Rating: 
Summary: The Finest War Movie Ever Made
Review: I am no great Spielberg fan. I never liked E.T. I thought Jurassic Park was really dumb (although the sequel was OK). But he has made two movies that would both probably make my top five list: Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.Saving Private Ryan is different from other war movies I've seen. Other such films are not typically very personal. This detracts from the power they are able to convey. Spielberg, for better or for worse, always manages to portray the human element in a situation, probably better than anyone else. The near-flawless realism of the battle sequences is not for gross-out factor but to tell the story like it is. A lot of people died in World War Two. Not many movies really portray that. This movie does. But what makes Saving Private Ryan a cut above all the other war movies is its story. It's not about how many people died in some great battle against the Nazis, it's about those who survived. This makes it all the more powerful. Combine all this with superb acting all around and a stirring yet unobtrusive score from the undisputed master John Williams, and you have a movie worth owning. I personally have the DVD and I can certainly reccomend it. Be warned: this is an intensely realistic movie; not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking Spielberg Classic
Review: On Omaha Beach in France, a GI lurches about, desperately looking for something he has lost. He spots it and picks it up. It is his arm, blown off at the elbow by shrapnel. This is just one of the many images of horror glimpsed through the water, smoke and endless gunfire in the stunning D Day landing sequence that comes early on in director Steven Spielberg's masterful and moving movie about World War II, Saving Private Ryan. It is this extended (24 minutes) bloody battle sequence, in which handheld camera work contributes to a terrifying you-are-there feel, that sets the tone for the movie. Men are mowed down, the ocean turns red, and the noise and slaughter never stop. Trying to stay alive through all this madness is Capt. John Miller (Hanks) and his men. Those who survive D Day are handed another mission: Go behind enemy lines and find Private Ryan (Damon), whose three brothers have all been killed in combat. The orders are to get him out and send him home. "Where's the sense of risking the eight of us to save one guy?" grouses one of Hanks's men. His question is at the movie's core. Why fight at all? What does any one man owe another? And was it all worth it? Helped by a thoughtful script by Robert Rodat, Ryan raises all these issues. The answers the movie provides are never pat, jingoistic responses about country and duty but rather more complicated ones about friends, family and simple decency. After seeing Ryan, many of us will look at our aging fathers or grandfathers with a newfound respect. And ponder what we, as individuals and as a nation, are doing today to justify the sacrifices those men made on our behalf more than half a century ago.
Rating:
Summary: Saving Private Ryan-Hold onto your subwoofer!
Review: **This review covers the 5.1 surround version, NOT the DTS version** I was anxious to receive this DVD, since I heard amazing things about its sound quality. The DVD comes in an attractive case, with well-made graphic design on both the package and the disc itself. A small pamphlet comes inside the package, with an interesting read about Spielberg and the film. Not too impressive, but a good read overall. I popped the DVD into my player and was very impressed with the simple, yet beautiful menu design. Navigation is easy and the menu design couldn't be more simple, without lacking attractive graphical design. In the menu, you have the choice of picking certain scenes with a very impressive moving scene index, and you can choose to have English subtitles. The special features are put together very well. You have a special message from Steven Spielberg, a behind the scenes featurette titled "Into The Beach", the theatrical and re-release trailers, cast & crew info and production notes. (Into The Beach is NOT on the DTS version because of space limitations. DTS audio takes up much more disc space then other audio formats. If you prefer DTS audio and don't mind the lack of the "Into The Beach" featurette, then make sure you order the DTS version.) The audio choices you have are 5.1 digital surround and 2.0 Dolby surround. Whatever type of system you have, be prepared for an audio experience that will overwhelm the senses. Saving Private Ryan is an incredible film, a real tribute to those that put their lives on the line over 50 years ago. Spielberg has created a film with top notch production values. The cinematography and sound design, as well as the production design are incredible. The picture quality of this DVD is superb. It is very clean with beautiful detail and a look and style that is amazing, especially during the battle scenes. The cinematographer Janusz Kamisnki, who I had the pleasure of working with once, did an exceptional job of bringing the viewer right into the extreme chaos of war, and creating a visual experience unlike any previous war movie ever seen. The sound of this DVD is another story in itself. The sound design of this film is just about flawless. Incredibly realistic, unbelievably clean with beautifully recorded music and crisp, clear dialogue. If you have a surround system, the war sequences will be nothing less then spectacular. Even those with 2 speaker set-ups, the sound is amazing. On 5.1 systems, gunshots and bullets will surround your head with such clarity, you may find yourself ducking for cover. Sound design is ground-breaking, and the people responsible for it on this film should be applauded. Deep bass is well used throughout the battle scenes, so your subwoofer will have an extreme workout. The ambiance and atmospheric qualities of the entire film, along with the surround and effects elements, will give the viewer an unbelievable listening experience. Add this to an incredibly visual film, and you have the stage set for about 3 hours of DVD pleasure. I highly recommend this DVD to any fan of Spielberg, or to anyone who really wants to hear audio that is simply groundbreaking. In conclusion, Saving Private Ryan is an excellent, well produced film. A real tribute to those who risked their lives in World War II. This DVD is excellent....buy it and enjoy it...an amazing treat for the eyes and ears.
Rating:
Summary: Uplifting ,and,at the same time ,saddening, so saddening .
