Although World War I occurred over a century ago, the movie 1917 is a riveting war story that is able to pull the audience into the violence of the event while still capturing poignant character moments and illustrating the smaller tragedies of the war. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best picture, and won three Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

The movie follows two British soldiers,Lance Corporals Schofield and Blake, who are given orders to send a message to another company a few miles away. The message tells the soldiers to call off their attack since it would lead to a massive massacre and the deaths of over one thousand men, including Blake’s brother. In a race against time, the two men must travel into enemy territory and across treacherous landscapes in order to prevent the disastrous attack.

“This movie should be considered a classic among other war movies,” said Paolo Dicanio, a student at Palo Verde. “I would highly recommend seeing it.”

One aspect of the movie that really stood out was the characters. The acting was outstanding, and each of the characters felt real and relatable to the audience despite the fact that they were in such different circumstances. Schofield and Blake were given a lot of scenes where they could interact regularly, which made the film much more gripping as spectators really began to care for them.

A common problem with war movies is often times they focus too much on the actual battle which causes the violence to feel less important and leave a smaller effect on the audience. Since the characters avoided this shortcoming, the movie is much more impactful as a result.

Given that it won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, it is no surprise that the movie is full of great visuals, stunning effects, and was filmed with great care and direction. 1917 is framed as though it is one-shot, which means that there are no obvious cuts and it appears as if the entire movie is one long scene. This gives the feeling of it all happening in real time, and provides much more accurate insight for what it really would have been like to be involved in World War I.

Another great thing about the movie is that it focused on a smaller event and only on a few characters instead of a massive turning point or battle. This made the story a lot clearer, more personal and easier to comprehend, yet it allowed room for exciting action and an amazing story line . The movie also balanced the nerve-racking conflicts with quiet moments, which allowed the  audience to see some of the smaller impacts of the war and to be able to focus on the characters and the intricacy of the events. .

Overall this movie was an outstanding story with memorable characters and great direction. The movie is rated R due to the level  of violence and swearing featured in the film however it was necessary to tell a compelling narrative and allow viewers to more fully understand the war.