Hmm, good/bad/lackluster - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Well, I myself, was a little disappointed with the movie. It seems all Steven wanted to do is capture our attention with shock, awe, chaos, and death. Meanwhile the story suffered, The only historically accurate scene was the beginning of Normandy, Omaha Beach. Even then, his minds portait of a group of 15 guys single handedly making it up the beach and dissarming the MG42's was a little dumb. The visuals no doubt were good, and there were ample scenes filled with fire-fights and "heroic" risks. 50/50, only for people who focus on action and not realism

D-day relived! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

A strong and epic story. Spielberg hit a major chord with this film. Brilliantly portrayed and carried out. At times you feel that you yourself are on that battefield with them. Not to mention the accuracy of battlefield encounters. I read a recent review and did research and interviewing. I found that most veterans feel this movie (TIME/Newsweek)depicts the authenticity of a war. Interviewing actual RANGER veterans claim it to detail excerpts from their memories. Moving on, the camera moves as though you are running with the infantry trying to find this Ryan character. Worth watching and buying!

The truth behind "saving private ryan" - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

The first half-hour of the film was entertaining. It gave me a glims of what happen on Omaha Beach. Afterward, the movie became more of one person perspective of what happen after D-Day. Personality Steven Spielberg, didn't do his homework on the intensity of the german's infantry. The majority of the U.S soldiers that landed on Omaha Beach weren't superhuman, as catorgorizes in "Saving Private Ryan"; they were all "Green" to the battle field. For the people that don't know what "Green" mean; it describing that someone has no on field battle experience. These soldiers had to confront the best of what the German army had to offer. They confronted the elite Panzer, as well as the elite Werhmark divisions. Not to mention; the Luffwaffe that devastated the troops, using Stuka Dive Bombers. Also the use of superior technology such as the ME162 jet figthers, inflicted heavy casualties. The only reason why the United States won the war, was due to the over whelming supplies of materials. not to mention; the German's were a very formatable fighting force. To prove that point, was in the "Battle of the Rhine." U.S troops again was told by their field commanders, that they were going to confront a demoralized German War Machine, filled with conscripts without any on field battle experience. On the contrary the U.S troops sent to battle the Germans were "Green." The U.S was so close to losing that battle due to the fact they had no air support, and they were fighting against one of the elite Werhmark Divisions. So, which brings me back to my main point as to why this motion picture should be catogorized as "Hollywood." Speilberg epic adventure into making a believable war movie, based on historial facts, fails to reach it realism after the Omaha Beach scene. Also, I can understand why he demonized the German's in this war film, since he is a Jew. The acting was questionable, the direction fell off after the first 30 minutes into the film, and the story became very tiresome. In real life the U.S Army isn't going to spend their resources trying to save a Private Ryans, unless they are within the vicinity of the soldier, who is in destress. The only bright spot on this film is the visual effects.

Not for squimish - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This was very good movie but it is not meant for the squimish. Very real...very true actions, but when you see it on film it seems as if you was there when all of this happened

Nothing saves private ryan - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

One of the most over-rated films of all time, this story steals every cliche from every WW2 film ever made and stitches them together with flashy photography that tries to mask itself as a new film.

Iron-clad - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

I am a man, when i saw this movie i could'nt help but to shed tears. This is the second movie that has ever made me cry. This was completely stunning, jaw dropping, shocking, it will hit your heart most definantly. Especialy the beggining sequence. It was just a mass murder. Fish in a bucket if you please. I only saw a couple of errors. But i am a war buff, i dont think an average person would notice. This movie is outstanding to say the least. But one thing that stuck out. Eight guys to go save one man to bring home. They find him, he refuses to leave. So they decide to stay and fight with the very small platoon that he is in. So all together it was 20 against over 100 + they had high calibre weapons and tanks. Hmmmmmm i wonder who will win?? You guessed it, the 20 americans. The problem was, in the whole battle you see 30 allies drop but there were more that just pop up. Other than that the movie was great it should have gotten an A+. Go rent it now!! Heck, go buy it!!

