie that was very well executed on all fronts and an instant classic therefore. I can only thank director Sam Mendes for this. An easy five-star rating. Also I liked it far more than Dunkirk, another fairly recent war movie blockbuster, where I massively struggled with the convoluted timeline despite the strong cinematic graphics and historical scenery.I know a fair amount about the complex topic of WW1 but I’m by no means an expert. For those who want to learn more about the conflict in a digital wanner; I would recommend Dan Carlings 14-hour (!) ‘Blue Print for Armageddon’ podcasts on the conflict, brilliant.

(A full in-depth review of 1917 can be found on my own film & TV review site - link in my Amazon profile!)I had the privilege of watching 1917 in the cinema and it absolutely blew me away. I'll try to keep this brief since I've already written a full review you can find through the link in my Amazon profile, but 1917 was far and away my favourite film of 2019. It's one of the most visceral war films I've ever seen, with the one-shot style proving an exceptionally good fit for a film of this genre. I can understand anyone who might've seen it as gimmicky, but I implore you to give it a chance because it absolutely works and has some of the most incredible shots of any film in the last few years. George MacKay is a wonderful lead who carries the film from start to finish. 1917 puts you through the whole gambit of emotions, with moments that will stun you with their technical proficiency, moments that will put you on edge, and moments that will bring you to tears. I'm not sure it's possible to capture a truly authentic experience of either World War in film, but 1917 comes about as close to it as I could expect. If you've yet to watch this, pick it up and rectify that immediately.

This is possibly the greatest one-shot movie ever.At least, it was made that way, to be one big, continuous shot, which in itself is an amazing accomplishment.The whole movie is so intense and so tight.Another masterpiece by Sam Mendes. This is the first movie in history to have a female writer for an epic war movie, which is a great achievement.Sam Mendes created this story based on his grandfathers experiences in WW1. Not many films are generally made about WW1 but this is a masterpiece.Cinematography by Roger Deakins is insane and legendary as always. The movie is filled with astonishing shots.It is a great experience watching in theatre. I was totally immersed while watching the film. Editing is top notch.For the entire film, the camera always moves forward and sometimes circles around but it does not stop, which is a symbolism for the story to reach the destination in time and to not stop the journey.Stunt choreography is great. Being a war movie, it has an unlimited amount of action scenes.Easily worth the plaudits this film so rightly deserves.