All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) User Reviews

A depressing, sobering reminder of the futility of war.

[bbevis-47954 · 8/10 · 28 October 2022]

All Quite on the Western Front is depressing, tense, moving and a frustrating reminder of how useless war is. The cinematography, performances, battle sequences sound design are all top notch. I do feel as if the movie became a little too scattered before the big battle halfway through the movie, and could have done a better job developing characters. It's a minor complaint but you will feel the runtime of the movie during certain points.

One scene that will stay with me for a long time was the sequence in the crater. I was a complete and utter mess during that whole sequence. Seeing Paul gain his humanity back for the fallen soldier absolutely broke me.

All Quite on the Western front may not saying anything new about war, but it's a relevant-sobering reminder of the futility of war. One that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Powerful and bloody.

[Lomax343 · 9/10 · 20 October 2022]

This is not strictly-speaking an adaption of Erich Maria Remarque's classic. A few minor incidents from the novel are included, but Remarque's biggest contribution to this film is the title. Given the ending of the film (as opposed to the book) the title is somewhat misleading, but it's such a classic that the film-makers' decision is quite understandable.

This is a brutal and uncompromising study of the realities of war. The fact the the war depicted took place more than a hundred years ago doesn't make it any less relevant. It could be shown in Ukraine today, and soldiers on both sides would understand.

Nor is the film's anti-war message terribly new. It is, however, a message that needs to be repeated over and over again, until (maybe) enough people take it seriously.

The battle scenes are appallingly visceral - possibly the best of their type since the opening of Saving Private Ryan.

The history of any war is written by the winners, but that doesn't stop them being a tragedy for the poor grunts on the losing side as well.

Never felt war so intense before

[lutz_87 · 9/10 · 30 September 2022]

I'm really a Film Nerd and I've watched many famous and less famous war movies, too. Until this Evening, the beach-sequene and the final of Saving Private Ryan was one of the most intense experiences I've seen on the big screen.

But what Berger and his teams show here is still incredible & and the most horryfying depiction of war I've ever seen before.

The violence makes you feel sick, there were really some moments I thought I have to leave the cinema. Shooting, Explosions, blood, cold, wetness, Tanks, flamethrowers and inhuman suffering. Meaningless suffering.

Yes, theire are some flaws in the Story, but Overall it works out fine. Music, acting and production design are phenomenal!

But the violience, I still can't believe it. Go watch - afterwards you'll definetley be pacifist.

8/10.

Rough brutal material

[terrencepatrix · 8/10 · 1 November 2022]

This movie did something I didn't expect from a World War movie...it makes you feel empathetic for the Germans. To an extent.

I'm no war buff so I'll leave the realism to the experts but what this movie does is show you the first World War from the view point of people who've never experienced or even conceived of war and bloodshed on this scale. It starts off with new recruits full of patriotism for their country expecting to be sent on a grand adventure only to have those expectations quickly shattered. Turns out war isn't fun, and not even initially due to the actual fighting. Just training and constantly being screamed at and controlled while marching your days away is brutal. Remember, while vehicles existed, they weren't common use at this period of time...these soldiers had to walk, walk, and walk some more to get to where the war effort was taking place. And even if they had vehicles most of those places didn't have roads yet to drive them on. Then there's the constant lack of food and water, rough sleeping conditions, being exposed to the elements. Just GETTING to the war is brutal. That's a good 3rd of the movie right there.

Then close to the half way point, after a few minor skirmishes, we see the war front and the trenches and get to see what that's like. Well...it's terrible! You pop up out of a trench and boom...you're shot. And that's just life in between charges. There was no strategy to the charges either, they relied on waves of bodies to gain even 100 meters, hoping to out pace the bullets constantly coming your way. Millions of young men died in this fashion, their bodies littering the field.

The most brutal part of the film is the weapons of war never before seen. Tanks, flame throwers, planes dropping bombs. Men screaming in pure terror while the bullet proof tanks drive over them, while flames fill their trenches, or planes blow them up while they flee.