Review: I've tried for quite a while to find a tagline for this movie. The one I've found seems appropriate ,I believe it sums up the essence and the messages of this extraordinary movie. Yes, it's one of my favorite movies , I don't know anybody that hasn't seen and admired it . Well, it's for a reason. No movie (that I know) from the last decade conveys the horrors of war in that explicit, down to earth, realistic way. While seeing it for the first time my heart ached, I felt so much grief over all the men that'd died in World War II, and in all the wars, for that matter. In this particular case, this war was unavoidable, and these men were fighting for the most noble reasons . I felt throughout the film in great debt to all those soldiers that had fought the nazis, and helped shaping the world as we know it today .When Captain Miller'd said in the end "Earn this ,earn it " I felt like it was addressed directly to me, and that as a person that has earned the right to live thanks to the western victory ,should I transcend myself from all those pitiful everyday problems of mine to accomplish something good, real good in my life. I've thought a great deal about it in the couple of years since I've seen the movie . I have this notion in my mind, and I'll keep on trying. One cannot refer to "Saving Private Ryan" without praising the sublime soundtrack composed and conducted by John Williams. It's my all time favorite soundtrack, I've listened to it more than any other disc, never getting enough of it. Williams succeeded in seizing the entire diversity of emotions ,feeling and sentiments the movie had delivered in the best possible expression. I admire his creation as much as I admire the movie ; It's so touchy and delicate ,that in the first times I've listened to it ,I couldn't stop the tears out of dropping down my eyes . " Hymn to the Fallen " cannot be left unmentioned . It's the most intensive track ,the main theme ,if you may .I haven't heard anything that meaningful ,similar to this masterpiece ("Symphony of sorrowful songs" by Gorecki is an exception and has transcendency of another scale). I could actually hear the mothers cry with anguish and pain in the peak of this creation. If you haven't heard it yet, it's an imperative you won't stay indifferent to it's majestically crafted tune. Another genius part of the movie music ,unfortunately ,left out of the soundtrack ,is the song "Tu Es Partout" by Edith Piaf. The song integrates so harmonically with the progress of events in the movie ,that you can't help yourself from falling in love with it instantly, unquestionably. A true brilliant choice. Then ,coming downright to the essence of the movie ,you're left with the distinct feeling of sorrow and pain over all the dead, wherever they died .The scense of death is strong in this film ,the realism is the highest I've ever encountered. This is a great achievement of Spielberg, the director, and I think that he's accomplished his initial goals with this astounding film . In the end, owning this DVD is an obvious act ,and the first one to buy if starting a personal library. Every penni justies it's expense .
Rating:
Summary: The greatest war movie I've ever seen
Review: Saving Private Ryan is a magnificent movie.To me,it is the best movie on the subject of war ever.(at least out of the ones I've seen)It is extremely graphic,and although I wasn't there,I would say that it shows how war really was.It's got a first rate cast led by Tom Hanks,and I think it is Spielberg's best film.(with the possible exception of Schindler's List)Every time I watch it I get tears in my eyes thinking about all the men who fought and died for our country.I think this film is Spielberg's way of paying tribute to them,and he does a magnificent job.
Rating:
Summary: The Visual equal to Cornelius Ryan's D-Day
Review: If you would like to see how patriotic it was for young soldiers to jump out of an amphibious landing vehicle and 20 seconds later get shot to death and drown on the coast of France, watch this film. I give it 5 stars for its simple and blatant accuracy of how brutal and utterly stupid war really was, is and always will be. Field Marshall Montgomery and General Eisenhower and their blind, military cronies have now been permanently immortalized by this film due to their impassioned madness in glorifying butchery and population control in the name of 'patriotism'.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: I am not going to rate the movie... i am rating the DVD. it is five stars easy. there is no flicker, pause, or red blur. The picture quality is bar-none the most beautiful DVD i have seen. I love this DVD, and i watch it way too much. I have watched the whole thing a few times just to marvel at the picture quality.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great, But Flawed, War Movie
Review: This may well be one of the best--and most gruesome--war movies ever made. It remains a cut below Platoon, however, because--yet again--Spielberg just COULDN'T avoid weepy sentimentality. The framing device he uses--the old man whining at the head stone, adds nothing to the movie, and takes away much. As a final image, it needs to resonate with the rest of the movie, to emphasize what has come before it. Watching the old guy wimper to his wife about his having lived a good life is an utterly unearned emotion. The quality of his life, his character, after the period of the movie's narrative is never shown, so ALL we know about it is what he and his wife tell us. We are shown nothing, in other words, and so what is meant to be a moving moment remains flat...unearned emotion. We are being told how we ought to feel about this, without being given any detail to make that feeling genuine. It's a very brief moment in an otherwise excellent movie, but that it is the final image taints the experience of the whole movie--it is, after all, the final impression we are left with. This movie contains some of the most graphic, brutally honest battle scenes ever filmed, I think. Young men (and women) should watch this before enlisting! It might give them pause. This is Spielberg's best work since Jaws (which, in my opinion, is still his best movie).
Rating:
Summary: Spielberg Does it Again!
Review: What can I say, the man weaves story-lines like no one else in the film industry. This movie is probably the best representation of WWII ever produced, and is most definitely worth its 5 Academy Awards. Tom Hanks delivers a gripping performance that will have you on the edge of your seat...and you won't even realize how long the film is until it's over! The DVD format brings to the table amazing sound and picture clarity...a must have for any "home theater" collection!
Rating:
Summary: Requires patience... which pays to its last ounce.
Review: The horror scenes of people being shot to death or severed of certain limbs are indeed cruel and even disgusting at times, but it's not the disgust that these scenes visualize, but the horrors of war. These scene are there to make you understand what the American WW2 soldiers went through to defend and protect nations outside the US. The horrors are indeed hard to take in, but as soon as these are over, new horrors lurk in the next scenes. Emotional horrors. The tension of getting yourself killed at any time. It's not about horror, it's far from it... it's about a family with no father that 3 out of 4 sons were killed in the war, and the youngest is to be saved by a group of unique and wonderful soldiers. It's a beautiful story, beautifully told. I loved that movie, seen it 5 times already and nuking some more popcorn to see it again. :) Highly recommended.
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