A moving film - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Overall John Williams has come up with a subtle and nice score. I must be honest: I had heard some bad rap about this particular work by Williams, so I approached the purchasing of this score somewhat cautiously.... However when I got home and got a chance to listen to it a few times I really discovered that it was quite charming. I suppose it's wrong to say charming considering the weight of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. It definitely gets the point across. The music is used only where necessary in the film... a good call on part of Steven Spielberg. Williams reflects on the true heart and spirit of the soldier. In the first and last cues: HYMN TO THE FALLEN, and HYMN TO THE FALLEN (REPRISE) he evokes the kind of power and emotion that he's known for. The rest of the score after that takes somewhat of a dip though.... And this acts as my only type of criticism for this piece. It is a little anathematic at times supported only by slinky clarinets and low strings, a little boring in the middle, and that is only added to by the length of many of the cues. However in the end cues #9 and #10 are big pick ups for the score. #9 acts as my favorite cue reprising the main theme and adding a new twist to it, it's very interesting and has an ending that always gives me the Goosebumps... it's haunting in it's simplicity... which is how I can sum up the ENTIRE SCORE! "Haunting in its simplicity"

Steven is back and better - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

One of the most important event's in history is WWII. Steven puts you up front and personal with it. It's not so much of the action( witch there is ton's of) but it also makes us appreciate the men who fought for out country. This movie is very intense, when i saw it, it felt like i was right there with Hanks. Theis is deffentally Oscar-Worthy.

Best movie ever - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This has got to be the best movie ever. Everyone should see this movie because of the history behind this and it shows what these men had to go through.This is number 1 on my list.

How can shakespeare beat this - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This movie has by far the best action sequences I have ever seen. Even though I have never experienced war, I feel like I'm actually in the action. Whenever somebody died, they had to say that it was terrible, and then move on. Otherwise, they would get shot. These people who had never met anyone in their squad before, would have to come together and overcome countless odds. It is a compassionate movie filled with unforgettable scenes (TV Guide had the Normandy scene in the beginning as the #1 most memorable scene in movie history).

Actual footage from d-day - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This is absolutely the best war movie ever. This is 100% one of Speilbergs top five. To me I thought it was real footage from D-Day.

Historically inaccurate!!! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

For starter Pvt. Ryan was a British Tank Commander. Not a 101st Airborne Division Paratrooper.Rangers only landed on omaha beach because of miss landings. There main objective was Point Due Hoc. F.Y.I.! Besides , in the movie (lets just pretend pvt. ryan was with what the movie said he was) if hes telling the satory HOW WOULD HE KNOW what was happening with what was going on a Omaha beach ( movie says he was an Amer. Para.) And how would he know thatthe army was looking for him. Or what happened in between.Plus it was a priest that went out to find him! The only thing that was good about this movie was the acting excelent! And the graphics ( blood spating up, explosions going off, etc) The truth was that hollywood made all this crap up because they had to make it all full of killing, 'cause they know just as well as I do that most people dont know nothing about WWII all people want to see about a war movie is the killing and other action. So if your a WWII buff don't see this it's an up set. If action matters more to you be my guest enjoy it! But don't say that my review didn't help. See the movie anyway you'll be thanking me in the end! Thats a Fact! Sincerely WWII Genuise

Melodrama - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

I am tempted to trash this movie because of all the pathetic ratings claiming this to be the best war movie of all time. It is actually pretty good, typical Spielberg mass-market melodrama (and yes, with an appallingly one-sided perspective). But you have seen it already, right?? Before getting all emotional, think about the far-fetched premise of the movie (and don't say it was based on a real story, the Sullivan brothers story is different after the fisrt line), the silly fight between the (previously released) diabolical German and the Jewish US soldier, etc. Then go see some other good war films (Gallipoli and Das Boot are among my favorites). If you are objective and over 18, my guess is you will agree that SPR will not stand the test of time.

"spr" sinks after the first half hour. - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

"Saving Private Ryan" is one of those well-meaning movies you hate to give a bad review, but sadly this movie is notable only for its opening 25 minutes of action as the American forces storm Omaha Beach amid blazing machine-gun fire on D-Day. Most of the battle scenes are strong with excellent visuals, but the final fight scene is disgusting to anyone with knowledge of WWII that is not corrupted by American propaganda. Movies with 'supermen' for American soldiers are not hard to come by, but they have no place in WWII movies that are supposedly based on actual events. Sadly, this could have been a brillant film had the producers attempted to give a more realistic ending than a patriotic one. Overall, this movie was very diappointing, and if 'SPR' didn't have the opening 25 minute battle scene of Onaha Beach (which pertains little to storyline), I would've given the movie a 'D-.'

An epic war tale - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This movie really has great everything. IT shows us youngens how our country fought for our freedom and gives us some idea of what it was like. For the older people it lets them remember how they saved us from Nazi Germany.

