Monuments Men
The Monuments Men is an unusual war movie, at best.
I say unusual because compared to most other war films this movie unfolds at a relatively slow pace, which I think both adds to, and takes away from, this film.
Set during the end of WWII, Monuments Men is about a platoon constructed of various soldiers with ties to the art world: art scholars, architects, historians, curators etc.
It was their mission to save as many artifacts and other works of art from being looted or destroyed during the conflict.
In war, lives are lost, cities are destroyed, and sadly, entire generations can be wiped out.
The Monuments Men mandate was to save as much artwork as possible in hopes of preserving the history of Europe and its people, so that after the dust of WWII had settled there would still be something left.
Led by a strong cast full of seasoned actors (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, to name a few), this film both captures the heart and fills one with a sense of patriotism.
As I mentioned, the pace is slow compared to other war movies.
In fact due to an almost severe lack of action, it might be difficult for some to see this movie as "a war film".
This isn't necessarily a bad thing however.
After all, the film is about a group of men saving art, not fighting on the front lines.
There is still death and loss, and while there may be a lack of action, there is no lack of emotion.
The Monuments Men carries a heavy balance of joy, devastation, fear, and camaraderie with a sensible dose of George Clooney's wit and sarcasm.
Sometimes a cast full of well-known actors can doom a film, however the casting was perfect for this movie considering the amount of attention each character got was well spread.
The Monuments Men wasn't about George Clooney leading Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett into war, it was about all of them contributing their own expertise and talent to work together and steal back some of Europe's most prominent art pieces from Hitler.
I will say that this movie is pretty standard, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't somehow more epic in scale.
The cast does set some pretty high expectations, and I felt the film could have used a little extra umph, however I was impressed with how historically accurate the film was.
The Monuments Men is based off of a true story, and although there is a prominent Hollywood influence, the film doesn't stray outrageously far from the truth.
There really was a platoon constructed of men and women (345, to be exact) who spent the last two years of WWII searching for and returning art stolen by Hitler's armies.
Over five million pieces were recovered and returned, and many of them were squirreled away in salt mines and castles as in the film.
In real life, the Monuments Men continued their search for lost art well after the war, and there remains an organization today that still searches for artwork that has yet to be recovered.
The Monuments Men is a good movie that could have been great.
It conveys the horrors of war, while softened through wit and humor, maintaining a light heart.
Although the film wanders at times and could use a little more detail, it is an ultimately an intriguing movie with an important lesson: To appreciate our history and our accomplishments, and to do what we can to preserve the treasures of this world.
I feel that this movie is worth watching, and would recommend it to anyone.
Look for it at your local Slackers today!
I say unusual because compared to most other war films this movie unfolds at a relatively slow pace, which I think both adds to, and takes away from, this film.
Set during the end of WWII, Monuments Men is about a platoon constructed of various soldiers with ties to the art world: art scholars, architects, historians, curators etc.
It was their mission to save as many artifacts and other works of art from being looted or destroyed during the conflict.
In war, lives are lost, cities are destroyed, and sadly, entire generations can be wiped out.
The Monuments Men mandate was to save as much artwork as possible in hopes of preserving the history of Europe and its people, so that after the dust of WWII had settled there would still be something left.
Led by a strong cast full of seasoned actors (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, to name a few), this film both captures the heart and fills one with a sense of patriotism.
As I mentioned, the pace is slow compared to other war movies.
In fact due to an almost severe lack of action, it might be difficult for some to see this movie as "a war film".
This isn't necessarily a bad thing however.
After all, the film is about a group of men saving art, not fighting on the front lines.
There is still death and loss, and while there may be a lack of action, there is no lack of emotion.
The Monuments Men carries a heavy balance of joy, devastation, fear, and camaraderie with a sensible dose of George Clooney's wit and sarcasm.
Sometimes a cast full of well-known actors can doom a film, however the casting was perfect for this movie considering the amount of attention each character got was well spread.
The Monuments Men wasn't about George Clooney leading Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett into war, it was about all of them contributing their own expertise and talent to work together and steal back some of Europe's most prominent art pieces from Hitler.
I will say that this movie is pretty standard, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't somehow more epic in scale.
The cast does set some pretty high expectations, and I felt the film could have used a little extra umph, however I was impressed with how historically accurate the film was.
The Monuments Men is based off of a true story, and although there is a prominent Hollywood influence, the film doesn't stray outrageously far from the truth.
There really was a platoon constructed of men and women (345, to be exact) who spent the last two years of WWII searching for and returning art stolen by Hitler's armies.
Over five million pieces were recovered and returned, and many of them were squirreled away in salt mines and castles as in the film.
In real life, the Monuments Men continued their search for lost art well after the war, and there remains an organization today that still searches for artwork that has yet to be recovered.
The Monuments Men is a good movie that could have been great.
It conveys the horrors of war, while softened through wit and humor, maintaining a light heart.
Although the film wanders at times and could use a little more detail, it is an ultimately an intriguing movie with an important lesson: To appreciate our history and our accomplishments, and to do what we can to preserve the treasures of this world.
I feel that this movie is worth watching, and would recommend it to anyone.
Look for it at your local Slackers today!
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