Saving Private Ryan

Rating:
Summary: The horror of War - the strength of the human soul.
Review: This film has it all. The fear, the horror, the hard moral decisions, the regrets, the hopes. We have glances of lives left behind and those that might yet be. But all is concentrated into the daily round of live or die and will the next bullet be for me.

I think this is the most moving picture I have ever seen. It brings home the true horror of war, and especially of the War in Europe. The men who fought this war didn't brag when they came back, they kept their mouths shut and sealed it in. And in this movie you begin to understand why they did this and how they could live with themselves afterwards.

Just writing this review brings tears to my eyes. I remember the scene at the beginning, the soldier in the landing craft kissing his cross, the fear written all over his face, but not flinching. I thank men like him for saving the world for us.

Rating:
Summary: The number of stars tells the story!
Review: Most highly recommend for 5.1 home theatre owner!

Rating:
Summary: A great one, but NOT THE BEST
Review: Sure, the beginning of Steven Spielberg's film is captivatingly realistic. Blood and gore is set on a fearful stage of death, and gunfire. Bodies are blown all over the place. But the very story that follows that beginning weakens what could be a spectacular docu-drama of D-Day.

The writer, later making a big mistake with "The Patiot" creates some very good character development in the platoon, lead by Tom Hanks. But certain trite mishaps in dialogue create questions of authenticity.

Overall, by the end, we have the effect Spielberg was searching in his masterful directing. We have to look on the soldiers during WWII as being courageous, heroic and very human. They saved the west, the east and created a new world for us. Sacrifices had to be made, unfortunately.

It's a marvel in visuals, directing, and story structure. Just not perfect.

Rating:
Summary: Very effective social and war movie
Review: The film starts with the most difficult part of the most important plan of the Allies, the Normandy Landing. The success of the amphibious landing depens on the air support as well. The sound of the terrible waves and the cannon-fires in the background, the conflict of fear and courage experienced by the soldiers in the boat are the signs of the hell waiting for them.

With the first orders given by the commander and the lowering of the hatch of the boat, the merciless fight starts. Unbelievable effects and death scenes in slow motion create a perfect picture of a war. At first sight Germans who fire their guns from an upper level seem to have the advantage but we observe the strength of the Allied forces and their strong belief in glory. The Allied forces manage to pass through the German front. The next thing is to get in contact with the troops landed by air. At this very moment it'S understood that Private Ryan is the last son of a family whose three sons have been killed in other fronts. Private Ryan has to be saved. Captain John Miller must take his men behind the enemy lines to find Private Ryan. They're risking their own lives for him. In that emotional state other soldiers react strongly but the order was definite and signed by the President of the United States. Despite the several questions in thier minds they have to go and find him. They don't realize that they could have in this position. Here at this point we understand the importance of the continuation of a family for the American society.

After several attempts Private Ryan is found in a squad defending a bridge of strategic importance. He refuses to go back even after he learns the sad news. His aim is to fulfill his duty in the U.S. Army which he thinks is an horror. This is a very good example of mutual respect between the country and citizen. This is one of the very important reasons which makes the United States so powerful.

Even though there were several losses in his squad he was safe at the end. He thinks anybody in his situation would have to go back, too.

This film emphasizes the importance of individuals for the whole country. The feelings of loyalty and responsibility are the most important factors in a country's progress. Spielberg and his crew have given a very important message to people by making this movie.

Rating:
Summary: A good film, not a great one
Review: So much praise has been heaped upon "Saving Private Ryan," I feel compelled to meekly point out that Steven Spielberg's World War II epic, stirring as it is, really isn't quite the unqualified masterpiece it's made out to be.

Let's start with the celebrated opening battle scene, which just about everyone immediately points to as the film's highlight. On that I'm in complete agreement--this 25-minute sequence of carnage, an exhaustive recreation of the Normandy invasion, is so enormously convincing that it all but sucks the juice out of the rest of the movie. And yes, though some 'Ryan' enthusiasts might prefer to think otherwise, there is still a two-hour movie to follow, and rarely is it as gripping or effective as its prologue.

Not that 'Ryan' is a bad film--it's a rather good one, actually, shot with handheld cameras that bring a chilling immediacy and palpable texture to the story. Aside from Spielberg's excellent direction, all credit is due to the fine cast. Just when you think you're going to be sick at the sight of Tom Hanks in yet another 'Oscar-worthy' role, the man surprises you--he's never shown deeper range, subtlety, or quiet intensity than he does as Captain John Miller. Equally impressive is Jeremy Davies as Timothy Upham, a stammering, vulnerable young corporal whose fear we can completely identify with.

There are individual moments in 'Ryan' that are almost staggering in their intensity--and I'm not just talking about the battle scenes. I'm talking about an early moment in the film, when the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops on leaves consciously echoes the sound of bullets, and the sound of soldiers' footsteps. I'm talking about the slow-motion closeup of Hanks' face as he arrives on the beach, unable to comprehend the fiery chaos around him--the most penetrating and lyrical image in the entire movie. It's moments like these that make you wish the entire film held together more convincingly; its cumulative power, though very real, feels more fragmented than organic, more sporadic than enveloping.