And the odd thing is since we're seeing it from the eyes of the young German soldiers, who are truly clueless as to why they're really even fighting, you do empathize and feel sorry for them. You find yourself even rooting for them. This movie humanizes them but importantly shows the politicians who are truly to blame for the atrocities. The powerful men behind the scenes, bloated from being overfed on rich foods, hundreds of miles away from the pain and suffering they cause.

I have no idea how accurate this movie is but it's a pretty straight forward piece showing just how awful, terrifying, and destructive this period of time was. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to any fans of this genre.

I never write reviews, but this film demands one.

[voodoohamster · 10/10 · 6 October 2022]

I watched this film today in Berlin and my god, I couldn't find a fault with it. The cinematography, the acting, the set, and the portrayal of the brutality of war was all just perfect. There is no glorification, it's tragic, but it feels true. The original author of the book based it on his personal experience in the trenches, which certainly came through in the movie.

This is a film that should be viewed by anybody thinking of joining the army and it couldn't have been released at a better time, given that there is another war in Europe. I really hope Netflix gives it Russian subtitles and makes it free for Russian-speaking audiences, because I don't think I've come across a war movie that is more anti-war than this. There is a reason why the book was banned in Nazi Germany.

This film absolutely deserves ten stars.

Brilliant and difficult to watch

[alex_shifrin · 10/10 · 14 September 2022]

I've just came out of the TIFF presentation of this film. Before going in, I assumed that little could be done with the story and the presentation would be one of cinematic sequences and sound. I wasn't wrong, and boy was I blown away (excuse the terrible pun).

After leaving the theatre, I'd say that it was more an experience than a film, one that at time I found difficult to witness. Not for the faint of heart, this isn't a film that'll be easy to forget.

Not having read the book but having seen its two predecessors, it's easy to get engulfed in the production and feel like you're seeing this story for the first time.

Wow! This is a MUST see (but don't watch it when you want to feel comfortable)

[svenstahmann · 9/10 · 1 October 2022]

Oh dear. I still feel bad. But not because the film is bad. Because it shows how incredibly bad that time was. Especially for the young men who were forced to go to war. I'm from Osnabrück - the city where Erich Maria Remarque was born - and when they named the city in the film... my body is still shaking. The actors were amazing. I dont like german films so much, but this is different. The camera, the sound. Its perfect (except one role - otherwise it would be a 10 for me). I even didn't touch my snacks in the cinema. You really have to see this movie. Because it shows the cruel time in a way that perhaps no film has ever done before. However, if you want to spend a nice evening in a good mood, don't watch it. Because it really pulls you down. But it's all worth it. Thanks for this history lesson!

Only in name like the book

[Interstellar_Gardener · 6/10 · 30 October 2022]

With the exception of the title and character names, it bears very little resemblance to its well-known source, Remarque's novel.

Characters and significant portions are absent. The teacher glorifying fighting for the Fatherland and the confrontation with said teacher later in the story. Basic training and Himmelstoss. The story suffers because they are missing.

Remarque had numerous goals in mind. Convey the experience of him and his fellow soldiers during the war. Critique both German society before and during the war in his story. Human nature is examined philosophically. The majority of those are absent.

Things that are not in the book are presented to us, like a tank attack. Music that is inappropriate. And let's not even begin to discuss the sound that indicates a tense situation: "TAH TAH TAAAAAAAAAM!" It actually destroys the anticipation and quickly becomes very unpleasant.

Then there comes the conclusion, which deviates from the original. Furthermore, it left me with a foul taste in my mouth. The most significant aspect of the story is the original ending. Even the title makes a hint about it. Everything hinges on that conclusion. But they rejected it because of a poorly thought-out finale that renders it meaningless.

Nothing positive to say? Well the battle scenes are very accurate, gruesomely well done.

On the whole this is a generic war movie set in world war 1, that appropriated its title from a brilliant novel. Brilliance it never gets near. Instead, watch the 1930 original film and 1979 version for an accurate portrayal of the novel.

