All Quiet on the Western Front
Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march into a war they believe in. But once on the Western Front, they discover the soul-destroying horror of World War I.
- Released: 2022-10-07
- Runtime: 147 minutes
- Genre: Action, Drama, War
- Stars: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanović, Devid Striesow, Daniel Brühl, Moritz Klaus, Sebastian Hülk, Anton von Lucke, Michael Wittenborn, Luc Feit, Andreas Döhler, André Marcon, Tobias Langhoff, Adrian Grünewald, Thibault de Montalembert, Nico Ehrenteit, Wolf Danny Homann, Charles Morillon, Jakob Schmidt, Peter Sikorski, Sascha Nathan, Alexander Schuster, Michael Stange, Joe Weintraub, Daniel Kamen, Markus Tomczyk, Dominikus Weileder, Michael Pitthan
- Director: Edward Berger
Comments
- simmsjoe-95592 - 17 May 2024
War is hell
This remake of the Classic All Quiet on the Western Front is absolutely phenomenal. It shows a bleak and impactful portrayal of the German perspective of the later stages of WW1. The movie shows the hellish conditions soldiers lived in and the immense physical and mental suffering they had to endure. The journey from naivety ("we will be in Paris in a few weeks") to bleak desperation as childhood friends die in-front of you, is expertly brought across in an emotional manner.
This movie is truly brutal and yet somewhat beautiful. The cinematography is incredible coupled with fantastic set design. It really brings the landscapes alive. Along with this the quality of acting was excellent. The performances were genuine and it looked like the emotion they portrayed was so real.
Overall, a phenomenal movie, while bleak and thought provoking it is truly special. Best WW1 movie I have seen. - oksuzomeryahya - 27 February 2024
The best you can watch in its field
This movie managed to attract me, which already loves historical movies and is a good follower, and shows you how disgraceful situations will be in the future, even though it adds to the joy of the German soldiers who were hopeful at first. You will pitty them Even though they are brutal, this actually reveals the brutal impact of war and a few political disagreements on the lives of millions of people. There will be times to laugh with them. And sometimes you will cry with them. Apart from that, the atmosphere really draws you in, as if you were a soldier there. If you are interested in wars, you can watch this movie as a documentary, even if not fully, and witness how these men struggle with what happened to them. - Denno1972 - 1 January 2024
Sometimes less is more
I have read the original source novel (which many of the critics seemed not to) and seen the original 1930 film and upon reflecting on my thoughts once the film had finished, I kind of wish I hadn't. Both the source novel and the original film convey the ultimate sense that war is futile, on all sides and its widely viewed as the ultimate ant-war story.
Where those sources excel is the unwavering simplicity of it all. The book focuses on the troops from the German infantry side but also on how troops were viewed back in Germany both before they went, during and when they came back. It is simple in its narrative but that by no means takes away the message it so skilfully conveys.
Where this adaptation excels, is the unsettling no holds barred approach. Unsettling score, bloody close ups, clarity of how futile it all is, and the palpable sense of unfairness for a whole generation.
It's not perfect though. For me, the last 40 minutes or so, whilst we'll made, tell us nothing. Veering away from the source text, what we actually get here is a message that has been conveyed many times in war before (that the powers in charge have no sympathy for their men) and it feels like it is trying to say more than it actually does.
I think whilst this is good, the source novel and original form are perfect. This is not. - luukscholten - 8 January 2023
Somewhat disappointed
I watched the 2022 version of Im Westen Nichts Neues yesterday and was kind of disappointed by it. I have only read the book and seen the 1979 version and not the 1930 version, so I can only compare the 2022 version with the book and the 1979 film. Have to say the 1979 version is better, as it is a much more faithful adaptation of the book, and there are several important elements missing from the 2022 film. I think the entire build-up towards going to the front was done much better in the older film. The entire training part was virtually left out of the 2022 film, which is a mistake, especially with the absence of drill sergeant Himmelstoss. Secondly, in the 2022 film the relationship between the squad members is is only very basic, you don't really get to know Paul and his comrades. In the book Katzynski is basically the father figure for the young recruits who protects and guides them and tries his best to keep them alive. In the 2022 film Kat's role is diminished and although he is the squad leader he barely acts like it at times. My third critique on the 2022 film were the deaths of both Paul and Kat. Kat dies in a very silly way, and that takes away from what happens to him in the book which was much more impactful and Paul's death was perfectly done in the 1979 film, but poorly done in the 2022 film I think. Also, I think they made a bad choice by including the whole part with the German delegation doing the peace negotiation with the French, that is not part of the book and distracts from the actual story. Lastly, the end battle in which the deranged German general gives a speech to his tired and demoralized men and orders them to attack one more time is the part that really angered me. It felt a cheap way to end the film. The 2022 film has stunning visuals and sound, but that alone didn't do it for me. Obviously it isn't a bad film, it just falls short of my expectations. - neowitcher - 4 January 2023
Heartbreaking
The soundtrack made even the "peaceful" moments unsettling and when the credits started rolling entirely without sound, it perfectly captured how I felt throughout the entire film. Heartbreaking, because no other word can better describe my feelings while watching. Somehow I feel even worse after sitting with for a bit afterwards.
