1917 is a British war drama about two young soldiers who are sent on a special mission to save 1600 other soldiers from almost certain death during World War I.
Soaring, long, award-hunting dramas are often slow (Disagree?! So sue me!) and 1917 is no exception. Especially the first half or so. But it does come good and get more action-packed and interesting in the second half.
Some elements of this film are predictable (no spoilers!) but on the other hand, there were times where I was on the edge of my seat, almost holding my breath waiting to see what happened next. And the film is visually beautiful, there’s no doubt about that.
But back to the cons… don’t go to this if you’re a Benedict Cumberbatch fan thinking you’ll get to drink him in. He’s in the film for literally about two or three minutes. Same goes for Richard Madden, Adam Scott and Colin Firth really.
Taking into account the pros and cons it’s probably a net result of about 3.5 stars out of 5 from me. And the friend I saw it with said the same. But in the interests of fairness, you should know that The Guardian gave it five stars and The Telegraph gave it three stars - give one of them a read if you want more on the plot.
1917 opens on 9 January 2020. Trailer here.