Saving Private Ryan

Rating:
Summary: Best Movie of 1998!
Review: It's no fair that Shakespear in love won over this Extremely Powerful film. Don't get me wrong, but Shakespear was very good but this film defineitly should have derserved the award for best film but although it got the award for best director.
It's the best film about WW2 and it features Tom Hanks with Matt Damon, the film itself is about a Sergant who must protect the last remaining son of the Ryan Family from danger. You owe yourself to see this action-packed, Distrubing yet sad film cause i guarantee you won't forget this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Why should eight risk their lives for one man?
Review: In this film Reiben asks the question stated above. It's true and it points out the fatal flaw in this movie; in real life you just don't do this, especially when he's a bloody private. I say this as a member of the Brit Army. But this question is particularily resonant in another way. How come all the British and Canadians who fought on D-Day (of which there was more than Americans) are forgotten for some fictional Private Ryan? How come the only mention of Montgomery, the Brit General who took Caen despite the fact that it was protected by one of Hitler's best armoured SS divisions, is in a note of criticism? Once again Spielberg has crafted a good film from a useless script and absolutly unrealistic premise because of realism and reality. But you never feel for the characters, or me and my mates didn't (all apart from the medic, anyways) and you couldn't really give if this Ryan dies or not. He is after all a single private in a war that contains many, many thousands of privates, all equally as important or insignificant, given your point of view. A good film however, just very pro-American. I mean, the American flag waving at the end patriotically? War isn't like that. When you're in a fight, you just want to live, you don't do it for Queen and Country (or the Stars and Stripes in your case), you do it cause if you win the fight, you stand more of a chance of walking away. This is enjoyable though, if that is the word.

Rating:
Summary: D-Day brought into your living room
Review: Steven Spielberg has put together a cinematic masterpiece in Saving Private Ryan. He takes the viewer with him to the carnage and heroism at Omaha Beach, and through the early days after the invasion. The underlying message beneath the surface of this skillfully interpreted historical epic- freedom is costly, but the price of tyrrany is higher. Saving the life of even one person has a huge impact not only in that person's life but on the lives of future generations.

For once we have a WWII movie that portrays both the realism of war with all of its devastation, but also the remarkable triumph of ordinary people coming together to defend the cause of freedom. My only critique of the story itself is that the characters could have been developed in a bit more depth- we only hear any personal background of a couple of the main characters. Still, Spielberg did a remarkable job of portraying the bond forged by soldiers in combat that runs deeper than brotherhood.

The Special Limited edition DVD release of the movie is outstanding! The interactive title screen, with a montage of the movie and theme music as the background, allows the viewer to choose from a host of features: play the movie; watch the trailers; a special message about D-Day from Steven Spielberg; a narrative feature with interviews of vets who served there along with coomentary by Steven Ambrose and newsreel footage; cast bios; as well as captioning and several screen size formats- I prefer the letterbox setting (preserves the proportions of the big screen).

The sound is AMAZING! It is in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. I recently got a DVD player with surround sound speakers as a gift from myt wife, and the sound, particularly during the D-Day sequence, and the scene where the German tanks roll in to attack the bridge is UNBELIEVEABLE! It was better than I remember it being when I first saw the movie in the theater! Also, in addition to the award for Best Director, the film won the Oscar for sound effects. Whether you are a fan of these type of movies or not this one will give you a rush when you see and hear it on DVD; and if you do not already have a system with surround sound consider investing in one- You will be amazed at the difference!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Ever Made. Period. Amazing!
Review: I saw this film the day it was released into theaters in 1998. It blew me away like nothing ever had before. Watching this film is a genuinely life-changing experience for anyone. The graphic, and extremely necessary, depictions of World War 2, the amazing cinemetography by the amazing Janusz Kaminski, the extraordinary direction by the always dependable Steven Spielberg, and the unbeatable performances by the stellar, first-rate cast, led by, in my eyes, the best actor of his or possibly any generation, Tom Hanks. This film is astoundind from every aspect. Of course, when it came out on DVD, I was the first to buy it, and tokk it home and sat in awe as I watched the film almost repeatedly all day, analyzing it's endless, and I do mean infinite, complexities. From the extremely pulse-pounding and gut-wrenching opening on the beaches of Normandy during the infamous D-Day invasion on June 6th, 1944, to the climactic end battle scene, this film stays thrilling every moment. I could easily say that this is the best war film ever made, which it is with no doubt, but for some reason, that just isn't enough. Being an absolute movie maniac, I have seen any move you can ever name. But this film, no question, has the best film making, acting, entertainment, and connection with the viewer that I have ever seen. So see Saving Private Ryan now and experience what I experienced watching this so many times. See it now and see film at it's best. Astounding.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but lets not get too excited.....
Review: ....SPR cannot be regarded as the best war movie, for it fails to achieve the ultimate sensation demanded of it - to utterly repulse any glories of combat and demean the abstract sense of victory. Despite the intentions of the film-makers, the overall impression of SPR is still titillation and the ghoulish wonder of combat. Watch this movie, watch Schindler, and then balk at how much Spielberg plagiarised Elem Klimov's 1985 masterwork Come and See, which doesn't spare the audience of the real hell.

