Rating: Summary: this movie sucks Review: ok i didnt have high expectations of it in the first place but i watched it and i couldnt sit through the whole thing it was so boring. i htink civil war stuff is boring in the first place but this was worse than gettysburg. the acting sucked along with everything else and there was hardly any battles. this was supposed to be a war movie. dont watch it, really, youlll regret it.
Rating: Summary: Brings back fond memories... Review: and I say that because this movie reminds me so much of the old hollywood classics, especially epic classics like Gone With the Wind. Sure, there's over-acting, a wee bit too much drama, and drawn-out scenes, but it adds a certain charm to the movie. This movie is very accurate and portrays the faith of Jackson and Lee in a very accurate way (if you read their writings and eye-witness reports on their conduct, you'd agree). People of faith then were much more pious than today, and I'm so glad that the makers of this movie weren't afraid to show that side of the characters, especially "Stonewall" Jackson. As for those who say this movie is pro-South, that is non-sense. It's supposed to be from a more Southern perspective as Gettysburg (the first in the trilogy) is more from the Northern perspective. Both sides are depicted extremely fairly "with malice toward none."As you may have noticed from reading the reviews, Christians love this movie because there's absolutely nothing objectionable in the film (the violence is the only thing to be considerate of when young children are watching...even then, the violence is fairly mild, but there's a good bit of it, hence the PG-13 rating). This consideration for the "pro-family" community is highly appreciative and a breath of fresh air to be able to see a movie with no nudity, sex, senseless violence, nor graphic language.
Rating: Summary: aka "Stonewall Jackson: The Man Who Prayed All the Time" Review: Don't buy this. It's not worth it. I felt cheated for the $ I spent watching it at the theater. Too much of it was devoted to Jackson praying. Don't get me wrong - I don't have a problem with praying. I do have a problem when half the movie is Jackson rambling on and on. One scene in particular comes to mind of Jackson praying with his cook (I think). During this scene I got up to escort my little nephew to the restroom - we were gone for about 10 minutes. When we came back he was STILL praying the cook. Give the audience a break! Too many scenes were just like this. Yes, yes - he was a pious man. Now move on with the story!!! If they had cut some of the drivel out then maybe it would have only been about 2-1/2 hours instead of nearly 4! I will say one good thing about the movie. I was quite moved by the scenes of the Irish during the battles. Well done. Too bad the rest of the movie couldn't have been that touching.
Rating: Summary: Wordy, Dull, Reactionary Review: I love historical dramas, you name the period. It's pretty hard to get heated up about a movie like, say, Gladiator, for being unkind to ancient Germanic tribesman or distorting the true nature of Roman slavery or, well, whatever. Not so with a movie about the Civil War. It's a divisive subject, and for good reason. I think it's pretty important in a day and age when racism still exists to approach the Civil War with a sense that while all war might be tragedy where good and innocent people of many creeds die for what they believe to be truth, it is BETTER that the North won, and that slavery was abolished and Southern feudal aristocracy was (mostly) dismantled. This movie is complete revisionist history where the South and its cause are shown as being identically moral (if not superior) to the North and its cause. The few black characters are shockingly and cynically shown to be some kind of southern patriots, loyal to their slaveowners. Why make a movie like this today? Why, pardon the pun, whitewash the Confederacy? Why garner sympathy for an institution that was 100% bound up and identified with chattel slavery and the dehumanization of African-Americans? Fortunately for all the frightening implications of these questions, this movie is too long, talky, unbearably self-important, and just plain soporific. As historical dramas go it's really third-rate. Which is a good thing, because with horrifying politics like this, this movie deserves only to sink in the dustbin of forgotten films.
Rating: Summary: Possibly one of the best movies ever Review: This movie is one of the best I have ever seen. Not only does it follow history closely, but it also provides a glimse into the lives of everyday people who lived during the "War of Northern Aggression." The only disappointing thing about the movie is that there is simply not enough time to thoroughly touch on everything that happened during this time period, and thus many things were left out. If you are even remotely interested in the Civil War, I would recommend watching this film. It is a great starting point if you want to learn more about how southern people--especially Virginians--felt.
Rating: Summary: No Other Film Like It! Review: Ron Maxwell portrays the Civil War in a true perspective that has never really been done before. The issues in the film are not biased toward the north or south, but is shown though the eyes of both sides. This kind of equal treatment of both sides of a disagreement is going to be the next big way of telling a story, not the traditional "good guy" "bad guy" story structure that has prevailed since the time of Greek mythology. It is the only film I have seen that has portrayed God in an open honest way, not counting the prevailent use of God's name in vain. Gods and Generals has quickly become my favorite movie, and as a filmmaker myself there is no other film like it!
Rating: Summary: The book easily defeats the movie Review: If you read Gods and Generals, you know the focus of this book revolves around the charachter development of Lee, Jackson, Hancock, and Chamberlain. In addition, a significant portion of the book addresses how the charachters came to their decision to support the Union or the Confederacy. In the movie, the charachters are bland and the background of their decisions (Particularly Lee's) was handled without creativity. Too much time was spent on the accuracy of the Period. Finally, the acting was poor and often laughable. Just read the book.
Rating: Summary: Boring from start to finish Review: I had the feeling while watching this film that this movie was made by drunk 'Sons of the Confederacy', and 'Gettysburg' was made by rational thinking men of the north. Gods and Generals is probably the worst Civil War film I have ever seen. Long, without content to make up for the time and money spent, and lacking any real action. Battles only occupy the screen in a seemingly secondary role, you have to really be paying attention to even know they happened. Excessive canned repeat shots and horrible CGI ruin any battles that are shown on screen. This, coupled with the use of actors now far too old to reprise their roles, music that just doesn't stop playing throughout the film, and lengthy monologues by the primary characters that border on religious sermons, are all just 'too much'. This was at best a bad TV miniseries.
Rating: Summary: Good Effort Review: I thought the movie was a very worthy effort and well done, except for the few inaccuracies that every historical movie tends to have. Over all good. It's a shame that a few reviewers most notably the gentleman from Freemont CA. does not have a true understanding of history. It is true the war was at first not over slavery. However the South never had the right to succeed and if they had not been so adoment about slavery and their right to continue it, the Civil War would most likely not have happened. The economic problems and most others could have been solved eventually without a shot being fired. Slavery was wrong and they simply refused to except that their way of live had to change. It's amazing how we expected the Indians to except the change we forced on them, yet it was considered so horrible that the South's dying life style had to change. I am a major student of Civil War history and thought I would lend my opinion to those of others.
Rating: Summary: Very Very Good Movie..... Review: I found this movie very touching and moving...For those who say it focused too much on the south....you must keep in mind this is part of a trilogy.....and you can not cover the whole movie or cause in one movie....There were very good battle scenes...nice little focus on the Irish Brigade and their heroic efforts on Mayre's Heights...along with the other Union troops...and a nice personal side of Stonewall Jackson.... Just an overall good picture about the Civil War....Watch it for yourself and make your own judgement...not from what I or others say...Oh...and take the time to watch the beginning credits....enjoy the main title song and enjoy the battle flags....it kind of gets you in the mood for the movie...
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