Zach Gallegos’s review published on Letterboxd:
How heartbreaking it is that so many young men were led to believe that war is a heroic and honorable thing, only to be confronted by the carnage and destruction that it truly is. Wars are started by the wealthy but fought by the common man, and it is we that pay the price. At the end of the day, there are no winners in war.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a crushing look at the horrors of the First World War. As flawless a war film as I’ve ever seen, though the term anti-war film is more fitting. It will rip your heart out and there will be no apologies. A dreadful atmosphere hangs over the entire film, from the grimy shots of life in the trenches to a heavy score that weighs on the viewer.
We are constantly reminded that there is no glory on the battlefield, only dead comrades. Even our enemies are nothing more than people with families back home, earnestly waiting for the day they can reunite. Devastating in every sense of the word.