Rating:
Summary: BEST WAR MOVIE EVER, CONGRATULATIONS SPIELBERG
Review: This is the best war movie ever, this is what Spielberg can do, don't settle with Jurassic Park or E.T, this is Spielberg at his best, this movie and Schindler's List are his best movies, probably the only ones I count, both show all his sides, his smartness, his sense of humour, and his point of view about the awful but strangely appealing theme about war and the holocaust. But let's cut to the chase, firstly, Tom Hanks as usual is great, the rest of the cast, probably the best movie for everyone, the are all well known but in other movies their acting abilities are either not shown or are not able to be shown, but in this movie all proof to be great, smart, serious actors, the all make you fell like you are there fighting and finding Private James Ryan. The story is pretty good, plus, the movie is pretty moving. And the best of it is it's Cinematography, never a director had put into screen a more accurate, realistic, intelligent and crude way haw the war really was, this is THE movie for looking at the war in this time, D-day. The scene of D-day, is an incredible achievement, I watched it with some friends the other day and we were all amazed like if it was the first time, plus the AMAZING sound of the DVD makes it more realistic. The special features are fairly good considering it is not a Collectors Edition, if you buy a war movie, buy this if you don't already have it. You will not be disappointed, this movie deserves more stars and more Oscars, it should have got Best Movie, what was the Academy thinking, oh well if they loved Titanic so much, it is perfectly understandable that they prefer silly and romantic films like Shakespeare in Love, which was not that good. Saving Private Ryan was 100 times better, perhaps not in customs and soundtrack since it has virtually none, or maybe it gets lost with all the bullets that are fired, but it deserved much more, well the movie does not need to be reassured of it's greatness, just watch if you are in a hurry the first 40 minutes and the last 30 minutes and you will see my point. Pearl Harbor tried to imitate the filming style for the attack, and sure it was good, but we all know the original. This is the one.

Rating:
Summary: Impressively accurate rendering of D-Day and a good movie
Review: I think you have to rate this movie on two different criteria. First, how realistically does it portray D-Day and the fighting in Normandy? Here, it is unparalleled and a remarkable feat of film making. The D-Day invasion sequence is the most powerful 20 minutes of film, ever. All of Speilberg's choices - the handheld cameras, the chaotic action, the sound effects and the painfully graphic gore - couldn't be better. Short of going back in time and filming the first wave landing on Omaha Beach, I don't know how it could be any more realistic. The squad's subsequent journey through Normandy to find Private Ryan is also very good. There is a real sense of how scattered the American troopers (esp. the airborne) were, and how isolated they were because of the lack of reliable communications between the pockets of soldiers.

Setting aside the issue of how accurately the film portrays the fighting, is it a good movie? Here, my answer is a slightly less enthusiastic "yes". Tom Hanks couldn't be better. Low-key but has clearly earned the respect of his men. The burdens of command are a little over done - the speech in the church about justifying sending men to their death was like being hit over the head with a hammer. Hanks' acting alone conveyed this point; the speech wasn't necessary. The supporting cast was also great. I particularly liked the sniper. By and large the plot is a good one, but I have to agree with those who felt like the ending was a little too predictable and "Hollywood". Nevertheless, this is a powerful movie, and one everyone should see at least once.

