Rating: 
Summary: A Must See Civil War Movie for the Christian
Review: This movie is excellent. Beautiful music, excellent acting of Generals Lee and Jackson. Gods and Generals is Pro-South and portrays the Union army for what they really were: the non-Christian North and the Christian South.
Most people don't realize the Civil War was not about slavery. The governemnt was raising taxes to such a point it was hard to afford. That is why people in the South seceeded.
I highly recomment this movie to everyone. It's a wonderful story of the war and the unwavering faith that General Jackson and General Lee had the Heavenly Father
Rating: 
Summary: A decent film, but it has some problems
Review: I have not seen the DVD yet, but I do plan on buying the film. I saw it in the movie theater and it did at times feel like a trying experience. That said the film has a lot to offer.
On the positive side:
1)The production quality and makeup is a marked improvement over the paste-on beards of Gettysburg.
2)It is one of the first films on the Civil War that attempts to investigate a very important historical character, Stonewall Jackson.
3)The film, much to many peoples' annoyance, effectively conveys the religious nature of the Southern soldier. I believe that this cannot be stressed enough. So what if Stonewall Jackson quotes Scripture and appears to preach more than fight. Christianity was a tremendous driving force for soldiers on both sides of the war and a great religious revival happened in the army camps in the middle of the conflict.
4)I really enjoyed the music. The opening sequence of the changing flags was extremely well-done and how can you argue with Bob Dylan doing music for a war film. Strange isn't it?
5)Jeff Daniels once again did a fine job portraying the idealistic Joshua L Chamberlain.
6)The scene where the soldiers meet in the middle of the river during a truce shows the unique bond between soldiers present in all wars but especially in the US Civil War. It is a very important scene.Unfortunately, the movie has many negatives which overshadow alot of the positives:
1)The biggest negative is the absence of either scenes or reference to major campaigns of 1862 and 1863. Conspicuously absent are Shiloh(understandable since the war focuses on the Eastern theater), The Seven Days Campaign around Richmond in June 1862, where Lee developed as an army commander and Jackson was arguably a failure and a nonentity because of fatigue, Second Manassas, a brilliant defensive battle fought by Jackson, Sharpsburg/Antietam, a nominal Union victory with far-reaching consequences and the biggest blunder of them all, The Valley Campaign of 1862 in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. This is an inexcusable blunder on the part of the director and the editors. Jackson developed his mystical reputation in Valley. The movie tries to argue that the Jackson mystique somehow developed at the First Battle of Manassas, not really true. The Valley Campaign defined Jackson as an independent commander and gave Robert E Lee the confidence to send him on detached duty in later campaigns like Second Manassas, Sharpsburg(where he captured Harpers Ferry) and his great flanking manuever at Chancellorsville.
2)The absence of General Hancock. Hancock is an extremely important character in Jeff Shaara's novel. He is given little more than passing treatment in this movie. While it is arguable that Hancock is a bit overrated historically as a general, he is an intriguing character, that we first meet in Gettysburg and wish we knew more about after Gods and Generals.
3)The montage scenes of Fredericksburg and Harpers Ferry are very poorly done. They look like paintings or really poor animation. I was very bothered by this in the theater.
4)The choice of Harpers Ferry as a location for the Fredericksburg urban fighting sequence. Anyone that has been to Harpers Ferry WV should recognize the steep streets and store fronts of Harpers Ferry. They are very unique. Director Ronald Maxwell should have selected a different location. I realize that this is nickpicking by a student of the Civil War, but it was still bothersome. Additionally, Fredericksburg had undergone serious bombardment before the infantry assault and in the movie it appeared that little damage was done.
5)The treatment of the slavery issue. Ultimately, aside from the absence of battles important to the development of the characters, the way Gods and Generals deals with slavery is quite weak. It is highly unlikely and probably historically inaccurate to contend, as the movie does that Stonewall Jackson had a deep relationship with his manservant. Granted the two may have been close because of the nature of the master-slave relationship, but to see the two waxing philosophically about slavery and religion in one sequence borders on shameful and made me uncomfortable because I have never seen evidence to support the notion that this scene contends. The two men are almost seen as equals, a reality that did not exist in the South in the times of slavery. Despite the negatives, Gods and Generals is still a decent film and one that I will own and watch multiple times, but I will not enjoy it as much as Ronald Maxwell's Gettysburg. I just hope that the last installment in the trilogy, The Last Full Measure irons out many of the problems inherent in war films, especially those dealing with very sensitive social, political and cultural issues.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, DVD would be better on 2 disk set
Review: This movie has been villified by revisionists who believe that the south was wrong, bigoted, hateful, and fought for opression. Though this may be true in some regards, the majority of the people who fought in this war fought for other reasons, whether it was for state's rights, protecting their homeland, or because they were asked to. To understand this, you can better appreciate the sacrafice soldiers on both sides had to endure, and this movie captures that idea. There are plenty of extras on this 1 disk DVD, from documentaries on the making of the film, to an interesting biography of Thomas Jackson. Very interesting is the slave perspective, with viewpoints from the actors who played Martha and Jim, two prominant slave characters in the movie. The DVD also includes 2 music videos of songs featured in the movie. If you are a history buff, you will most definately love this movie and cherish its themes. Fans of DVD extras will love the many extra featurettes. Either way, you can't lose.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Gettysburg - A Collosal Waste of Fine Talent and Money
