'1917' - An Explosive Fusion of Excellent Craft

To start, 1917 has Richard Deakins as its cinematographer, Thomas Newman as its composer, & Lee Smith as its editor, and it's directed by a craftsman who made films like American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, and Skyfall, a director who knows how to combine all of these elements to create an excellent film whatever the genre is, it just so happen that 1917 is a war film which involves a lot of technical skills to achieve near perfection. Director Sam Mendes did this and it's nothing short of marvelous.

Photo: United International Pictures

In the last few years, some war films flopped and there were some that excelled. One of those that excelled is Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk whose gimmick only elevates the time constraint of the film's plot. Sam Mendes' 1917 can be considered a gimmicky war film, as well. It's a bold one-take style by the magician of light, Deakins. Although it's very much a flex of one's capabilities, his style undeniably heightens the intimacy, tension, and danger of a war zone. At the same time, it knows it could make the audience marvel by its technique. Add Thomas Newman's always elegant score, it blends well with the film's action and drama.

Then there's George Mackay, who convincingly looks like a past century soldier. He's engaging as he tries to survive the dangers of war, avoiding bullets and bombs left and right, dodging dangerous terrains of rivers and woods. He does a terrific job at making his character captivating even if we barely know anything about him until the final moments of the film.

All of these elements are vital as to why 1917 is a technical marvel. My personal favorite would have to be the burning ruined village at night, where Deakins captured immaculate images through moving lights. It makes "visually stunning" a legitimate term only this film deserves to be called one.

It only falls a little short of its full potential because of its lack of story progression. The story is simple, but the mission is difficult. This has always been about the journey. Like Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, it heavily focuses on the excitement of the danger, the difficulty, and the hardship of reaching the end. Its journey is always rough but some of its quiter in-betweens don't mesh well with its previous and subsequent scenes including the lady in the ruined village. It felt like a filler and didn't add much to the destination.

Then again, films are allowed to have gimmicks. Whether it works or not, it really depends on what the viewer is looking for in a film. On one hand, 1917 can be seen as an immersive war adventure, and on the other, it can be looked as a vapid and thinly-plotted film that never fully fleshes out the situation. It really depends on what a viewer looks for in films.