'Every Day a Year, Every Night a Century'...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 30 October 2022]

In the excellent 1930s original, war is seldom better summarised than by: 'It's dirty and painful to die for your country, when it comes to dying for your country it's better not to die at all. There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good does it do?'.

It's a statement that applies just as well today, and complimented by this outstanding piece of film making too, which leaves us under no illusions of man's inhumanity to man. The performances are truly incredible, the technical achievement recreating scenes of war outstanding, and the messages as clear as any about the futility of armed combat and the inability of the human race to learn its lessons - even to this day. Not really a film to enjoy, but certainly a film to reflect on how far we haven't come since 1918, especially in a world that often seems so intent on pulling itself apart.

Impressive, yet it doesn't quite hit the mark in every respect

[ahmadz839 · 7/10 · 2 November 2022]

A fascinating film with potential that was never fully achieved. "All Quiet on the Western Front" does not rely solely on shock value to disturb its audience; instead, it uses the horrors of war to sober them with facts and dismal realities. The film's story was worth telling; it left an impression long after the credits rolled. It dealt with many weighty themes, including a young man's journey through war, the difficulties of combat, the cruelty of desperation, and the value of friendship and camaraderie, all of which were handled with grace and artistry. Furthermore, it boasted first-rate production values, breathtaking visuals, a terrific score (although maybe a tad bit over the top), and stellar acting. Although there is much to praise about the film, "All Quiet on the Western Front" is ultimately hampered by its drawn-out length, the plot dragging in spots, and several confusing moments. All the pieces were in place for "All Quiet on the Western Front" to be the best picture of the year, and in some respects, it is. Fans of the genre, or anyone who appreciates a well-made film, should not miss this film despite its limitations.

Rating: 7.5/10 (Impressive)

One of the best war movies of recent time

[adibshahriar · 8/10 · 28 October 2022]

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. 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. They took a great desicion by using an all German cast which made it feel ever more real. And the way they made me feel connected to the charecters. I mourned each one of them and kept praying for the movie to be war soon ,so they could get a happy ending.

good production quality but suffers from bad adaptation

[judas9000 · 6/10 · 1 November 2022]

The 1930 and 1979 adaptions of the book are way better, you should watch them instead if you are looking for a true to source experience.

This is very sad because production quality wise this movie is made very well and shows the horrors of ww1 in a gruesome and very graphic fashion that leaves no one unharmed after watching this.

All in all the movie suffers greatly from the bad adaptation of the source material, despite its cinematography being very good. Still it feels like a wasted opportunity.

One thing that really bothers me though and i will never understand it fully is the laziness in some of the details, for example rifles having no recoil in the battle scenes. In the opening scenes i asked myself why the german soldier is racking the bolt of his rifle because i didnt get that he was supposed to be shooting. Once you see it you can never unsee, and details like these ruin whole war movies for me personally.

The book had a great influence on me back then, so I'm quiet disappointed now

[k_balint · 5/10 · 12 January 2023]

I think one of the main problem with the film that they wanted to cram into too many things, too much background information about the war. There are scenes about politics and hackneyed war characters, which I think only interrupts the main plot. (we all know the main story from school, or its 2 min. To read in wikipedia) They even changed the original (book) date of the action to the end of the war - probably to make the deaths and losses feel even more pointless - but I think it was unnecessary.

The book is a masterpiece, which I would suggest everyone should read, so then hopefully noone would ever feel that war is a nice idea.

However this film doesn't remind me of that classic except that there are some characters with the same name from the book, but they have almost no resemblance to the original personalities. Which could be ok, if it was conceptual, but unfortunately they just became more shallow, and it was very hard to sympathize with them.

Althoough the film seems historically authentic (thats why I gave 5 stars), but lacks that dramatical dephtness, which the book has. I know that its a crazy hard task to screen literatures like this, so I shouldn't be too harsh with my critics, but unfortunately I just saw 1917 some days ago, and I have to say, that 1917 is a much more authentic visualisation of the athmosphere of the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" (even though the plot is completely different) than this film with the same title.

Good film... but its not AQOTWF

[stddrummer · 8/10 · 5 November 2022]

I watched this last night after much anticipation. I was fairly quickly surprised by how soon in the film we got to the front.

