All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Review:

All Quiet on the Western Front is a 2022 German epic anti-war drama film directed by Edward Berger. Along with Berger, the film's screenplay was written by Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. It is produced by Amusement Park and distributed by Netflix. The film stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Adrian Grünewald, Edin Hasanovic, Devid Striesow, and Daniel Brühl.

"The film's story is set in the closing years of World War I. It follows the character Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) as he and his friends voluntarily enlist to join the German army. They dream of bringing honor to their country and becoming heroes by joining the war. With those dreams, Paul and his friends march enthusiastically into war, only to realize that those dreams are completely shattered. What they experienced instead were the realities of war and its horrors."

This is the third adaptation of the 1929 novel. The first film was released back in 1930, directed by Lewis Milestone. It was then adapted again in 1979, this time by Delbert Mann as a television film. War films are something that I will always have a soft spot for in all film genres. And so, when I saw the trailer for this film, I was actually really looking forward to it quite a bit. I thought the trailer looked pretty good. Also, I have seen the 1930 adaptation, which was an amazing film.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) is an amazing film. I thought it was a well-directed movie by Edward Berger. The performances are great. The overall tone of the movie is executed really well. In my opinion, the cinematography is fantastic, showing some really striking visuals. It is a very dark and sad film, with some really terrific atmosphere as well. It was such a powerful film that was able to show the horrors of war. Here are my thoughts on the movie:

Positives:
- It is a well-directed film. Edward Berger's overall direction of the movie is amazing. He was able to depict the horrors of war really well. capturing the dark tone of the movie. He was able to set the mood of its story really well, as well as present a lot of striking and horrifying visuals in the film.
- In terms of the overall acting, I thought the cast was able to give some solid performances. In my opinion, the actors here were able to convey their characters' emotions as they slowly suffered through the horrors of war. I also really liked how the movie uses German, which added a lot more realism to the overall film.
- In terms of the overall story, it was pretty solid. The film's storytelling was pretty consistent for the majority of the movie, showing two different perspectives on the war. In my opinion, the film also does a pretty solid job with its characters, showing us what they go through in the film and making us really sympathize with them.
- Tonally speaking, All Quiet on the Western Front is a very dark and sad film. The movie doesn't really hold back at showing the horrors of war, as the film is very violent. In my opinion, the film presents itself in a really terrifying way. Throughout its entire runtime, we see the characters here experience this nightmare, and the way it was executed was done really well.
- Speaking of the film showing the true horrors of war, this is also its main theme. showing how horrifying it really is. The movie does a great job at presenting itself as an anti-war film while also honoring the soldiers of that war. This is a movie that comes off as really powerful because of how it was able to present its subject matter.
- In terms of the overall setting in which this movie takes place, I think that it was presented really well. Again, the movie was able to execute its overall tone and its themes really well. Because of this, the film does feel pretty realistic. one that doesn't really hold back in my opinion.
- Visually, the movie is also really striking to look at. In my opinion, the film often shows gorgeous shots in its overall cinematography, while also capturing some horrifying aspects to it at the same time. In my opinion, the cinematography here was able to set the tone for the overall film as well as create some pretty solid atmosphere.
- The score is composed by Volker Bertelmann, and I was honestly surprised at how solid it was. I honestly didn't expect to like the overall score of the movie. It was loud and haunting at the same time. Much like the cinematography, the score here was also able to set the film's atmosphere.
- The movie has some really amazing battle sequences, which thankfully don't feel glorified. Like I have mentioned earlier, because of how the film was able to set up its overall tone, themes, and atmosphere, a lot of the battle sequences here still felt close to those aspects. I thought it was well-directed, well-shot, and again showed the true horror of war.
- Aside from the ones that I have mentioned, the film does have a lot of really solid scenes. After watching it, the movie honestly left me rather speechless. This is a movie that definitely left a very strong impression on me, especially on what it was able to show in its overall message.

Negatives:
- As for my issues with the film, there aren't really any major ones if I'm being completely honest. The only nitpick that I can pinpoint is that because the movie has quite a long runtime, there are some aspects where the overall pacing can feel a bit inconsistent. Every now and then, there were some scenes that felt a bit slow.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) is a fantastic and powerful film. This is a movie that left a strong impression on me and was able to leave me truly speechless after watching it. It is a well-directed film by Edward Berger. His overall direction for the movie is really solid. He was able to capture not only the setting for the movie but also its tone and overall atmosphere really well. Speaking of its overall tone, the film doesn't really hold back on what it tries to show.

This is a very dark and sad film that is able to show the true horrors of war. The film doesn't really glorify itself, as everything it shows feels realistic in my opinion. Everything surrounding it felt terrifying, especially from our characters' perspectives. The movie does an excellent job of presenting its overall theme and message. Not only does this film do an excellent job at showing the horrors of war, but it also presents itself as an anti-war film, honoring the soldiers from that war.

In terms of the overall cast, I thought they did a really good job here because overall, it is a solidly acted film. I really liked a lot of the performances in this movie. In my opinion, the overall story and characters here were also handled really well. I thought the film did a great job of making us sympathize with its characters. Visually, the overall movie looks really amazing as well. The cinematography was able to show some really stunning and horrifying shots at the same time.

The overall score here was also really good, as both the cinematography and score were able to create a lot of atmosphere. My only issue is that there are some aspects where the overall pacing feels a bit slow. That being said, it didn't really bother me that much, as I still think that this film is amazing. It has terrific battle sequences as well as some really solid scenes. This movie is just truly amazing and powerful, as it ends up being one of my favorite films of the year.

9.5/10

What are your thoughts?