Agree with the cinematics, the atmospheric soundtracks and the fact that it's marked down as an anti war film.What Burger did not do well IMO was to convey this through a good story line/dialogue keeping the viewer interested and rooting for Paul, Kat and co to make it back safely from no mans land.
It was hiddiously drawn out in places and could easily have been compressed down to 90 minutes. The scenes I portrayed as "boring" among many were the goose pinching episodes, two of them ffs and the incessant chuddering of non relevant dialogue interspersed with periods of wanton nothingness, albeit accompanied by a wonderfully haunting soundtrack and a bucket or two of dry ice
I gave it a generous 6/10 as the film afforded me little chance to connect with the group, and as each of them met their Waterloo, not one single fook was given. I wasn't emotionally attached and that for me was the films failing.
Das Boot however, also filmed from a book of the same, grabbed me by the seat of my pants, throwing me into the hellstrom of those north atlantic convoys were I found myself routing for the boys of U96 whilst out on patrol under the fatherly guidance of der alte.(nice capitan)
I could say the same with other great war films such as Waterloo, Saving Private Ryan, A bridge too far, etc. Even coppelos Apocalpse Now which was filled to the brim with errinous bouts of film noire and hallucinatory visuals, but still managed to captivate my senses to the very end. (incedently one of the best war films I have ever seen) The mix of a strong story whilest touching of the tragedy of war helps to draw in the audience and once you are drawn in then you can not look away.
Sadly with All Quite On The Western Front I looked away rather too frequently in the forlorn hope that the film would sprout some legs. It didnt, but it still had it's moments hence my generous score. Again all subjective and each to their own.