Where was the schoolroom and Baumer looking out of the window, daydreaming and sketching?

Where was the baiting of the postman (to become training corporal) Himmelstoss?

Where was the training, the mud field, the bullying by Himmelstoss? Kemmerich's boots getting passed from man to man as the owners died. The visit home and Paul's realisation that his family and home was now the front.

We didn't really get to know the boys.

The actual war stuff is impressive and I would imagine it was reasonably realistic (I wasn't at Western Front myself) but there wasn't actually much of a story, it was just war for war's sake, but maybe that was the point?

It did borrow a couple of bits from the novel, Paul's stabbing the French soldier then his regret over it, the crippled soldier in hospital trying to kill himself, but then Kat's death? No, not like that, Kat was a hardened, wiley experienced soldier, he'd not have been caught out like that and it is unlikely they would have been unarmed in that situation.

It is good the way that they work the story in to the last hours of the war but that is missing the whole point of AQOTWF.

The point is that when Paul dies (either reaching for the butterfly or trying to sketch the bird as in the previous versions, I can't remember how EMR wrote it in the book) it isn't the end of the war, it is just another day during the war.

The communique at the end of those earlier versions says simply "all quiet on the Western Front" and the point is a man has just died but as far as anyone is concerned there's nothing going on, its just another day the same as those before and those to follow. That is the poignancy of Paul's death and the example of how worthless life had become.

This new version misses that point with its last set piece battle in the few minutes before armistice at 11am on November 11th 1918. Paul heroically (albeit reluctantly) going over the top one last time and dying fighting in a trench, Remarque wrote the death of Baumer as futile and pointless whilst he was just trying to snatch a moment of normality, a moment of his carefree previous existence.

This doesn't mean the film is without merit, it really did happen that there were flurries of intense fighting and killing in the last few hours of the war, this wasn't some made up idea to add extra drama, which in itself is a sad indictment of humanity.

This was a brilliant, thought provoking, stunning film that during its course borrowed some bits from All Quiet On The Western Front... but it wasn't All Quiet On The Western Front.

Great adaptation and remake

[grantss · 8/10 · 29 October 2022]

Germany, May 1917. 17-year-old Paul Baumer enthusiastically enlists in the German army and heads off to war. His head is filled with patriotism, honour, visions of heroism and the confidence that Germany will win the war. He soon learns that his impressions of war are far from the reality.

Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" was first published in 1929. It was quite revolutionary, depicting the horrific reality of war rather than the glamourous, sanitised version. In a sense it was the first anti-war novel. It was so unflinching in its portrayal of WW1 that the Nazi party regarded it as treasonous and had the book banned and stripped Remarque of his German citizenship, causing him to flee to Switzerland and ultimately the US.

In 1930 Hollywood made the book into a movie. It was superb, capturing well the horrors that Remarque depicted in his book. It deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture (and Best Director) in 1930.

In 1979 it was adapted again, this time as a made-for-TV movie. Despite being directed by Delbert Mann and boasting a star-studded cast (Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, Donald Pleasance) this version was far from being in the same league as the 1930 version and didn't do the book justice. It is quite tame and the performances are quite subdued.

This, the 2022 version, once again captures the essence of the book and is quite unflinching in its portrayal of war. Graphic scenes and realistic plot show the wastefulness and horror of war.

Not as good as the 1930 version though: the characters aren't as fully developed, limiting engagement, and the plot feels a bit padded. A few drawn out scenes could easily have been shorter without losing any detail. Some style-over-substance elements too as the director went overboard with the special effects he had at his disposal (the French counter-attack with tanks and flamethrowers is a good example). The droning sound didn't help either (clearly the director has watched Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk").

