All Quiet On the Western Front

After a number of false starts I finally watched All Quiet On The Western Front all the way through.  Beautiful and haunting cinematography, fantastic special effects, great performances and the script and storytelling was spot on.  A mix of the mundane, friendship and camaraderie, broken into by pure brutality explicitly illustrated, and laying out with absolute clarity the pointlessness of war with not a shred of sentimentality.  The opening sequences showing the grinding nature of the war machine are impressive and I can't see how anyone could feel a sense of nostalgia or glory for wartime after seeing it.  I can’t fault it and so can see why it is up for best picture as well as lots of individual awards.

And yet… I’ve been reflecting and I’m still not really sure why I don’t feel excited about this.  I hope it isn’t just because I am being contrary or overly picky (although that is definitely possible… ) The only thing I can come up with is that overall, it doesn’t feel original.  I was looking for a new take on what we already know and I didn't really see it.  

This is a very good film which delivers its timely message with beauty and clarity and it is rightly receiving lots of plaudits.  It's not my favourite film of the year but then that isn't really the test is it?