Review: For fans of the movie "Gettysburg" - and possibly anyone who is not Ted Turner - this movie comes as a major dissapointment. Poorly directed, badly edited, with an overabundance of syrupy, sappy dialog and contrived sentimentalism. The film consistently fails to engage the viewer for any length of time, though it cannot be faulted for lack of trying. Gen. Stonewall Jackson is the centerpiece of the story, and his life is interesting enough. One wonders, however, why it was necessary to drudge up the characters of Chamberlain, his brother, and the crusty Irish sergeant from "Gettysburg," even when they seem to have no particular relevance to the story - other than as a plum to "Gettysburg" fans. Even so, Jeff Daniels at 10 years older and 20 pounds heavier is no longer the spry, young Chamberlain we remember from "Gettysburg," and it makes one feel uneasy watching "G&G" knowing that this timeframe of this movie takes place BEFORE the battle at Gettysburg. Mira Sorvino, although a beautiful Hollywood actress, seems miscast as Chamberlain's wife, as well. Martin Sheen's protrayal of R.E. Lee in "Gettysburg" is bested by Robert Duval in G&G. Duvall does an excellent job, as always. One wonders who Duvall might have felt attending the premiere of G&G, only to be dissapointed seeing how badly the editors hacked up the film while still managing to leave us with a movie that is entirely too long to watch. A tribute to the Southern cause, G&G tries deparately to show the people of the south in a sympathetic light, but fails. In our modern times when it especially fashionable to champion the loser, this film champions the lost cause of the South by showing how tender and God-fearing the hearts of the men were who launched the conflict. Viewers are continously bombarded with prayers and supplications from Generals and others throughout the entire movie, to the point of nausea. While this is supposed to tug at our heart strings, it only serves to portray the South as a pathetic band of misled men and women who while mindlessly performing lipservice to god continue to fight and die to support one of the most pernicious evils ever brought forth against god by man - human slavery. This movie could have been great.....unfortunately, it is not even good. It is bad on so many levels. A major production flaw, for example - in the midst of the battle of Fredericksburg, you are forced to flip over the DVD and there is an abrupt, unsettling shift of scenes when the DVD begins on side two. From the script, to most of the acting, including the editing and production - this film is a sad, sad waste of talent and money. I am waiting for "The Last Full Measure."
Rating:
Summary: A Rare Gem
Review: If you have the slightest interest in American history, this film is an absolute must. The craftmanship is astonishing; the passions of the period are masterfully recreated. The usual PC garbage is mercifully thrown out, and we have an accurate, almost uncanny sense of being there. If you ever wondered what devotion looked like on film, here you have it. This is a masterpiece that added to the previous Gettysburg makes for a superb history lesson on the Civil War. Please ignore uninformed detractors of this production -- the ones who don't recognize quality in film making unless it completely leans to the left. As well, this is a PERIOD piece, but some don't seem to understand the significance of that either. They spoke in ways and with eloquence that might not translate well to the MTV generation -- sorry. Have patience, there are no "sound bites" here. And Ted Turner can have a dozen cameos if he wants! He deserves an appreciative nod and a sharp salute for backing such a fine piece of work. Own this DVD and relish the experience.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't live up to the book
Review: I loved the novel "Gods and Generals" and really looked forward to the film. I was rather disappointed in the film. The book covered 4 men, not just Stonewall Jackson. The book also covered the Battle of Fredericksburg in more detail. It delved into the reasons why Fredericksburg was lost. In the film, this is covered in one small scene when Hancock tells Burnside they need to cross the river. The first half is somewhat boring, but the second half, especially the Battle of Chancelorsville is worth the wait. The acting was superb. I was really impressed with Stephen Lang's characterization of Jackson. And Robert Duvall was magnificent as Robert E. Lee. Robert Maxwell made two mistakes. He tried to make it like a Greek epic. This just did not work. I cannot even imagine Chamberlain standing with his men, overlooking the Battle of Fredericksburg and quoting an ancient Roman historian for 10 minutes. Let's get real here. And as much as I enjoyed the story of Stonewall Jackson, by centering on this, Maxwell made the Union army just an afterthought. He really needed to follow the book more closely,
Rating:
Summary: ZZZ...ZZZ..... I'm sorry this movie put me to sleep.
Review: This was the worst of it's kind. I love war movies but ... The battle scenes were intense but not authentic. Not enough blood and guts. No missing limbs. After a while even the fight scenes were boring. They should have edited this movie to 2 hrs. Not the 100 hrs it is. If you want a good movie of this time period see Gettysburg, the sequel to this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Battles in Virginia
Review: I already wrote a review of this film earlier, and I cannot reccomend it too highly. I have read several reviews of people who detract from this film because it does not talk about battles in the west, like Shiloh and Perryville. This film is based on the novel of the same name, which does not pretend to show the entire war, but focuses on the Virginia battles between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia. So stop complaining!
Rating:
Summary: From an Educated Southerner
Review: As a re-enactor and Civil War Historian I tend to be critical of movies based on topics I know about. Gettysburg was a great movie and I believe Maxwell did another great job with this one. The attention to detail was amazing complete with the sight of the Nothern Lighs after the Battle of Fredricksburg, which is well documented on both sides. It showed both sides rather well and I think Stephen Lang was better as Jackson then I expected him to be. I believe that at least Sharpsburg, (Antietam for you Northern Folk) should have been shown. This was Chamberlian's first view of war and a very important battle. I also think they could have followed the book a little more. Over all though it was accurate, to the point of the famed 4th Texas Infantry Band and the conversation between General Hood and General Jackson. Seemed like it would be Hollywood but the conversation really occured and is documented in Hood's book.
Rating:
Summary: Second to Gettysburg
Review: There's not much to say about Gods and Generals except that shortening the first and last half hour by about 25 minutes each would have made for a much better movie, esp. 1/2 hour devoted to the death of Stonewall Jackson. That said, the rest of the movie was very well shot, especially the battle scenes. I recommend this movie for any Civil War buff, but most casual viewers will be scared off in the beginning. Hey, you can always fast forward to the good stuff!
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