Janusz kaminski flawless cinematography! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Mesmerizing and absolutely outstanding. In the first 30mins of this film director Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski delivered D-day invasion which took place on June 6th 1944 during World War 2, when allied forces landed in Normandy, northern France. What can be described as a full blooded massacre of onslaught carnage depicted with meticulous cinematography and in-depth camera techniques. From the aftermath of the dreaded battle, the film general storyline which was based on a true story and overall acting is circumspect if not ordinary to the least. With a languished cast of mediocre performances that include Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper and a host of others that don?t necessarily need mentioning. Saving Private Ryan won five Academy Awards, as Steven Spielberg received his second Oscar [Schindler?s List 1993] for Directing, Janusz Kaminski also received his second [Schindler?s List 1993] Oscar for Cinematography, Michael Kahn third [Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1981, Schindler?s List 1993] for Editing, Ron Jenkins/Andy Nelson/Gary Rydstorm/Gary Summers for Sound and Richard Hymns [Jurassic Park 1993]/Gary Rydstorm [Jurassic Park 1993] for Sound Effects Editing.

Powerful and touching - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Saving Private Ryan is one of the best movies I have everseen, you feel like your about to cry from the first minute, even before Omaha Beach, which just happens to be the best staged battle scene I have everseen in a movie, it was perfect.

Enthralling film - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This was arguably the best world war II film ever. Tom Hanks gave a jaw dropping perfomance as Captain John Miller. It was not just him though, it was the whole ensamble. Matt Damon was the perfect person to play private ryan. I have personally seen the film over 20 times and it never gets boring because there's always something that you have missed. The movie score the extremely moving. It kinda brought the film to life. I recomend this for anyone who likes war films and even for those that don't. 4 stars

Realistic war - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Very realistic war movie but also very good. What would you expect though with Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg? The story of them going to save Private Ryan for his mother's sake was good and I liked how the first Private Ryan they found was not the right one...that would have been too unrealistic. I also liked how it flowed. It could have easily broken into a bunch of scenes but it looked like only about 5 different scenes the whole movie. The acting was incredible...but then again, it's Tom Hanks and he hasn't dissapointed me yet. Directing, I have a similar response - it's Steven Spielberg. They really hit the nail on the head with how they portrayed war. This and Black Hawk Down are the two most realistic war movies. I would recommend this to anyone, except keep in mind it's a little violent in some places, especially the Invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy. Definitely an A+ movie in every category. Well done Spielberg.

A review on saving private ryan - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

I have only ever cried at three films. You could say I have a hard heart, but honestly I just find it hard to connect with a film so much as to feel as if I'm really there. Out of the three films I have cried at 2 featured Tom Hanks, and 2 were war films. I am seeing a pattern emerging here. Saving Private Ryan was the best film I have seen this year easily. The story was brilliant; it's a heart-wrenching endevour to save a mother the loss of 4 sons and follows the journey of 8 soldiers who are chosen to undertake the mission of retrieving Private Ryan from the battlefield. Dropped somewhere in Normandy, after flying in with the one hundred and firsts, finding Private Ryan is like "finding a needle in a pile of needles." Each member of the search party has their own opinions of the mission, and has to face them head on, with bravery and courage. The film features many grussome images which may deter people from watching it, but if they were not included, it wouldn't be the same film. As Spielberg said, 'war isn't glamerous' and without the amazing effects and sounds, this film wouldn't be a war film anymore. These bloody scenes, of deaths and violence are what makes Saving Private Ryan a cut above Pearl Harbour, another film I cried at. In Saving Private Ryan, I can actually see, smell and feel war, feel the destruction, feel the agony. However in Pearl Harbour it is more the twist in the story line at the end which is sad. Plus Josh Hartnett is extremely fit and it isn't really fair for his character. I find the special effects in Saving Priavte Ryan amazing which is probably why it received so many oscars including Cinematography, Film editing, Sound and Sound Effects Editing. Personally I think the ending was amazing... unexpected on the surface, but deep down you knew it would happen. The most moving part... other than the end, was the sequence of events at the radar station, which had me, and my friend, in floods of tears. The acting in this film is magnificent. Tom Hanks does the film justice, and I have always felt he is an amazing actor and am thoroughly looking forward to The Terminal coming out on thursday. I also felt that Tom sizemore (Seargeant Horvath) and Giovanni Ribisi (T/4 Medic Wade) were brilliant and I thoroughly believed their roles. However I think the film would have not have been the same without the brilliant cast and everyone was outstanding. Overall, a thoroughly brilliant film, I'd recommend it to anybody. My advice is bear with the first 20 minutes, don't let yourself be put off, the violence is integral to the film, and by the end, it will be one of your favourite films aswel. Felicity Butler

An epic film, an epic portrayal - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

If not one of the greatest films of all time, certainly one that has created such an epic, harsh depiction of hell as a battlefield. The visuals are stunning, jawdroppingly terrifying. The characters performances are so strong, so compelling, so moving, that one cannot help but like this movie. It invokes such a strong feeling of horror, sight, and wonder that one cannot help but cringe and recoil at the humanity and splendor. Spielberg scores a knockout with this epic. Tom Hanks and Matt Damon's performances are rock solid. Quite simply, this is the must see movie of 1998. Enjoy.

