Directed By Edward Berger; Screenplay By Edward Berger, Ian Stokell, & Lesley Paterson; Starring Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Edin Hasanovic, Thibault de Montalembert, Devid Striesow, and Daniel Brühl.
Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front is set in the closing days of World War I. The story follows a 17-year-old German soldier named Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). After enlisting in the German Army with his friends, finds himself exposed to the realities of war, shattering his early hopes of becoming a hero.
For the third year in a row, we got what many people will consider to be a remake of a much lauded Best Picture winner. Although it’s not actually a remake, it's just a new adaptation of the original source material. There's a difference. In 2020, a new iteration of Daphne du Maurier's novel, Rebecca, came out 80 years after Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-winning adaptation. In 2021, a new iteration of Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, & Stephen Sondheim's stage musical, West Side Story, came out 60 years after Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins' Oscar-winning adaptation. Now, a new iteration of Erich Maria Remarque's novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, it out 92 years after Lewis Milestone's Oscar-winning adaptation.
I only saw the 1930 version of All Quiet on the Western Front once almost two years ago, so I’m not intimately familiar with it. Although I remember finding that movie to be a near masterpiece. As for this new film adaptation, it sadly doesn’t reach those heights to me. I don’t know if my thoughts are influenced by watching it on Netflix instead of in a theater or if the whole thing is overhyped by now, but from beginning to end, I was never emotionally invested.
I appreciated the filmmakers efforts to dive deeper into the story by adding a parallel plot tracking the armistice. However, it was still one of many things that made this very long. While the 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front did take time to tell its story, my experience of watching that really paid off by the end. With this iteration, the editing by Sven Budelmann really drags. The pacing makes this movie feel its two and a half hour duration.
That’s not to say there aren’t any quality aspects on display here. Under Edward Berger’s direction, everything is impeccably mounted. Christian M. Goldbeck production design recreates the battlefields of World War I and Germany of that era to excellent results. The cinematography by James Friend is impressive, especially during some brutal battle sequences. The sound work is incredible. I’ll also give credit to Felix Kammerer, who does a nice job as the main character.
Overall, I admire this adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Yet I don’t think it’s as good as many have said from all the acclaim it has received. At the end of the day, I definitely prefer Lewis Milestone’s film and hope to rewatch that sometime soon. If you're interested in watching this one, it is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 3/5
Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front is set in the closing days of World War I. The story follows a 17-year-old German soldier named Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). After enlisting in the German Army with his friends, finds himself exposed to the realities of war, shattering his early hopes of becoming a hero.
For the third year in a row, we got what many people will consider to be a remake of a much lauded Best Picture winner. Although it’s not actually a remake, it's just a new adaptation of the original source material. There's a difference. In 2020, a new iteration of Daphne du Maurier's novel, Rebecca, came out 80 years after Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-winning adaptation. In 2021, a new iteration of Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, & Stephen Sondheim's stage musical, West Side Story, came out 60 years after Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins' Oscar-winning adaptation. Now, a new iteration of Erich Maria Remarque's novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, it out 92 years after Lewis Milestone's Oscar-winning adaptation.
I only saw the 1930 version of All Quiet on the Western Front once almost two years ago, so I’m not intimately familiar with it. Although I remember finding that movie to be a near masterpiece. As for this new film adaptation, it sadly doesn’t reach those heights to me. I don’t know if my thoughts are influenced by watching it on Netflix instead of in a theater or if the whole thing is overhyped by now, but from beginning to end, I was never emotionally invested.
I appreciated the filmmakers efforts to dive deeper into the story by adding a parallel plot tracking the armistice. However, it was still one of many things that made this very long. While the 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front did take time to tell its story, my experience of watching that really paid off by the end. With this iteration, the editing by Sven Budelmann really drags. The pacing makes this movie feel its two and a half hour duration.
That’s not to say there aren’t any quality aspects on display here. Under Edward Berger’s direction, everything is impeccably mounted. Christian M. Goldbeck production design recreates the battlefields of World War I and Germany of that era to excellent results. The cinematography by James Friend is impressive, especially during some brutal battle sequences. The sound work is incredible. I’ll also give credit to Felix Kammerer, who does a nice job as the main character.
Overall, I admire this adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Yet I don’t think it’s as good as many have said from all the acclaim it has received. At the end of the day, I definitely prefer Lewis Milestone’s film and hope to rewatch that sometime soon. If you're interested in watching this one, it is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 3/5