This is the best WWI movie ever

[thereal-2 · 10/10 · 23 September 2022]

I've just came out from the European gala premier of the movie on ZFF 18. Was quite a bit a thing which gave me goosbumps that Daniel Brühl literally watched the movie first time ever with us (2 rows in front of me..); he spoke super passionately about the project and how they've made it. Edward Berger and James Friend don't really wait a single screenshot to catapult and slingshot the audience into the futile and meaningless horrors of war itself. From the very beginning until the very end the visual allegories (fox holes, mist, snowing, gloomy clouds and occasional raining etc.) are just persistent throughout to reinforce the message that its "All quiet on the western front", the over looming threat of artillery barrage and chemical attacks. First lead actor Felix Kammerer does a superb job to play Paul Bäumer the primary protagonist with enough and convincing naïveté that you believe that among with his fellow brothers and friends (Albert, Haie, Friedrich, Kat, Tjaden) are indeed real life human beings who totally at the mercy of chance and randomness to live or die, even when they have to constantly fight for their survival. The action scenes on the other hand blew me away, I rarely watch things with an open mouth but this movie achieved it around mid-way when the Germans did an offensive and the French countered that with tanks among other things... The madness, the futility and the overall barbaric nature of survival is portrayed so well that its really true to the forewords Erich Maria Remarque gave to his novel: "This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand fact to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war."

This, this is literally the German WWI war movie and story. Very well portrayed and well made film which I'm anticipating to win the Best Picture Oscar 2023.

Bleak meaningful meaninglessness.

[W011y4m5 · 9/10 · 28 October 2022]

I'm truly conflicted: "All Quiet on The Western Front" is a surprisingly stark & cold film upon first watch, capturing the futility of war, loss of youth & corruption of innocence with an unsettling lack of emotion throughout.

It's something I couldn't help but notice as I tuned in; usually in historical war films (like Sam Mendes' "1917" for instance, following events through the eyes of the opposing British side), we're accustomed to typically witnessing soldier's actions depicted as valiant & honourable, with a palpable sense of pride & patriotism embedded throughout - in pieces which are made to catalogue their innumerable brave achievements conducted by every-day folk (who, through no fault of their own, found themselves in the trenches), in spite of insurmountable odds comprehensively stacked against them... But here, there's no dignity in anything that transpires; obstacles aren't admirably overcome, the ensemble don't conduct themselves in a way which is befitting of their station, worthy of respect & none of the characters win any semblance of what could honestly be described as "glory"... They're just young, impressionable fools - drunk on propaganda - who have mindlessly partaken in the unwarranted military occupation of foreign land, where they are obviously not welcome by the inhabitants. Due to this, there's a void of relatability & moreover, all the team of participants can dream of - once they arrive at the front - or endeavour to guarantee for themselves is survival, not greatness.

However, despite this inability to sympathise being an irksome grievance of mine, in the production's defense, I suppose that's actually intentional & rather the whole point (?), since it's meant to tell the story through the perspective of the vanquished, not the conquerors, reflecting how naive recruits (who'd been fatally misled, in conscripting themselves & their families in the first place) were gradually numbed to their feelings by the constant mental & physical anguish inflicted upon them in a continuous onslaught of pointless offensives (instigated by their generals), once reality had firmly bitten & they'd been collectively disabused of this fantasy - but unfortunately, that noticeable detachment from any of the characters featured results in a somewhat muted response (as a viewer) when they're incessantly chewed up & spat out by the gratuitous violence - that's shot in a hauntingly raw, ominous way - they're repeatedly (& needlessly) thrust in to by the callous, cowardly officers, who arrogantly orchestrate the entire miserable situation that needn't last a single day longer.

Again, I suppose that only reaffirms the statement the creators are trying to make, wilfully juxtaposing intense sequences of suffering & pain with little sentimentality & ambivalence; the film chronicles how Germany treated (or more accurately, mistreated) its own people, offering up generations of its future citizens on the battlefield as sacrificial lambs, massacred at the altar of a poisonous, nationalistic ideology which had taken root within the governing population; boys - barely men, even some who weren't yet - were essentially reduced to nothing but disposable, unimportant objects, thoughtlessly discarded & simply replaced in a sadistic game & quest for absolute power (no matter the personal cost or price paid in blood) - an incalculable loss which (even by the time the armistice came in to effect) still wasn't enough to satiate the tyrannical desires of the few, controlling the many... And the movie does therefore (to its credit) accurately reflect that exact point in its portrayal of the poor cannon fodder by representing them as exactly that, & additionally lenses the apathy of the superiors (who give the indefensible orders) through a perspective of rightful, scornful contempt.