Saving private speilberg - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

WOW! This film was unbelieveable. what really got me going was the first 30 min. of the movie. How Steven recreated D-Day made me feel unbelieveably impressed how movies can be made. This is a movie worht seeing!!!!!!!!! Keep it coming Speilberg!

Saving private ryan - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

The greatest danger for eight men was saving just one. It's the most powerful movie made all time! It's the best war movie yet! Tom Hanks performance is unforgetabble! This movie should have won more than five oscars! Steven is born to direct! You can't take your eyes off this movie! Five stars straight. I recommend that you'll like it!

The best war movie out there - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Saving Private Ryan is the best war movie out there!!!! It has everything that you would expect in a movie of its kind!!! Tom Hanks does an incredible job of acting!! The story is a little strange(i won't ruin it for you)but the acting and other things make up for it!! Overall an incredible movie!!! This is a must see!!!!

The best war movie in years - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This film is Spielbergs most amazing film, showing all its viewers the pain and suffering of war. we all remember the man with his guts hanging out screaming for his mother, showing how powerful this movie really is. every second of this movie is nearly perfect, every scene is essential to making this movie as gripping and moving as it is. hanks and burns are excellent, while damon and sizemore play their roles nicely. this movie, which is not for the faint hearted, is the best war movie in the past 30 years. It even made me cry at the end, and believe me it takes a great movie to make me cry

A mosaic of every wwii movie made - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

We all heard about the first 20 minutes of this film. Accolades all around, no doubt, it was amazing footage. But we still had two more hours to go. The script was subpar, it took the real life tragedy of the Sullivan Brothers and mixed it with several fictional movies, "Battlefield" is a prime example and a lot of "Saving Private Ryan" stole like mad from that original gem. We all know Tom Hanks was doomed the moment he sputtered out the the line, "I just want to go home and be with my wife and kids." We also knew that each guy who took off his helmet with a sigh of relief was doomed also. I guess the predictability of this movie was its eventual downfall. We were also blessed with another flick with Matt Damon's boyish smile that was already getting a little stale by the time this movie was made. All in all this movie was not that great of a movie. So I think it is over rated.

Awesome - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Saving private ryan was one of my all time favorite movies. it tells about world war two very descriptively. some world war two veterans even said how close it was to the actual war! i strongly ebcourage you to see it if you havent yet. My rating: A+

A movie we don't need... - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

The movie is nothing but a dummy package. Under the guise of a feigned authenticity - the construction of unreflecting patriotism, tear-jerking worship of heroes, a naive black-and-white portrayal and a pathetic "good against evil" mentality - it does not leave a doubt that only a dead German is a good German. Tom Hanks and the folks gathering around him may do a good job, but still cannot avoid the old clich鸴Captain Miller's colorful troop is not much more than the regular bunch of war movie stereotypes who mutate to heroes. Where the Vietnam movies of a Oliver Stone (Platoon) or of a Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket) mercilessly condemn, do Spielberg's shocking pictures justify all committed atrocities in retrospect. Therefore this movie is rather a tribute to the US World War Veterans, than an anti-war movie. An absolution, which illustrates the horrors of war but not its senselessness. All in all, this is a movie we did not need and we could have done very well without it.

Gripping - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Words can not describe Saving Private Ryan. From the brutal landing at Normandy to the final conclusion, this film grips you and makes you feel like you were there. A fitting tribute to the soldiers of WWII. Easily one of the top films ever.

One of the greatest movies ever made! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

The final two hours and twenty minutes of this film are a great movie on their own. Put them together with the first thirty minutes, which is the best thirty minutes of any film ever, and you have possibly the best movie of all time. The Omaha Beach landing was simply an amazing piece of filmmaking. The visuals are stunning and the sound is incredible too. I was physically exhausted after seeing this movie the first time. That was how powerful it was for me. I think it gives you a true sense of the horrors of war. Most people who criticize this film say it is boring after the first thirty minutes, but I strongly disagree. I thought Spielberg did an outstanding job with the character development of all of the soldiers. You really begin to care about all of them and that is what makes the rest of the story so interesting. This movie is loaded with stars and they all give outstanding performances, especially Tom Hanks as Captain Miller. This film is a must own. The first thirty minutes is also great for testing your home theater sound system.

