Review of All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) by Everett — 15 Nov 2022

For a depiction of the utter madness of this war, you can't do better than than this film. (I also loved "1917".) I especially appreciate how it juxtaposes the intense suffering of the soldiers with the luxuries of those in charge, who send these men to battlefields without any cost to themselves. (For more on that last note, read Sassoon's poem "Base Details.").

I've been fascinated by the sheer pointlessness of WW I since reading Wilfred Owen's poem "Futility" many years ago. You can also read his "Dulce et Decorum Est" for the way that these young men are lured by lies about the "glory" of being soldiers.

Kudos to these filmmakers for not letting us forget the "War to End All Wars"on a very large, cinematic scale, yet also centered on soldiers whose camaraderie only intensifies their agony in the end. And for what? Nothing.