Rating: 
Summary: FMJ - The greatest war movie ever
Review: So the first question you may ask is: "Why is this the greatest war movie ever?". Well, the truth is that other movies catch a lot of the battles and the persons in the battle and their feelings. But this movie starts at the academy, where they are trained to be killers. You see how each individual is when they start their training, and you see how they change. This movie is filled with lots of humour that isn't really supposed to be humouristic in the movie.As one of the few that has also read the book by Gustav Hasford, the movie is quite a lot shorter but it captures the tough moments very well. You will truly feel the pain with the characters as you watch this movie. The main person, The Joker, has a lot of fun remarks, and the gunnery sergeant is even wittier. I really bought this movie only because of the academy and it's funny remarks and humour, but you get so much more. On the battlefield you have the truly fearsome scenes, and the truly funny and beautiful scenes. You will feel for the Joker. My only advice to you is to get this movie, not only if you like war movies, cause it's as much a humouristic movie as it's a fearsome war movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Cool Movie, Bad DVD
Review: This was one of my favorite movies to come out of the Hollywood Vietnam Movie Period (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill). I was disappointed by the DVD however. First of all the sound was in mono and the picture was Pan and Scan for the most part. I would give the movie 5 stars, but I give the DVD 1 star. So I guess it averages out to 3.
Rating: 
Summary: I can watch this on VHS
Review: The MAIN reason I bought a DVD player in the first place was that most films are released in their original theatrical aspect ratio. This is not the case with Full Metal Jacket, per orders of Kubricik himself. I can understand if the aspect ratio is only 1.33:1 (like Clockwork Orange), but this was released in correct ratio, why not an even "wider" widescreen for FMJ?
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Movie (And DVD if you look into it)
Review: Well, first off I don't think I even have to talk about the movie. It's wonderful, brilliant, and certainly worth buying. Anyone who complains about the quality of this dvd is misunderstanding alot of what's going on. Yeah, at first I too was mad at this films Fullscreen video, Mono sound. While its natural to assume that there must be an original Widescreen, Dolby Stereo version of this film around, there isn't. It was Stanley Kubrick's personal choice to go with Fullscreen and Mono sound. The picture quality is also a bit drab becuase he used a special kind of film to make it look like a documentary. I do not agree with Kubrick's path but it shows that Warner Brothers didn't purposely try to make a crappy DVD. Personally I think it was wrong of Kubrick to display this film in the manner he did. War films are especially the type of films where you would like to see as much of what is going on as possible. This isn't a drama film where we are missing a bottle on some table off the side of the screen - we're missing out on burning buildings, perhaps soldiers or explosions. Another key issue here is the mono sound. I don't know if its just my system, but it plays mono only through the center channel. I don't see why it wouldn't play via 6 channels, I mean even if its mono its more surrounding when you have 6 speakers playing it. Again, war films need stereo sound. To properly experience a war we need to hear the bullets whiz by, the helicopters fly over us, explosions blast in every direction. What could Kubrick acheive by keeping this film in mono? Why make this film into a documentary when it is clearly a poignant war film? One must only wonder what might have been if this movie had been filmed properly on good widescreen film, with 5.1 sound (Although I have to say the movie Platoon has absolutely horrible sound for a movie in 5.1; this movie even won an oscar for best sound and it hardly is present in the rear channels what gives?) . I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much more. Regardless, this product is true to the original vision of the director and it stands out on its own. It's best in the end to disregard all the technical criticism - Definitely one of the best war films and THE best Vietnam film ever.
Rating:
Summary: Correction, please
Review: I realize most people that see this movie are not military types, but please try not to butcher every character's name and rank when you review the movie. Boot Camp is not a dehumanizing process. Far from it. By the end of boot camp, you learn to wrk together almost seamlessly, to respect and value your fellow warriors and to serve your country. Why anybody would have a problem with this I don't know. If we were a bunch of robotic killing machines like we are so often portrayed to be, we wouldn't have Military police, because robots don't commit crime. There would be no brigs, jails, firing squads. And with all the veterans who leave the service every year, don't you think you would see people walking around with short hair and blank expressions on their faces and no personality whatsoever? Instead, veterans are an impressive bloc of Americans who help drive this country and its economy. If you haven't served your country, don't badmouth the men who put their lives on the line everyday so that you can have your precious materialistic whims.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not the movies fault.....
Review: But I can't stand movies formatted to fit the screen which this one is. When they release the widescreen version I'll give it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but true
Review: This movie deals very directly with the rigors of boot camp and the warfare in vietnam. In my opinion, this movie is the best production of a Vietnam war scene. Though produced in the early eighties, this movie is a very vivid and real seeming movie, and deserves a place in every movie collection!
Rating:
Summary: True Grit!
Review: The first half of the movie which takes place at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island S.C. is by far the best depiction of Marine boot camp in the 60's and 70's. It will bring back a flood of memories for those who were there. D.I. Hartmen who was once the "real thing" does justice to a very difficult role. Part two which finds main character Joker in "the 'Nam" is gritty and meaningful. The human side of having to actually take another life is a far cry from the old John Wayne type movies. In short, buy it,watch it, again and again.
Rating:
Summary: It all came together
Review: Great writing, acting, directing and editing make this Vietnam epic IMHO, the curve setter of the genre, as well as one of the best war movies ever. The film overflows with memorable cinematic "moments"; witty throw off lines (particularly those ad libbed by drill sergeant turned actor Lee Ermey)and a quirky, high voltage tension. Best of all, director Stanley Kubrick tells his story without the usual "Vietnam" pontifications and guilt mongering. Wow!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie,but not my favorite on Vietnam
Review: Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is a very good movie,but I like others on the subject of Vietnam better.It follows a group of Marine Corps recruits from boot camp to the war in Vietnam.I thought the boot camp sequence was outstanding.Gunnery Sageant Hartman is an unforgettable character,(every time I see R.Lee Ermey in a movie I'm reminded of him)probably the best drill instructor ever in a movie.The rest of the cast was very good,as well,especially Vincent D'Onofrio as Gomer Pyle,and Matthew Modine as Joker.After boot camp the movie shifts to Vietnam,where the action is seen mostly through Joker's eyes.The movie show's some of the horrors of war,but not as well as other Vietnam films such as Platoon and Hamburger Hill.(of course that's just my opinion,you may disagree)I've read that the movie was shot entirely on soundstages in England,rather than on location,and it looks incredible.Overall,while not my favorite movie about Vietnam,it is a very good film.
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