1917 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (import)

In the midst of the hectic battles of World War I, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are given a seemingly impossible mission...

Language

English: Dolby Atmos

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

Subtitles

English SDH, Spanish

Review

Sound 5/5

What grabbed me most about the film was the music and sound; the whole sound mix was just great! The sound made you feel like you were part of the film instead of just an observer on the outside.

The music grabbed me, it followed the tempo of the film perfectly, it was like a sidekick to the hero, that's how important the music is in the film.

The sound effects, especially when our hero was about to cross a broken bridge and a bullet was fired and bounced away, and I bounced about a meter up on the sofa, you were so immersed in the film, completely engrossed. When they went into the trenches, you could hear sounds coming from all channels, you could hear people talking, moving, you were transported into the trench in a dramatic way. Blade Runner 2049 in terms of conveying sound (probably because it has a lot of sound in the lower frequencies, which I like).

This was an adventure that even my ears enjoyed.

I would have liked more sound in the lower frequencies, but that probably wouldn't have been a credible experience.

Image 5/5

What makes this film different is that it is filmed as a single long scene, in a very good way. It would be wrong not to mention this, but it is not what makes the image so great. However, what caught my eye, if I may use that expression, was the following.

The way the camera panned from a shot in front to one behind in a very entertaining way, when they went underground at the German trenches, it was filmed from behind, giving the image enormous depth.

At the same time, in another scene, our hero was filmed from the front as he jumped into a crater, and we got to experience what he was experiencing: what is he jumping into now, what awaits him here?

The only negative for me is that the image is not topped by the sound, and the image is really top notch!

Story 4/5

Since the film is shot in one take, you can't expect it to be Hollywood action all the way through, but it slowed down the pace and built up in a good way. it was an exciting plot and well written, I don't know how they managed to fit so much into a single "scene."

George MacKay's performance (Scofield) was absolutely fantastic. You somehow formed a personal bond with him. It was a brilliant performance and, as I've mentioned repeatedly in this review, he followed the film's pace perfectly and you connected with him.

What makes me shoot down this film is the performances of the others. Mark Strong felt completely miscast, and I thought his performance was very flat. Sure, he only had a few minutes of screen time, but you could have asked for more here.

Dean-Charles Capman (Blake) struck me more as a whiny little boy; I found his character and the way he played it to be somewhat unbelievable. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I didn't connect with him in the same way that MacKay did. Without trying to spoil anything, I just didn't feel for him.

In summary, 4.5/5

This film grabs you in an iron grip and doesn't let go until it's over. It's an absolutely fantastic journey for both the eyes and ears. MacKay's performance was absolutely fantastic, and I'll be keeping my eyes on this man in the future.

A differently filmed movie, exciting and with great tempo changes that could go fast and build up slowly. Thumbs up to director Sam Mendes for making this movie this way.

But for those of you who are expecting a Hollywood action film where explosions are followed by screams and more explosions, you will be disappointed. This is more of a realistic World War I film adaptation, and I appreciate that.