All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front
Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march into a war they believe in. But once on the Western Front, they discover the soul-destroying horror of World War I.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 6, 2025
Stunning filmmaking. If there was ever streaming film that deserved a theatrical release on premium format screens, it is this. From the opening gorgeous frame, to the harrowing and chaotic action set-pieces, the claustrophobic trench warfare, and the tank sequences, there is so much to behold. The bombastic score blares in, jarringly at first, with a three note phrase followed by silence. This unresolved phrase is a recurring motif that creates this truly unsettling tension whenever it’s used throughout the film. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a score quite like it, particularly in a war film. It’s a bleak and relentless film experience depicting the Horrors of War and emphasizes the common War is Hell theme we’ve seen in similar films, but there is also a pronounced theme of futility that’s hammered home. Uniforms of the dead are thoroughly scrubbed, name tags removed, and issued to eager new recruits. Minutes before an agreed upon armistice, soldiers march forward to their deaths. Honestly, I was blown away by this film.