The award-winning film features an all-star cast (Image: Universal Pictures)
Viewers can’t help but keep on coming back to this war film, now considered a modern classic, as they admit to ‘rewatching’ the ‘masterpiece’, and it’s available to stream now.
The British war film was released in 2019, and since then it’s taken on a life of its own amongst fans of the genre who have claimed it to be up there with the all-time greats.
Titled 1917, what seems to draw people in the most to this film is its realistic take on war, which is derived from the real-life stories of the director’s relative. Sam Mendes’s grandfather, Alfred, told him countless stories about his service as a British soldier during World War One, and it’s those that helped to shape what the film went on to become.
With this in mind, 1917 takes place in that very year, after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich. Its story begins with two British soldiers on an important mission to deliver a crucial message to call off an offensive attack before it’s too late.
A fan described the film on Rotten Tomatoes, writing: “Another one of my favourite war movies. I’ve watched around 5 times and will continue to rewatch.”
The epic war film was released in 2019 (Image: Universal Pictures)
Many have praised the film for its special effects, sounds and more, so much so that it landed itself 10 Oscar nominations upon its release. In the end, it took home the awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects – something which fans don’t take for granted as they dub it a ‘masterpiece’.
A review reads: “Technically perfect and with surprisingly well-done dramatic development. So fluid the way the drama layers are portrayed here. 1917 is peak cinema.”
Another added: “The way it’s shot makes every moment feel immediate, pulling you into the journey from start to finish. This was great!”
Although the praise doesn’t just come for the film’s cinematic feel, its cast has received well-deserved praise in their mission to bring this moving story to life. The cast is made up of George MacKay, Andrew Scott, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Madden.
Making note of this, a reviewer wrote: “Beautiful and haunting cinematography. The film appears to be taken in one shot, as if you’re with the main character throughout the film.
The film went on to win several Academy Awards (Image: Netflix)
“Incredible performances from the main characters William Schofield — played by George MacKay and Tom Blake — played by Dean-Charles Chapman. Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch made very timely appearances.”
A key element to this film, which makes it stand out as viewers claim to be hooked from “start to finish”, is the way it was intentionally crafted to appear as two continuous shots. The entire film feels very “immersive” as a result of this, and it’s the editor and cinematographer’s collaboration on this that allowed for the huge Oscar wins.
On the review site Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a high score of 88%, and it’s clear that people can’t help but come back to it all these years later for a rewatch. If you’re a fan of war stories, this is the perfect place to start when you’re next scrolling on streaming platforms, but it comes with a warning label, as people are left “haunted”.
The huge British war film that is 1917 is available to stream now on Netflix as well as Amazon Prime.