The tension brought by the film is indescribable. Every war is a hellish experience. Although the story of "1917" has little relevance to the current world, it does not prevent it from becoming the best since "Saving Private Ryan" War Movies.
The key to "1917" director Sam Mendes's success in the film lies in his thorough technical preparations and strong emotional presentation.
Although the film seems a little sentimental in some passages, it can give the audience an emotional impact experience. The two young protagonists are just two small characters in this great tragedy, but the protagonist’s story is very complete.
The film was filmed by Roger Diggins using an ALEXA Mini LF camera for dynamic shooting, trying to show an uninterrupted single-lens shooting effect. Therefore, some scenes in the film will confuse the audience how to achieve such an effect. However, this should not be the first thing the audience thinks of when watching a movie. Although the plot design of the film is simple and uncomplicated, because the film only focuses on two characters and lacks a background story, "1917" cannot produce an overview look. Some narrative sequences in the film make the protagonist become a murderer, and then make him avoid taking deadly actions even when his life is threatened-this can't make up for the weakness of the narrative.
Many themes of "1917"-despair of the fog of war, difficulties in communication and stubborn task priority attitudes caused by rational decision-making difficulties, some officers give priority to the implementation of arbitrary strategic decisions, and do not care about the safety of their soldiers -All lost in the mystery of the film's narrative skills. The film did not give the audience an opportunity to gain insight into the dilemma faced by the character and the dangers of this extremely difficult, almost suicidal mission, which makes the film seem to be barely putting together some fragments into a whole.
In fact, the film did not unfold according to the exact time when the story happened. The whole story actually took place in the time period from an afternoon to the next day, which made the film not undergo a more elaborate editing process. This situation is very puzzling. The director's narrative structure does not allow the material of the film to have breathing space, nor does it allow them to be more human. If you use a more traditional way of telling, coupled with normal scene editing, it will make the film more rhythmic.
Since there are no recurring locations in the film, the film is a huge challenge for the production designer, but it has dealt with this challenge brilliantly. At the same time, Thomas Newman's soundtrack, with a deep, trembling sound that penetrates into the atmosphere of the film, brilliantly conveys a sense of constant anxiety. However, the fragmented appreciation of these techniques does not impress the viewer emotionally. "1917" sank in the trenches of war movies—like the muddy trenches of World War I that took many lives.
