When many think about war films, they will think of the violence, the blood, and the jarring visual and auditory realism, and rightfully so. And even though ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ has each and every one of those characteristics, they aren’t the reason I love the film. In fact, you could argue I love the film for the exact opposite reasons. 

I love the film, because of the scenes where there is none of those stereotypical characteristics of what makes a war film “great.”  I love the film for the quiet and peaceful moments, where each and every character feels like a lifelong friend, and so many different emotions are provoked. I love ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ because it isn’t afraid to be human. To be quiet. 

‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ was released onto Netflix in late October and was directed by Edward Berger. The film is absolutely astonishing and successfully filled the shoes of the legendary book it was based off of, which was published in December of 1928 and written by the legendary author, Erich Maria Remarque, which changed the way the world viewed war. The book was so popular because of the way it gave a face to the millions of men that died in World War 1 and wasn’t afraid to face the truth. 

This was especially brought to life in the movie. Throughout the movie we are placed in fields or camps, the mostly loud and bass heavy soundtrack goes quiet, and the only noises we really hear are the characters themselves, whether it is them speaking, eating, singing, or just taking in a deep breath. These scenes, in my opinion, are where the movie thrives. It’s scenes like these where the tremendous acting from people like Felix Kammerer or Daniel Brühl truly thrive. It’s scenes like these where the characters are brought to life and the audience is captured by the story. It’s these scenes that make the outcome of the story so emotionally heavy and impactful. 

All together, I think this film is an absolute masterpiece in all aspects of film. The acting, cinematography, writing, directing, and soundtrack is all perfect. In my opinion, this is the best movie I’ve seen so far this year and deserves every award it gets, and more. I highly recommend this movie to everyone, whether they like war films or not. This film not only brought the all time classic book to life, it has changed the way I think about wars and conflicts as a whole. Every second of the 2 hour and 23 minute movie feels worth it.