Achtung! Major Spoilers Ahead!
Hey all,
So, what did you guys think about the new movie: Flags of Our Fathers? In my opinion, it was a great movie. To start off, the movie's "eye candy" looked really cool, including the computer-generated animations of the battleships firing their main guns and the interior view of the planes strafing Mt. Suribachi. I thought that the landings also looked really authentic when you compare them with actual landing photos and films. The "landing beach" which was in Iceland is seemlessly blended into the computer-generated Mt. Suribachi in the backround. "Eye candy" aside, I thought the movie told the stories of the Flag Raisers, all of the flag raisers, really well, especially how we all basically, but somewhat unknowingly, capitalized on their tragity to raise money for the war. I was hoping the 1st Flag Raising would be mentioned, and I was not dissapointed. It is not neglected at all. The story-telling throughout the entire movie is just beautiful. The story flip-flops between the battle and events after the battle ended. Some people might think this is confuing, but if you know enough about the battle, you should be able to stay on top of the story.
Improvements that could be made are pretty minor. I think the sound quality could have been better (this may or may not have been because of the sound quality in the theatre). The battle scenes and some of the dialouge seemed kind of quiet. Also, when Iwo Jima is being bombarded, the main characters are standing on the deck of a troopship and are completely unaffected by the concussions of 16in. guns of battleships that are only 2000yds. away (approximately?). In the scene where the 3 surviving Flag Raisers meet President Truman, "Doc" Bradley isn't using crutches, like he was in real life (see the photograph during the credits). I think this was done to hide the fact that "Doc" Bradley was wounded until the very end of the movie. Also some of the explosions (such as the one that kills Mike Strank) seemed a little small for the caliber of shells that caused them.
Overall, this is a very good movie, one you really start to appreciate once you leave the theatre. After the movie ended, practically everyone in my theatre started to leave as soon as the credits started to roll. Then the picture of the real "Doc" Bradley appeared on the screen and everybody stopped. They stood where they were and watched the rest of the photo-montage until the credits ended. The shot of the memorial on Iwo Jima with all of its klinking dogtags was really moving.
Bottom Line: No Spoilers
This is a fantastic, accurate movie which not only tells its story very well, but also does so in a moving, reverant fashion. This movie desearves to go to be ranked with other great WWII movies like Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and Stalingrad. I believe this movie is a good tribute to not only the men who served in Iwo Jima but in WWII as a whole. See it, if you haven't already.
Hey all,
So, what did you guys think about the new movie: Flags of Our Fathers? In my opinion, it was a great movie. To start off, the movie's "eye candy" looked really cool, including the computer-generated animations of the battleships firing their main guns and the interior view of the planes strafing Mt. Suribachi. I thought that the landings also looked really authentic when you compare them with actual landing photos and films. The "landing beach" which was in Iceland is seemlessly blended into the computer-generated Mt. Suribachi in the backround. "Eye candy" aside, I thought the movie told the stories of the Flag Raisers, all of the flag raisers, really well, especially how we all basically, but somewhat unknowingly, capitalized on their tragity to raise money for the war. I was hoping the 1st Flag Raising would be mentioned, and I was not dissapointed. It is not neglected at all. The story-telling throughout the entire movie is just beautiful. The story flip-flops between the battle and events after the battle ended. Some people might think this is confuing, but if you know enough about the battle, you should be able to stay on top of the story.
Improvements that could be made are pretty minor. I think the sound quality could have been better (this may or may not have been because of the sound quality in the theatre). The battle scenes and some of the dialouge seemed kind of quiet. Also, when Iwo Jima is being bombarded, the main characters are standing on the deck of a troopship and are completely unaffected by the concussions of 16in. guns of battleships that are only 2000yds. away (approximately?). In the scene where the 3 surviving Flag Raisers meet President Truman, "Doc" Bradley isn't using crutches, like he was in real life (see the photograph during the credits). I think this was done to hide the fact that "Doc" Bradley was wounded until the very end of the movie. Also some of the explosions (such as the one that kills Mike Strank) seemed a little small for the caliber of shells that caused them.
Overall, this is a very good movie, one you really start to appreciate once you leave the theatre. After the movie ended, practically everyone in my theatre started to leave as soon as the credits started to roll. Then the picture of the real "Doc" Bradley appeared on the screen and everybody stopped. They stood where they were and watched the rest of the photo-montage until the credits ended. The shot of the memorial on Iwo Jima with all of its klinking dogtags was really moving.
Bottom Line: No Spoilers
This is a fantastic, accurate movie which not only tells its story very well, but also does so in a moving, reverant fashion. This movie desearves to go to be ranked with other great WWII movies like Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and Stalingrad. I believe this movie is a good tribute to not only the men who served in Iwo Jima but in WWII as a whole. See it, if you haven't already.
).
And may I extend to you, my deepest sympathy to you and yours for the loss of your father. May they rest in peace, and may we always remember them and live up to the high standards and values that they taught us. A sincere thank you also to K98 man.
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