The DVD special features were very slick. I particularly enjoyed "Into the Breach" - a sort of "Making of SPR." The production notes were also very interesting, and the cast bios are some of the most complete I've seen on DVDs. It's clear that there was an extra effort made to make the special features worthy of the film.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best of all time *****
Review: This film will always be remembered as the best war movie of the 1990's. It was one that threw away the old formula of a tightly made love triangle or love plot in the movie. It gets tight to the bone about the horrors of war. It gets deep into the soldiers feelings of the brutality of the dark and deadly live action game they took part in. Like Apocalypse Now its all about the horrors and rigors of armed men locked into a very hot and dangerous environment. each about a questionable soul searching mission that explores the true realm of the darkness of war itself. The only other movies that fullfills this mission besides Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and even some parts of Enemy at the Gates.

Rating:
Summary: Great, Yet Problematic in Some Areas
Review: For me, the way each individual soldier, using his own resources and philosophy, to deal with the insanity of the war, is what makes this a great film overall.

However, there are some things especially worth mentioning:

The sharpshooter who says a short prayer before taking aim at Nazi infantry was a memorable and great character. My hat goes off to that actor. As the grueling beach scene began to wind down, I jumped off my chair and yelled in glee as he picked off one of the machinegunners (the first Nazi casualty, occurring some 20 minutes into the film). (We Americans would do well to remind ourselves that men such as these make up most of the "boys" who fight our wars. Vilified at times in the media and at "institutions of higher learning" for being hicks and religious fundamentalists, these men nonetheless have always been there whenever America needs to defend freedom.)

Actually, all of the members of the squad are memorable (although I could have done without well known former "Cheers" fixture Ted Danson's cameo appearance).

And who didn't feel his heart go out to the soldier who thought it best to take the little French child to safety, against all reason? Or feel nothing but admiration when the sergeant is hit badly yet shrugs it off with, "I just got the wind knocked outta me."

Also great, and what I have never seen in a war film before, is the realism and randomness of bullets, bombs, and so on. One particular explosion is memorable in the fight in the streets (which has to be some of the greatest movie war footage ever shot!). A German tank fires a round; the U.S. infantryman is uninjured but is covered in white dust. Things don't just explode; they swirl and kick up debris for ages. Bullets make odd sounds as the ping randomly off of metal and stone.

And wasn't it weird when the camera pans way to the left on the beach to show a soldier saying prayers in Latin? Just one of the many stunning, memorable scenes in this film.

Finally, the scene where Hanks is shooting with his seemingly final strength at a tank coming after him. With each shot his arm drops down, but he will use all of his strength to fight what he believes is evil. It is at that point in the film where Hanks realizes, I believe, that he is fighting pure evil.

Unfortunately, here's what I find problematic about the film:

I have seen some actual footage of the Omaha Beach landing, and Saving Private Ryan (SPR) gives the viewer the perception that the beach landing area is quite small and a German machine gunner is aiming at a "can of sardines." The beach area was actually a lot wider.

The lack of empathy for the enemy is also a problem. Yes, their underlying cause was evil, but they had little choice but to fight. On the other hand, one can hardly blame Spielberg for feel ing anything but hatred for Nazis!

I am also bothered that the Christian sharpshooter was done in in a fiery explosion. That suggests hell to me, and to be consistent (at least within his personal vision of the film), one would think Spielberg would have had the Nazis be the only victims of fire. Is Spielberg suggesting that fundamentalist Christians go to hell as well?

Finally, not all veterans were pleased that this film came out. "People don't need to see this," said one old man who had been there. Remember, what actually happened there belongs only to the men who were there. These are private memories and no movie can ever be the way it really was for the people involved. I recommend that people who liked this movie also look at documentary films from the real thing, and then see how you feel about SPR.

Anyway, a film that is tough to see, but should be seen nonetheless. I actually avoided seeing it for a long time, but am glad I finally did.

Rating:
Summary: To use a word no WWII veteran would ever use: AWESOME!
Review: Words do not adequately describe the impact of this movie on the viewer. Whether we can ever know what it was really like or not, this movie does, through the immediacy of film, leave an impression that the viewer has been through SOMETHING powerful. The combination of Spielberg's talents as a director and the use of Stephen E. Ambrose to help keep the historical accuracy of the film within the limits of believability make this film unforgettable. In conjunction with the watching of this film, I would recommend any interested person reading Ambrose's D-DAY and BAND OF BROTHERS. Also recommended would be a book of photos from this historic event, DAY OF DESTINY: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF D-DAY. This movie is a tribute to the men and a significant commentary on the committment and courage of the "greatest generation." Those men and women deserve our thanks and admiration and sincere respect.