Where 'Ryan' stumbles is where so many grand epic-minded films stumble--the script. This is, of course, a war film, so it's not fair to expect a lot of witty repartee. Nevertheless, I wouldn't have minded had the dialogue been a bit more memorable, or if it had shown a bit more freedom from the conventions on which it falls so often. Other flaws kept nagging at me throughout--why did Spielberg feel the need to include those unnecessary present-day bookends? His film is pointed and emotional enough without having to resort to a device like that. Why introduce a young private that Miller and his men accidentally 'mistake' for Ryan, when we in the audience know very well that there's more than an hour and a half to go before the big climax? Why the constant refrain of John Williams' score during moments when silence would be more effective? For every masterstroke there seems to be a minor but damaging misstep, and it's unnecessary punches like these that remind us that 'Saving Private Ryan' is still just a movie, and that Spielberg, as fine a storyteller as he is, has not risen entirely above the occasional cheap manipulation.

Much has been made about 'Saving Private Ryan' being 'robbed' at the Oscars, which is really a load of tomfoolery if you've actually seen the film that beat it for best picture. The Academy was right to name Spielberg the best director, but they were even more right to name 'Shakespeare in Love' the better movie. As a tribute to the men who gave up their lives on the battlefield, 'Saving Private Ryan' is an admirable and important film. As a cinematic achievement, it must be held to a higher standard.

Rating:
Summary: SPIELBERG'S WORST FILM
Review: Overrated World War II drama, that somehow became a big hit, and won Spielberg his second Academy Award. The film starts and ends with two very realistic battle scenes, but what they put in the middle is meaningless and pointless; pure corn. I admire Spielberg the serious, older director, but somehow I miss the young director who made movies like E.T., Jaws, Duel and Raiders of the Lost Ark. His latter-day-work has lost that wonderful sense of wonder that made him so dear to movie buffs. Some of the action is very realistic, but if I will only want realism, I would watch a documentary. I prefer the poetic and more powerful Platoon, a film that reminds me of the young Spielberg.

Rating:
Summary: NOT WORTH THE HYPE
Review: The only redeeming value of this film was the most hyped, that is, the first 30 minutes. After this we have a lethargic, unprovoking, 2 and a half hours of hollywood fantasy nonsense. There was apparently no script, so one has to look at the battle scenes in hope of seeing something realistic and true to history. The film fails miserably in this respect too. The germans were made to look like morons who don't follow any basic military protocol, thus getting slaughtered. Uhhhhh, weren't these guys known throughout the war to triumph in hopeless situations where they were outmanned and outgunned? The "tiger tank" mockups were just that, hastily dressed up t-34 russian tanks that looked something like a tiger if you looked at it from the right angle. And i found the way german soldiers were portrayed, as a bunch of mindless skinheads, to be unnecessary and irresponsible. Judging from flicks like this, america still have a lot to learn about portraying ww2 in a manner that does something else besides flatter it's own and dehumanize the other side.

Rating:
Summary: 30 Minutes of Action.
Review: As i refer in the topic, SPR it's only 30 minutes of the D-Day. The rest of the movie looks like American patriotism that is used in too many movies. An exception is The Longest Day that shows how the war really is. You don't really need to see the two movies, just look to the name of them and you understand what i'm saying.

Rating:
Summary: Private Ryan
Review: This is a well put together film. Over-all the plot is pretty simple and some liberties have been taken with history (as with virtually all movies "based on...") but this film makes you appreciate what it must have felt like to be involved in the Normandy invasion. The graphics were wonderful with no aliasing artifacts and the colors authentic. The sound track and DTS implementation were also well-done, further enhancing the realism. A very minor technical gripe on the sound was that in some scene transitions the sound disappeared when the soundtrack faded. This occurred twice but probably most people won't notice this. Technically flawless otherwise.

Spielberg won accolades for filtering scenes to give a documentary look...while this was interesting on the beach scenes, it seems he had two cameras and the effect was different...it was very distracting because he obviously cut back and forth between cameras (one with the effect and one without - at first I thought it was a problem with my DVD player since this was the first DVD I bought!). In the end I think the effect was good, but should have been applied uniformily in the beach scenes. If you look for it you will see what I mean - the effect is like haze on the lens and when sunlight hits the lens there is a sort of diffraction bands on bright parts of the image...again, it added realism but the inconsistancy of the effect from cut to cut was disturbing. One last technical gripe is that the TIGER tanks shown seemed not to be full scale and looked a bit cheesy. All these are minor gripes of a perfectionist though.

All in all, I strongly recommend this DVD - if you are a war movie buff it is a modern slice of a WWII experience...perhaps what Oliver Stone's "Platoon" was to Vietnam movies - unlike many WWII movies that glorify the allies and war, this paints a somewhat more balanced picture - albeit with some liscence on aspects of history - but the movie as a portrayal of the type of combat seen in western Europe is a good one - with the starting and ending battle sequences really hitting home.

Rating:
Summary: Saving [...]Dollars
Review: I fell asleep during this movie twice, not to mention almost being tempted to leave the theater and chuck my corn at the screen. Tom Hanks is horrible in this film. He doesn't act seriously and comes across more as a comedian than a soldier. His filmography virtually consists of nothing other than insipid comedies.... check out the Internet Movie Database. The only viable reason I why they hired him was because of his popularity, not talent (if any had actually existed). Steven Spielberg is a horrible director and couldn't direct a porn flick. Thanks once again to popularity, it was possible for him to take the helm of another bad film. This doesn't even compare with real war movies like Patton. Hell, the landscapes in the movie didn't even look real. It looked like the characters were walking around in Ohio or something. This was definitely a waste of [...] dollars. Even Billy Drago couldn't have saved this racial disasters. If you're looking to add a good war movie to your DVD or video collection, get "Patton" or "The Longest Day" instead."