Hence, I can understand the creative intentions (depicting the utter, irredeemable meaninglessness; the wanton, senseless destruction) & the grim inhumanity of it all... Yet after seeing such horrors & heinous cruelties, I guess I felt like I wanted a purpose to everything I'd sat through by the time the credits started rolling - & thought I'd been cheated by the fact that there wasn't one. On the other hand, like I acknowledge earlier, I assume that's not accidental - & rather the understandably cynical, bitter & despondent conclusion the narrative decidedly wants the audience to come to by the time it reaches its unsatisfactory denouement; there is no discernible reason that could ever hope to justify the carnage we observe - the savagery that unfolds is simply slaughter for the sheer sake of it & the trauma experienced by all those affected was utterly preventable, had the invaders put aside their vanity & pride & sought to preserve peace which could've so effortlessly been maintained.

Plus, it does also show one massive miscalculation on the side of the victors; forcing the Germans in to reluctant submission & backing them in to signing an agreement with terms they couldn't accept would ultimately entrench resentful animosity that would act as a spark to light the fire of the 2nd World War, only a few decades later etc. Foreshadowing what was to come before anyone could predict the oncoming calamity. Due to this, irrespective of what I think (or more aptly, how little it evoked within me), I must concede that it remains a success, regardless - because the project undoubtedly achieved its goal in a commendably brutal & unflinching manner - & I can't plausibly surmise any alternative which would've resulted in something better.

Great potential.. but very disappointing.

[Carlo_K · 6/10 · 5 March 2023]

This film had so much potential, a decent budget, some good actors, a very good origin novel. Showing the madness of war in a decent story was totally in the cards.

Unfortunately, German movies often fail when it comes to proper depth, plot, and atmosphere. This movie is no exception. I'm sorry but well shot battle scenes, great sets/camera and realistic make-up cannot carry a 2.5h movie.

The parallel plot with peace negotiations is so badly written, simple and with flat almost cartoon like characters that one sometimes imagines this is a parody.

They should have saved the budget for Daniel Brühl and invested in a decent director and screenplay with an actual story to tell. We got it after the first 30 minutes that WWI was unbelievably brutal, what's the added value of continuing to film different versions of the butchering for another 2h?

I recommend to watch the original 1930 movie instead or to read the book, both of which are excellent and leave a deep impression.

Stunning and potent reminder of true horror

[Bobalopacus · 10/10 · 9 November 2022]

From its brutally minimalist staccato soundtrack, its consistently excellent cinematography and numerous memorable scenes, this movie is an impressive attempt to envisage the hellish existence of the average soldier on the Western Front.

My only regret is I didn't watch this at the cinema.

For the participants and victims, no war can be said to be better or worse than another, yet there is something about the combination of devastating machinery and almost medieval hand-to-hand combat; the mind-boggling numbers of people involved in the war of attrition; the constant inhuman degradation, suffering and industrialised slaughter of WW1, that makes it stand out.

This was the war that should have ended all wars.

Daily life in the trenches must have been awful enough: exposure to extreme temperatures, lack of sleep, hunger, disease, boredom, loneliness and despair, literally stuck in mud for days, months, even years. Add to that the constant threat of poisonous gas, artillery bombardment, snipers, drowning in the collapse of trenches or the dreaded command to 'go over the top' and face almost certain death, injury or loss.

Imagine living day-to-day in this hellscape - often side by side with the rotting corpses of your friends.

To many of us, living in relative comfort, these experiences are unimaginable.

Watch it for the visceral experience. Contemplate it whenever you catch yourself feeling sorry for yourself.

Visuals with no story

[rakkhi-s · 6/10 · 11 February 2023]

Just a made for critics / awards cinematic "masterpiece. No story, don't care about the characters, just war is so pointless. Well I know that already.. Give it a miss unless you like just cinematography or "free" on Netflix.