War films generally bring along the same, depressing effect of wondering why war had ever been necessary and why so many people had to be killed, but that's precisely why they're so important. The acting made it all the more believable and frightening. Obviously, it doesn't bring too many new things to the table as there are many incredible films about WW1, but still it was made really well and so many scenes were able to convey a lot with barely any words. - lucaslw-93145 - 1 January 2023
As intense as other war movies, but not necessarily better
Not quite an 7/10. Maybe closer to a 7.4 or 7.5/10.
All Quiet on the Western Front is an anti-war tragedy that follows the fictional Paul Baumer through his journey from German youth to fighting on the front lines of Germany's Western front in the first World War. Because it's an anti-war epic, there isn't really a central story or narrative. It's more so a slice-of-life style film detailing the gruesome reality of war. Because of that, I judge this movie by how well they nail the details and how compelling their tale of war's horror is.
Their tale isn't anything groundbreaking. I realize this is based on a groundbreaking novel, but against the backdrop of the older All Quiet movie from 1930 and the contemporary World War I movies (Dunkirk, 1917) I struggle to identify areas this movie goes where others haven't, or find concepts that this movie does significantly better than other movies do. Indeed, when I think of the horrors of war, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers go toe to toe with All Quiet. I'd argue even that they get the human aspect of war and all her terror more right. Yes, those are movies from a different world war, but the rubric for quality of anti-war messages is transferable between the two periods.
So if the intensity of the war they paint isn't unique, then I'd at least hope for perfection in details and direction. In my opinion, there is room for improvement on both fronts.
Early on, one of Paul's friends dies. He dies in a barrage of artillery fire and Paul discovers his corpse after accidentally crushing his dead friend's glasses underfoot. It's a moment that struck me as odd because Paul grieves for a quick moment and then immediately moves on, without any lingering sign of remorse or grief. I thought this would have been a good opportunity for Paul to grieve more. Be paralyzed by the first wave of real consequence that has now shaken his rose-tinted conception of how easy war would be. Instead, the first death Paul has to deal with passes by like water under the bridge. The visual narrative this opportunity missed is that much later in the war, another of Paul's friends is gunned down and he gives roughly the same attention to his death. There was a chance here to drive home the frequency of death and a larger disparity between his reaction to a friends death would have told more on how Paul has become desensitized to the consequences of the war.
I don't think it's too much to ask for realism in a anti-war historical fiction. At one point, Paul takes an explosion straight to his back and gets up minutes later without anything more than superficial scratches. Disappointed the director chose that route with the story.
Makeup wasn't always consistent between scenes. I think most prominently, in the final 10 minutes of the movie, Paul has his face shoved into wet, watery mud. A few seconds later, he tackles his combatant into a bunker and when we next get a glimpse at his face just seconds after being submerged in murky, muddy water, the mud has dried and caked up. In a movie where production should be pristine, details as routine as that should be filmed with more care.
Worth praising though is the use of the Woman Poster in the German trench. A vestige of Albert Kropp and a perfect visual allegory of the senseless loss of life on both fronts. All those battles, all those dead men. Just to get back to where they started.
