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All Quiet on the Western Front Movie Review

All Quiet on the Western Front is a 2022 German anti-war film directed by Edward Berger and starring Daniel Bruhl. It is a fine, but disappointing adaptation.

When 17-year-old Paul joins the Western Front in World War I, his initial excitement is soon shattered by the grim reality of life in the trenches. Based on the titular 1929 novel, this is the second big adaptation of the said book after the 1930 Best Picture winner masterpiece. If I had seen just this movie without the older one, I would have appreciated it more, but when the opposite is the case, I unfortunately just ended up comparing this one unfavorably to that iconic film.

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This should be a textbook example of just how more effective, more streamlined and more emotionally engaging classic movies were in comparison to most modern films. The 1930 movie was a bit shorter, more engaging and much more focused on characterization than on visuals and action, resulting in a very moving watch.

This one, however, focuses so extensively on recreating the time period and the war in question to the point that it lost the anti-war sentiment and the emotional elements of its superior predecessor. The cinematography is terrific, especially its excellent use of color. The sound is excellent too. The war sequences are both brutal and very realistic, which was important for this particular story.

But the directing from Berger left a lot to be desired while the character development was way too slim for its bloated runtime. The performances are solid, but more time should have been spent getting to know these characters, which would lead to audiences caring more when they meet their terrible fates. This way, I unfortunately did not care at all. In fact, I was quite bored.

This All Quiet on the Western Front should be appreciated for being a German production in what is an obvious effort to bring back this source material to the nation that originated it. The cinematic qualities are definitely admirable here as well. However, the movie is too long, badly paced and very monotonous with way too much action and not enough drama, which made it feel tedious.

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