Rating: 
Summary: A little too much fluff
Review: The story is told somewhat differently than other similar movies and is definitely interesting. Quite a bit of "overacting" by several of the actors but still a good flick if you have 3 hours to spare.
Rating: 
Summary: Must see, gotta own.
Review: Amazing, Ron Maxwell has created a masterpiece of a film!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Lasted longer than actual Civil War
Review: This movie is extremely boring! It's much too long and the acting very wooden. This movie is a waste of time renting, let alone buying. You're better off watching the Ken Burns documentary or reading the series of books by Shelby Foote. Unless you have chronic insomnia and need something to help you fall asleep, DO NOT watch this film.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic and Beautiful View of Civil War History!!!
Review: This movie was done so wonderfully, and I think it has been done a great injustice by the people who say otherwise. They must not have a heart for the love and the sadness that happened during this tragic time in the history of our country, the United States. Perhaps because this movie shows a lot about the belief in God that General Stonewall Jackson had, and also the other people in those days had, is why so many are willing to give it such bad reviews. I highly recommend this movie if you are someone who respects the great love that so many, on both sides of this tragic war, had for our great United States of America! The music alone is well worth listening to, and the movie is a wonderful historic view of the prior days to the battle of Gettysburg! I can't wait until the "Last Full Measure" will be brought to the screen! The DVD is excellent, and especially since it was put out as 2:35 to one ratio! Sound quality and picture are excellent!
Rating: 
Summary: It would have been a great radio show
Review: This Robert Duvall vehicle to eternal boredom is guaranteed to drive you straight there! What could have been a sensational visual epic turns out to be little more than Ted Turner indulging his liberal views through long and protracted dialogue that will put the viewer to sleep. There is little action, and what there is remains muted and surreal. As a Civil War buff, I anxiously awaited the release of this film only to be disappointed by its lack of enthusiasm for all but the dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Blue Paint, Red Sky
Review: I wanted to like this movie. But it's difficult to like a movie that didn't use an editor. Someone who could have removed all those pointless scenes and storylines that were irrelevant to the film. But then it wouldn't have been a long film. And a groan inducing running-time seems to be requisite for most Civil War films. Gods and Generals lumbers for almost four hours, tracing events from the first days of the war to the crushing Union defeat at Fredericksburg. That would have been forgivable, of course, had Gods and Generals possessed narrative logic, tight direction, and not featured cardboard cutouts who's mind-numbing sermons replace convincing dialogue. Where its predecessor (or sequel) had focus and coherence, Gods and Generals is simply slipshod. While most Hollywood productions (and history books) about the Civil War paint the Confederacy as a slice of Nazi Germany, Gods and Generals attempted to address this lie by depicting the Southern cause for what it really was: a war for freedom from Federal tyranny. Of course this got under the skin of most critics, who are little more than politically corrected lambs; unfortunately, however, [director] Ron Maxwell copped out. We get too many lame soliloquies from both Union and Confederate soldiers about slavery and how it was the reason they were fighting. And then Stonewall Jackson took nearly ten minutes to preach not only how terrible slavery was, but also how terrible war was. And if that wasn't bad enough, General Chamberlain talks about how it was a kind act to free the slaves. Yes, well, the Emancipation Proclamation was a political weapon. Nothing more. Nothing less. In fact, it had a clause saying it could be repealed after the war. It just makes me wonder if Hollywood will ever produce a film about the real Abraham Lincoln. Nah, I doubt it.
Rating: 
Summary: why did it start so late
Review: the battle of sharpsburg was passed over and as a former resident of the peninsula i was disapointed by the absence of the penisula campaign but overall it was a good movie
Rating:
Summary: Overlooked even by the Razzie Awards
Review: I don't know how anyone could possibly enjoy sitting through this entire film. The thing is four hours long, and those are four of the dullest hours ever to hit the screen. When I saw it at the theater, most people left at the intermission. The only reasons I can fathom that anyone would want to sit through this entire film is if they were either the absolute most die-hard of civil war buffs, or white southerners angry about the outcome of the civil war. Gods and Generals could possibly appeal to the latter on a political level, as the film dares to treat the southern cause with at least as much (arguably more) dignity and respect as the northerners'. The viewers can decide for themselves whether or not that is really appropriate, but even those who enjoyed the film's approach to the history must admit that Gods and Generals is first and foremost a bad movie. The script is coma-inducing, the fight scenes spectacularly dull, and the acting forced. Probably the worst movie I have ever seen. I think the film's release must have just missed the cutoff date for Razzie nominations, but I expect to see some sooner than later.
Rating:
Summary: Such a disappointment
Review: I eagerly awaited this movie which didn't last long at the theater in that small town - looked forward to the DVD, especially after reading The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals. I very much enjoyed Gettysburg for what it was. Even considering that this movie couldn't have the plot impact of Gettysburg, I found the movie trite and disappointing. Robert Duval is an excellent actor who was totally miscast. The movie seemed to jump from period piece cliche to cliche, the worst being the slave praying with Stonewall Jackson for understanding for the black man's freedom. It was hard for me to continue past that. It just needed the crescendo of violins for a huge finale. (I'm not denigrating the intent of this scene, just the sheer unbelievability of its portrayal.) Filming was fine, acting was fine, action scenes fine, but - that's the nicest I could say for this DVD. I HATED it. Maybe other viewers will have different feelings but it's a shame - this adaptation of a pretty good book will no doubt be the last. I don't review here but felt I had to say something.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: You know it has to be good when you study these reviews. The
majority of the one-star ratings come from Northern reviewers. Need I say anything more? One guy actually criticized the dialogue where Jackson was pointed out to his troops for "standing like a stone wall." Read any basic history book on the subject and you know that the lines were really spoken and it is how the man got his nickname. No doubt this reviewer is a product of the public school system. There are some worthwhile complaints about the movie. The criticisms about the overweight middle-aged combat troops is hard to deny. The complaints about the prominent role of religion in the character's lives is bogus. Christianity was
a key aspect in the lives of many of these men. You can't ignore the fact and there is nothing wrong with examining it in a movie.
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