‘Masterpiece’ war film ‘better than Saving Private Ryan’ | Films | Entertainment

It’s no secret that the first 20-odd minutes of Steven Spielberg’s war epic, Saving Private Ryan, are considered to be some of the finest to ever grace the silver screen, but there’s a little-known war film that may just match up.

Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel, All Quiet on the Western Front is an anti-war epic told from the perspective of German soldiers in the trenches — and viewers are calling it the most visceral, real and brilliant war film in recent times.

The 2022 war drama available to stream on Netflix has been co-written, co-produced, and directed by Edward Berger and happens to be the third adaptation of the popular book after two other iterations released in 1930 and 1979.

The German-language film stars an all-German cast to lend to its authenticity, with actors Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, and Devid Striesow taking on meaty roles in the war epic.

The movie’s official plot states: “All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.”

While relatively unknown to the general public, the film was at the receiving end of immense critical acclaim when it was released, getting 14 BAFTA nominations and winning seven, including for Best Film.

It was also nominated for nine Academy Awards and won four Oscars including for Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.

With a smashing 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, All Quiet on the Western Front is regularly hailed as one of the “best war films ever”, and reviews back up the claims.

One critic said of the film: “All Quiet on the Western Front is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2022 and one of the best war films of all time.”

While another reviewer wrote: “A gorgeous, powerful and haunting treatise on the evils, stupidity and pointlessness of war, and is a must see for anyone who loves the craft of filmmaking and can endure another reminder of humanity’s most tragic flaw.”

A third critic said: “This is quite possibly the best war film I’ve ever seen. The fact that this is a remake and they’ve found ways of making this foreign film truly mine through the complications, sacrifices, tragedy, & never-ending ramifications of war is a feet! MUST SEE!”

Praise from the general public followed in a similar vein, with one IMDB user writing: “One of the best war movies of recent time. Never expected a netflix movie to shake me to my core but this film kept me frozen in my seat even after a few minutes into the ending credits. It made me think about war and what it does to people.”

They continued: “Just as the book had done. But this time due to the superb acting, marvelous cinematography and flawless direction that feeling will stay with me for a long time.”

Another review of the film states: “Visceral, disturbing and brilliant. I never thought the beach scene from Private Ryan could be matched, but the battle scenes in this film certainly come close. Superb action sequences. This is an outstanding film and deserves to be recognised accordingly. It is not, however, any easy watch. Go and see All Quiet on the Western Front. You won’t be disappointed.”

While one impressed viewer writes: “This movie is epic in every sense. This movie will leave you sitting where you are at the end pondering what you’ve just witnessed. I urge you to watch this movie. They don’t get any better than this.”

A glowing review of the war epic reads: “This movie blows everything else out of the water. The combat is some of the most visceral and brutal I have ever seen in a film. Every actor gives every inch of themselves to the role, to deliver outstanding performances. Every single shot is cinematography gold. Every aspect of this movie is near perfection.

“Coming away from the theater I felt such a complex mix of emotions. This is something everyone needs to watch, now more than ever. This is by far the greatest WW1 film ever made.”

All Quiet on the Western Front is available to stream on Netflix.