By Sam Riley

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

On a recent weekend, I saw the multi-award-winning film 1917 in theaters. I had heard the movie was excellent, and although I had seen the trailer, I kept myself totally in the dark, walking into the theater without any prior knowledge of the story. Little did I know I was walking into an immersive, suspenseful, and incredibly shot masterpiece. 

Directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, the movie follows two World War One British soldiers, Lance Corporal William Schofield and Lance Corporal Tom Blake, played by George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman, respectively. The two soldiers are tasked by their general to trek into enemy territory and warn a regiment of 1,600 British soldiers that they are charging into a German trap. 

Although the movie wasn’t shot in a single two-hour take, Mendes based the film around making it seem like one shot. This “one-shot” aspect of the film is the primary reason why I was interested in seeing 1917. This style, drawing inspiration from award-winning movies such as Birdman and Rope, has both benefits and drawbacks. It immersed me in its world more than almost any other movie; not through story or character, but camerawork, which I found pretty shocking and interesting. Suspense and tension are felt constantly throughout the movie, and every moment you are waiting for a bullet to whiz by. The one-shot gimmick also forced the film into some tough spots, and I never really got to know or got invested in the characters. Almost the whole movie was occupied by the men moving forward, never really taking a break. I found that this caused a disconnect between myself and the two men on screen. Without cuts, the story had to be very streamlined, so the camera could follow the whole time. To quote my dad Sean Riley, a Senior Creative Director at the Martin Agency, “the plot really felt like a video game, and not in a good way.” Although many critics, such as James Kendrik of qnetwork.com, seemed to love the streamlined, video game-like plot, I agree with my dad. I feel it could’ve been a much more engrossing movie if there had been more character-building moments or more nuance to the story. 

Even though I found the overarching story less compelling, some of the individual scenes depicting the horrors of World War One are amazing. One of the most shocking twists in the movie is that the man you think is the main character, Lance Corporal Blake, dies on the way to the other regiment. When asked about the moment, Will Burford (‘20) said, “I think the main character dying added a new layer to the movie that I didn’t think was going to be there, and it really kept me invested.” Another great moment comes near the end of the film, when Schofield is sneaking around a German-occupied town and stumbles into the hideout of a woman and infant. The audience can see Schofield contemplating whether to stay in the warm hideout and forget his mission or continue on the journey that has almost killed him many times.  

Interestingly enough, the movie is inspired by real stories told by Mendes’s grandfather, who served in World War One. Alfred Mendes was a messenger on the frontlines of the war. The story also takes place during Operation Alberich, when German troops pulled their forces back to a more defensive position. Given that the characters are fictional, many of the events are based in truth and dramatized (as most things are) for the big screen. 

This movie won many awards at the recent Oscars, including Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Mixing. 1917 was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The movie earned my admiration with its technical prowess and chilling moments depicting the horrors of war, instead of with the overarching story. The Oscars that the movie won reflect my sentiment, since the were for technical achievements. I still do recommend that you go to see 1917.