6. 1917

I'm going to start this off really bluntly, I don't like war films. It is going to sound SO stupid but they are too realistic for me and I just can't handle it in most cases. HOWEVER, I was going to the cinema to see Parasite and I had seen literally everything else that was being shown bar 1917 (we are talking months ago) so I decided I may as well see this too!

I won't lie, I am so glad I did as beside making me cry like the wuss I am, it was also really familiar to me. That statement sounds equally as stupid as of course it will be familiar clips of this war are circulating every day to remember our heroes, and it's a true story so of course I'm going to know about it. I mean familiar in the sense that the story was personal to me, I was supposed to be there living this in Dover cinema, yes I did let out a small victory fist pump every time they mentioned Dover, I ain't ashamed. 

On a side note, I also got very excited when I spotted a face I recognised. Mr Gerran Howell only has a small part but it was enough for me to feel proud. Those of you who grew up with me will know I was (still am) a massive fan of Young Dracula, and it was brilliant to see a face so close to me back on the screen. Also if anyone knows of a place I can buy Young Dracula on DVD I will be forever grateful as I have dug deep on the internet and cannot find series 2,3 or 5 for sale anywhere! Drop me a comment on here, insta or twitter, much love.

 Moving on from my fellow Welshman (I got some Welsh kin, surprised me when I found out too, that's why my accent is all over the place). So picture this, I'm driving away from the cinema, Dover Castle is in my rear view mirror and I am OVERCOME with emotion. Literally shook. I remember back when I saw Dunkirk and there was this whole Dynamo experience there and I had goosebumps because wow, but this time it was different. Being a loner, this time round I had gone to the cinema on my toddlett and so had to wait until I went back to work to talk about it with my friend Ry. My god this film is powerful! I just couldn't help looking back and feeling so proud that I was so close to a place which housed so man brave men. Despite obviously, 1917 being relative to the first war.

I actually expected to switch to different soldiers POV throughout the film, but we just follow one and his adventure through loss and fighting and the general elements. He ends up alone, he is wounded, but he makes it, and if that doesn't inspire hope I actually don't know what will. They sent him knowingly on a suicide mission and he beat the damn odds. I don't know about anyone else but films like this make me feel really proud. I can't really explain it but this sort of thing just inspires me so feel proud in the knowledge that we beat the odds as the English nation. We survived and for a little while the world seemed like a brighter place, it is just a shame that so much blood had to be spilled. I wonder if those who lost their lives could say the same of us, would the be proud of what we have become? I doubt it.

Not to be so political I am going to move on. I don't actually have a bad thing to say about 1917, admittedly because I can't remember a lot of it being well before the pandemic. The emotions it stirred stuck with me though, and I feel grateful and appreciate things a lot more than I used to. I think it takes a really good film to make you reevaluate your life like that, it has to shock you in order to make you see you are one of the lucky ones. Unlike Dark Waters which I went to a premiere of, that shocked me in a different way and also made me reevaluate my life. I went mainly because I work for a water company and it seemed educational at the time. Well I was certainly right, it's a true story might I add and I now am VERY careful about what I put in my body. The subject angers me so I will review that film for my rant instead rather than tarnishing this one.

You know how in some films they make main characters more attractive so it hits more of a demographic? They didn't in this one. I'm going to again draw a comparison to Dunkirk. I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but the casting of Harry Styles definitely helped sell the movie, don't get me wrong he was really good in it and I was convinced and even hated him a little bit when he went off on that French lad, but I can't help but put a lot of the box office success down to his fans. All I saw for a long time on instagram were fans going wild. My point is there wasn't any of that for this one (apart from me fangirling due to Gerran), there was no pretty boys, no overly attractive men to draw my eye. Just big names lost in a big story, the best of the best to convince me that this is real, and this is dangerous. It was messy, it was unappealing, and through this it was so much better. All the angles, the POV shots, the silence from the bombs, we were living through our main character, and it is blatantly obvious I do not know his name and I am not looking him up as I am actually supposed to be doing my day job...sorry.

So on that note then, I'm going to give 1917 a brave 9/10 making it my highest rated review so far. It was beautiful in a harsh reality kind of way. It was cinematic, hardcore, and completely reflective of life during the war. And if watching it doesn't at least make your heart twinge a little or make you appreciate how lucky we really are, then you have a cold, cold heart my friend. In fear of ending on a downer, I want you all to stay safe, be happy, and live your lives to the max! All my love, Hwyl! (Bye).