A review from an us airborne officer - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

This movie is highly overrated. THe premise of the story is extremely ridiculous and fictional. US army would never send a ranger section to find a private from a heavily mauled 101st. All the Battle scenes/equipment allocation are not realistic for anybody who understands modern and/or ww2 military tactics. Historical inaccuracies litter the movie in almost ever scene. SPIELBURG seems to had made the movie as A VERY GORELY SHOCK/MONEYMAKER, and the movie does not properly portray AMERICAN/GERMAN SOldiers of ww2. However, on a good note, spielburg is still skilled with the camera and good at playing with emotions.

Oscar-worthy indeed! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Steven Spielberg yet again makes an absolutely jaw-dropping movie worthy of the 5 Acadamy Awards that it won. All those people out there who gave this bad ratings are ignorant kids who are too impatient and lacks the knowledge that this movie would not have been good if it was only war after war scene. It is "human", very realistic, I'm sure that veterans are proud that someone finally made something right and done well. I'm sure many ask the question and I will ask it, "How did you do it, Sir Spielberg?" HA! Anyone out there who hasn't seen this epic, BUY IT! NOT RENT! BUY IT!!!

Historically inaccurate?? well, duh! - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Yes, this movie is historically inaccurate, but anyone using a movie to learn history deserves to be mislead. These are the same people that believe chain letters. Let face it, some people just prefer to be under-informed, or not informed at all, so stop giving bad reviews based on this. The movie is entertaining, moving, and creates a feeling of the hardship of war. THAT is the point of the movie. The story is just one part of the structure of the movie, and it is a good story, whether true or not. The rest of the movie has great acting, disturbing visuals, and great direction. Its not a documentary, folks.

Powerful, honest, brutal - Saving Private Ryan Reviews

Steven Spielberg shows us *how* a World War II movie is done -- by keeping horror front and center in this D-Day story about eight men sent SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. His three brothers have died in action and the army realizes that the loss of *all* her sons is too much to ask of one mother. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was immediately validated by WWII veterans as Hollywood's closest approximation to the sensory experience of war, with its graphic, grotesque depictions of battle from individualized perspectives. The touch of authenticity is that we meet these guys as real people before they die, and their deaths are not entertainment; they are awful. For twenty-four minutes at the beginning of the movie, we witness the plight of the first infantry troops to land on Omaha Beach, Normandy, in occupied France, where German resistance was strongest. True to the individual focus of the film, at first we only see what the soldiers see inside their sealed landing craft as they approach the surf. The men, mostly inexperienced boys who are about to get their introduction to hostilities, are scared out of their wits. Some of them are vomiting from nervousness and sea-sickness, some are saying their Rosaries, while others stare listlessly ahead. As soon as the ramp doors of the debarkation craft open, the men are met with a relentless hail of small-arms fire from unseen, fortified positions on the beach-head that were missed by the aerial bombardment that preceded the landings (due to poor visibility related to bad weather). My visit to Point du Hoc, in Normandy earlier this year revealed the horror of this beach: the terrible command that the German defenders had, overlooking the great sweep of the beachead, and the total exposure of the liberators. In the movie, even under the waves, bubble jet streamers signal that the water was no safe place, impregnable to stray bullets, and that the men's gear was sometimes too heavy to let them get out. This half of an hour of film packs more of the experiential terror of war than the whole three hours of this year's PEARL HARBOR combined. When someone dies in RYAN, we actually care. Spielberg is aided by the cinematography of Janusz Kaminski, who also furnished his talent in Spielberg's staggering SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993). SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was processed to bring out drab colors, suppressing all bright tones except red, for the vivid splashes of blood that trickle and gush out of obscene wounds. Additionally, the film-makers achieve a strobe-light effect on many of the sequences by quickly snapping the camera shutter open and close to sear each individual frame into our retinas, causing a hyper-vivid look. The film does skimp a little bit on dramatization, but these are foot-note complaints. In order to have the patrolling soldiers chat with each other and give us insights into their personalities, for instance, Spielberg has them marching much closer to each other than soldiers trying to avoid grenade and land-mine damage would march. Additionally, Spielberg resorts to clicheic devices, like an against-all-odds battle sequence at the end (which actually gets better with age, because you pick up little details that show the methodological consistency of the film). But, he does avoid one cliche -- that the good guys always make it out alive. (Carlos Colorado)