Saving graces I guess: beautiful scenery, music score is nice, don't see many war movies from the German perspective. Quite sad obviously it is about World War I. I was making the point that unlike World War II we really don't know any of the leaders on either side for World War I. Just really thankful at the end that nuclear weapons has meant no world war for over 70 years.

Go see this in a theater!

[mbluth-15630 · 10/10 · 16 October 2022]

Just saw this at a screening. It is a film, that from one minute in, you know you are going to witness a superior masterpiece, that will not disappoint in any way. And it doesn't.

It is so incredible, from cinematography to music to acting to special effects to wardrobe and everything that goes into creating a feature film.

It is not getting a full theatrical release, which is almost criminal. It's going to be on Netflix, and I hope it gets some serious viewership. But seeing this on the big screen, is all the reason people used to go to "the movies". It's an experience that really has the power to make people think.

How unusual and refreshing.

If you're lucky enough to be able to see this in a theater, run, and catch it, and you'll be a better human being.

I wasn't as moved as I expected to be

[tobydale · 7/10 · 14 January 2023]

Just got off watching this Netflix version of the classic.

I vaguely remember the 1979 version with Ernest Borgnine (7/10) and I certainly remember watching the original 1930 film. Both powerful in their own ways. The 1930 film is the best of the three - with first class black & white photography, and all done in that particular way of German story telling. In 1930, the events were very recent - just 13 years previous. Every male over age 30 in German cinemas would have had direct experience. It must have been awful for those audiences to watch the apocalyptic battlefield scenes - still some of the most graphic and numbing ever filmed. My rating 8/10.

So how does this one from Netflix in 2022 stand up then? Well sadly, not that tall.

It's bleak, graphic, actually depressing. An assault on the senses. Sure - it really conveys the impression of the horrors and desperation of trench warfare. But that's all. Maybe that's all it's supposed to do? Maybe that's, as a matter of fact all there was: mayhem and horror? There's nothing to redeem it. Again - that's the point: there's nothing good or glorius about war. Only the opposite.

The men who went to war then, as now, are not all evil men bent on barbarism and terror. All Quiet on the Western Front (all versions) shows us that those who go to war are just normal people - people like you and me. Good people go to war. Normal people. They end up having to see terrible things, do terrible things, to kill or be killed. That's the stark reality. This film certainly shows us that, but there is no upside, no redemption. There are little glimpses of humanity in the friendships, but that's all.

Visceral but lacking depth.

[Verdun1916 · 5/10 · 28 October 2022]

The atmosphere, brutality and scenery of this film are absolutely top draw. Unfortunately, the film is let down by a rushed plot, bland characters and many cliche First World War tropes.

The film starts with a brutal introduction to trench warfare and the sheer industrial scale of the killing. Unfortunately, when we meet the main character Paul and his friends, there is virtually no time for introduction. A short speech about courage/duty for their schoolteacher, a quick sign up with the army and its off to the front.

With the 1979 version of this film, you got much more depth in the background/training of the characters. Their idealism was sincere as it was set at the outbreak of the war in 1914. Instead, the 2022 version begins in the spring of 1917. Surely by this time, the facade of an easy victory and being in Paris by next week would have been blown out of the water. Germany would have endured a punishing year at Verdun/Somme in 1916 and there would have been no hiding this from the public, no matter how much the government wanted to censor things.

The film picks up with the characters visiting the front-line trenches for the first time. The power of artillery is excellently displayed with the characters huddling to survive in bunkers which eventually collapse. The scene of Paul taking dog tags off the bloodied corpses is especially hard hitting. However, just as the film is starting to warm up, we get an 18 month time skip to 7th November 1918, the virtual end of the war...

So we have missed the battles of Third Ypres in summer/autumn of 1917 as well as all the German offensives in early 1918. Whilst the filmmakers obviously couldn't include every battle, it would have been nice to have known what the characters had gone through in these 18 months...

