1917 Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

Downs...

1. The Script Is Pretty Simplistic

If the film has any one "weakness" - and it barely qualifies as one - it's surely the fairly down-the-line screenplay, co-written by Sam Mendes himself and based on war stories recounted to him by his paternal grandfather Alfred Mendes.

From a character and story perspective, 1917 doesn't really do much new or inventive: it's fairly invested in the typical tropes of the war film, and its "war is bad" message isn't all that nuanced.

Much like Dunkirk, it's pretty on-the-level storytelling in order to allow the spectacle to take precedent, but on the balance of everything 1917 has to offer, it can be argued that a more complex narrative may have made the overall experience a little too overwhelming for audiences.

Mendes' and Krysty Wilson-Cairns' script could certainly have done more to flesh itself out, but it's thankfully the only real gripe, and a mild one at that. And so, here's everything Mendes and co. got right...