Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)

This movie uses a small, albeit cute, story as a vehicle to portray the absolute violence and cruelty of war. The reason Spielberg is a master is because he doen't have to 'Spike Lee' his movies to nail a hidden message or theme through the viewers. SPR is an in your face absolutely astounding visual and audio presentation of war at it's bloodiest and ugliest!

I would venture to guess that most people, including myself, buy this DVD after having seen the movie so the Mid-Western plotline should be no surprise.

If you want a movie with stupid messages, twisted history and a RIDICULOUS plot then please wait till Pearl Harbour comes out on DVD, but, if you want a movie depicting war in it's purest form then SPR is a must have!~


A new LOW standard in war films.   July 9, 2001
 17 out of 33 found this review helpful

I find that this film is a clear example of what Mr. Spielberg does best: Manage a lot of resources very effectively and use the latest technologies to bring us some compelling images, more because of the sheer size of what we see than the subtlety with which it is presented. The D-day landings at the beginning of this film are indeed impressive, and the realism is admirable. The evolution of war films over a century of cinema has shown that every twenty years the action scenes become more explicit, although in my opinion not more shocking. Thus without taking any credit away from Spielberg for his magnificent orchestration of the action scenes, it must be said that showing people picking up their guts is not a novel concept. However Spielberg does lack the moral objectiveness and respect for the audience's intelligence that is very much appreciated when an ethical dilemma is presented like in this film. His insistence in telling us what to think is very uncomfortable, especially in the opening and closing scenes, which suffers from the same over the top sentimentalism which has plagued his cinema. The film overall is a mediocre war drama, with amazing action sequences, sub-standard character development, below-average performances, too much American moral propaganda and too few new ideas for it to deserve the attention it got. It is well worth watching in a big screen, but if you really want a W.W.II masterpiece go watch The Longest Day...


Great special effects, but what about the movie?   July 9, 2001
 7 out of 20 found this review helpful

The battle scenes were spectacular, featuring the special effects as the true star of the film. Sadly, however, Saving Private Ryan was a real letdown offering very little thereafter. There is not much in the form of character or story development. Viewers won't be surprised by what transpires at the end. The film's title pretty much gives away what little plot there is. During shooting of SPR, Steven Spielberg stated that he wanted to portray the Germans in a more compassionate and humane light, something which he felt was lacking in previous WWII movies. Instead, what we get is a bunch of crazed Huns looking as though they are preparing for target practice on Jews. SPR was also plagued by numerous inaccuracies and anachronisms.... The Normandy invasion scene doesn't look Normandy, but Ireland which was where they shot that sequence. The part of the scared French girl was played by an Irish actress, and it showed. Her pronunciation of French with an Irish accent was so bad that even my French mother-in-law couldn't understand her. Where were the non-white American GI's, as bravely pointed out by a previous user? And, what were Korean War-era Tanks doing in the middle of WWII? Factor in all these elements and you end up with a very boring, unbelievable story one hour longer than it needed to be. As various Republican members in congress have been quoted of saying in their assault on Hollywood, "Steven Spielberg doesn't make good movies. He only makes big hits."


Tha movie was an experience to remember.   July 7, 2001
Tha movie was an educational film with a story that makes you think about the tragedy and triumph of WWII. Tha movie is stretched out just a bit and goes downhill after the first hour, but tha whole movie is classic. This movie is in my top five movies because it shows how D-Day looked in the closest of reality it could, which is hard to do. Even if you don't want to see this movie, you still should.


The great man-child goes to war   July 6, 2001
 8 out of 22 found this review helpful

Evryones favorite man-child brings us his bizarre take on World War 2 and its not pretty. OK let me get this straight it was a WORLD war right. Apparently through my schooling i have been terribly lied to. I had no idea Americans single handidly won the war. And boy those Germans are some real cut ups. Mickey Mouse, Betty Grable what gams! Are you not listening to the campy B-movie dialogue in this god awful film? Speilberg needs to stop milking serious events for his own profit. Speilberg the savior of human kind. He's so caring. The Color Purple, Schindlers list, and now this. We must immediatly begin building of a spielberg temple, statues must be erected in his honor for all that he's done for us. He deserves a real pat on the back.