Then we have the bloodthirsty German general who hates the liberals and wants to continue the war on the 7th November 1918...By this time Ludendorff had been sacked and the German army was collapsing on all fronts against the French, British and American forces. They were in no position to be launching attacks.

The scenes behind the lines when they are potato peeling, stealing a goose or when Tjaden is wounded are very good. However, that doesn't stop the filmmakers dropping the typical First World War stereotypes. The German general enjoying all the best food/wine in his mansion whilst his troops are slaughtered for fun. The German infantry charging straight at French machine guns, without any form of artillery cover to suppress them. The French tanks being in exactly the right spot to counter attack once the Germans take the first line of trenches. Gradually all the main characters are bumped off. It all seemed so contrived.

The storyline is also interwoven with a sub plot involving German politician Matthias Erzberger who eventually agrees to the proposed Armistice on 11th November 1918. However, the nasty liberal hating German general isn't having any of it and orders his men to again storm the French trenches at 10.30am on 11th November 1918. Who is writing this garbage?

The French are too busy partying to put a sentry on duty and get drawn into a hand-to-hand fight with the Germans. Again, how does a German infantry force cross No Man's Land with no artillery support and still make it to the French lines, which also neatly have virtually no barbwire obstacles. The Germans are eventually dispatched and with them the main character Paul.

I really did try to enjoy this film and maybe some of the complaints above are nit-picking. However, the tactical naivety of both the French and Germans really did undermine the visceral battle scenes for me. The setting of the majority of the film four days before the end of the war in 1918 also greatly diluted the realism and impact of the story.

The third version that I've seen...but I still prefer the original 1930 version.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 20 January 2023]

"Im Westen nichts Neueus" is a recent German version of "All Quiet on the Western Front". Apparently, the German film industry thought so much of the movie that it's been submitted as German's nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Oscars. Although the story is based on a book by a German ex-soldier, the previous two versions of the story were made in the States...the Oscar-winning 1930 version and a 1979 made for TV version. Of the three, the 1930 version is my favorite.

The filmmakers insist that the film is not a remake but a film that is a new look at Erich Maria Remarque's novel...quite different from the previous movies. And, after seeing it, it is indeed quite different. While the leading character is the same, the story and tone are different. In this 2022 version, the story is VERY episodic and you never really feel attached or connected to the characters. Instead, it's pure terror, gore and violence...which IS quite realistic for WWI. The other versions, in contrast, focus more on the character and personality changes in the lead...with a lesser emphasis on his friends as they fight the war. They also seem to be set earlier in the war (based on the uniform helmets), whereas almost all of the 2022 film takes place the last week or so of the war. If you want a war film full of terror, realism and gore, the 2022 version is for you. The others, in my opinion, are better because they do a better job showing the destruction of the souls and personalities of the men. All are well worth seeing.

As I already said, the film is gory and realistic and so I advise you to think about it before watching. Don't show it to young kids and if you've been to war, perhaps you might want to see something else.

Visceral, disturbing and brilliant...

[vnmjdcv · 9/10 · 16 October 2022]

Just watched AQOTWF at the Showroom, Sheffield. This film pulls no punches whatsoever.

It's depiction of trench warfare is staggering. The terrible living conditions the soldiers were forced to endure, the randomness of death and the unimaginable fear of going "over the top."

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.

I liked the linear narrative of the story too. So many directors use flashbacks, but this film "eases" you into the lives of the main characters really well. We first meet the young soldiers at the recruitment station and journey with them all the way the Western Front, the tension increasing as their initial, patriotic enthusiasm ebbs away, only to be replaced with terror and confusion.

The whole movie is in German and French. An excellent decision. This is not about the British Army at all, so to have hired English speaking actors would have been entirely inappropriate.

This is an outstanding film and deserves to be recognised accordingly. It is not, however, any easy watch. The violence takes some stomaching and the ultimate fate of all the main characters is upsetting. Nobody wins and there are no heroes.

The only reason I didn't give this masterpiece a 10 is because of the annoying "rock chords" that were played randomly throughout the film.

Go and see All Quiet on the Western Front. You won't be disappointed.