Full Metal Jacket

Rating:
Summary: The Most Excellent War Movie Ever
Review: Having seen this movie, as well as dozens of other war movies, including Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List and others that other people have mentioned, I would have to say that this is the best representation not only of war itself, but of the personalities of the people fighting. For those unfortunate souls whose first exposure to Kubrick's films was "Eyes Wide Shut," definitely see this movie; believe me, it is worth the time to see it.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This movie is definately made by a genious! It's 100% realistic, overacting and stupid lines does not at all excist in this movie. The cast acts perfectly, all in all, I'd buy it even if it did cost $100!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent film, beginning to end: *****
Review: First half depicts insane training, second half depicts insane warfare! Awesome juxtaposition of order vs. chaos with the common thread of one man trying to cope. Easily the best war movie ever made, pulling the viewer into the mental stress like no other. "Better you than me." Yes indeed...

Rating:
Summary: An awe inspiring masterpiece
Review: For quite a while after I saw this picture i was speechless. It seemed to me, as it did to others who have written here, to lose its momentum in the second half, and it seems that nothing could match the intensity of the first climax... But it really doesn't lose momentum, and the intensity is the confusion and haze that was vietnam. I have read the reviews below and I keep reading that the movie has no form, no plot. IF YOU WATCH IT YOU WILL FIND OUT YOU ARE WRONG. Every single scene of any impact in the second half (so therefore all of the scenes) have a direct correlation with what went on in boot camp in the first half. Some say it ends too abruptly, Some it is too long, some say it is ambiguous in it's statement, some that it's statements are too obvious. Hmmm.. so we have contradictory criticisms, and I would say that this is what makes it far superior than any other "war-film" ever made. Great pieces of ART are always hotly debated, controversial, upsetting, and often disliked. The statements of Saving Private Ryan and Platoon are very straightfoward: WAR IS HELL. And although i have never been to war I would probably agree. But Kubrick's film goes so far beyond that. It talks about war as a hell not only in the emotional and sensory sense, but in the psychological sense. That our soldiers are dehuminized not only by the violence they witness and in which they participate, but by their training. And not only does it make this statement (very unambiguously) it tries to create NOT the reality but the SURREALITY of vietnam. Thus the voyeuristic cinematography, and the sparseness of dialogue and the confusing cuts in action are exactly what Kubrick wanted. And it works more beautifully than i have ever seen it work before. The only war-film that comes close to acheiving the cinematic and intellectual prowess of this film is Apocalypse now, and Copola had Heart of Darkness to Draw his themes from. Kubrick almost always makes books into movies as he did here, but his films are always HIS. There is always the Kubrick Spin. And here it is extremely well received. Undeniably, in my opinion, the best film of it's kind from one of the best directors of all time. He is sorely missed.

Rating:
Summary: OVERRATED
Review: TOO OVER RATED, THIS FILM IS NOT THE BEST WAR FILM EVER MADE. SEE SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Rating:
Summary: THIS MOVIE IS VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY BAD.
Review: DO YOU WANT TO SEE A GOOD WAR FILM. SEE SAVING PRIVATE RYAN OR APOCLYPSE NOW OR WHEN TRUMPETS FADE OR SCHINDLER'S LIST.

Rating:
Summary: Could've been, should've been.
Review: It is impossible for anyone but Kubrick to make "Full Metal Jacket" the way that it was made. I have become accustomed to the sparse storyline and dialogue (as in most Kubrick films), but this picture really seems disjointed. The first half of the film keeps your attention as you are treated to the rigors of boot camp and are brought to a climax with Private "Pyle"'s descent into madness, but after this, the film seems to lose focus. Toward the end, it begins to regain its footing as the squad that Joker is accompanying hunts down a sniper, but leave you longing for some sort of resolution, but none is forthcoming. Even at 117 minutes, the story ended too soon. This movie can be summed up in the words "prodigious unrealized potential".

Rating:
Summary: Very good movie, horrible DVD
Review: Full screen and mono!? Why even make the DVD if you are not going to use any of the great features? A really good film (the first half is brilliant), too bad the DVD is such a disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: 4 star movie, NO STAR DVD PRESENTATION
Review: If Kubrick felt that his movies didn't look good in their theatrical aspect ratio on televisions, then the DVD should have provided both the full-frame version AND the theatrically framed 1:85:1 US version for those of us with 16x9 televisions. Though Full Metal Jacket may have been filmed "full-frame" as are most motion pictures, the DP "composed" the film for 1:85:1. Guess I'll have to stick to the letterboxed laser disc until this DVD is released properly.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: There is absolutely nothing wrong with the transfer. It is superb and the sound is good also. The detractors of the quality of the dvd are not, in my opinion, correct.The actual movie is a little disjointed but still a classic.