It's a long movie and I think there are other World War movies that tell more intriguing tales in better manners. But if you're nostalgic for armed conflict, All Quiet on the Western Front will do good in syncing you up with the sobering reality of the Hell that is war. - HabibieHakim123 - 27 December 2022
Ok First And Last Act That Fills With Great Performances, Visual, Cinematography, And Sound, But The Story And A Mess Boring Second Act Makes The Film Fail For Me
My major problem with the film is in the large part of the second act, i thought the non-war part in the second act of the film super boring and the second war sequence was also became boring because of that, one particular scene in the second boring war sequence that i found silly but their intention is to make it serious and it didn't work for me just like most of the parts of the film, first act and first war sequence was fine and i like the last act and final war better but it's not like i was so amazed by it, there is still a lot of things to appreciate in All Quiet On The Western Front from the amazing visual, incredible performance by all the cast, fantastic sound, and great cinematography, WWI is a real thing and i get the point about the haunting and terrifying experience, but this particular story that parts of it maybe fiction maybe real because only the author of the book knows it and it just doesn't work for me for the most part, great example of a great war movie was both Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and War Horse, Nolan's Dunkirk, 1917, these are great war movies for me, All Quiet On The Western Front is not, ok first and last act that fills with great performances, visual, cinematography, and sound, but the story and a mess boring second act makes the film fail for me. - coldcomfort-23489 - 22 December 2022
Excellent movie, but very different from the novel
I enjoyed the movie, and it's accurate depiction of WWI horrors and youthful innocence. However, the movie barely followed the novel of the same name except it was about young school friends, set in WWI and set on the western front. The movie started near the end of WWI and did not delve into the relationships of the boys over fours years of horrific fighting and death. The friendships were a key part of the novel. The lack of understanding of the non-combatants (remember in 1917 there was no TV or social media, and propaganda filled the newspapers). The movie also added in the politics which were not in the novel. The prize winning book was banned and burned by Hitler because it was viewed as anti war, and the author had to flee Nazi Germany. - calvinschubert - 15 December 2022
This movie is fantastic
This movie, which is faithfully recreated from the book and precious movies of the same title, is the best anti-war propaganda one can consume. Everything from the terrifying depictions of how quickly a life can be taken along with how heavily it rests on your mind is one of the many depressing themes in this movie. There are so many good scenes to talk about like the approach of the first St. Chamond tanks. The rumble of the tanks approaching along with the confused looks of all of the troops faces really shows how technology was the most terrifying part of this war. All in all this movie was amazing, I wish I could watch it for the first time again. - WanderingPhotons - 12 December 2022
Mind-and-soul-shattering masterpiece with phenomenal self-discipline
Some called it cold and detached... The very visible secret of this film is that it does NOT resort to the usual war film cliches in terms of instructing you what to feel when.
It does not tell you what to feel or think with usual war film soundtrack. Instead, it uses a score that is pure and economically deployed genius: a few startling gunfire-like percussion sounds, a 3-note motif that appears here and there hauntingly, some stripped-down sonic textures.
It does not tell you what to feel via overblown dialogues, but the few words are so poignant that they kick you in the chest.
It presents - in an almost documentary style, but wraps this in absolutely towering acting performances, visual poetry - a poetry of the horrific. Even the shortest, tiniest human storyline in it tells volumes about the definition of humanity, or the complete absence of the latter. It deploys its vast forces, made possible by state of the art visual and sound technology, with stunning restraint and discipline.
The creators wanted to use their toolkit as just that: a set of tools - in the service of the story. It is a rare form of discipline, and very, very few war films achieved this since the start of cinema history.
Kammerer's acting is something superhuman, one can see how his mind and soul sometimes steps out of his body, so-to-speak. From a naive teenager to an animated undead figure whose surface is still sometimes pierced by deep emotion and empathy... his transformation can only be compared to the much younger Christian Bale's breathtaking acting in Empire Of The Sun.
Every episodic role is superbly drawn, authentic, entire passages of the novel are told with just a facial expression or a pair of eyes.
The visuals will make you feel guilty when you catch yourself marvelling at the beauty of the battle fields, the colours and poetry of unimaginable human horror. There is a hard-hitting beauty to those vast shots, and the camerawork throughout remind one of Deakins or Hall in their finest moments.
The visual symbols are sublime - the film employs them with an efficacy that we may have only seen recently in some remarkable war films like 1917 or Land of Mine (Under Sandet).
The colour palettes, the changes from very warmly lit to ice-cold blueish scenes are used as extra poignant means.
The editing, the ultra-closeups alternating with the vast, Tarkovsky-like quasi-surreal visions of the battlefield are all used to great effect.
But, to return to the opening remark about its "coldness": EFFECT here does not mean spoon feeding of the viewer. It does not mean educational props-like nonsense we are all too used to in war films.
EFFECT here means the following, and it is the best kind: it WILL break you, demolish you, don't be mistaken. But it does this by letting YOU think and feel. The film's creators deploy their very best, technically and in all respects.
They will "merely" show you a reality that many can't even imagine. The rest is up to the viewer's mind and, above all, soul.
Absolutely remarkable and poignant exactly because of this.
