Yeah, it was very much a "the potential to play with this and correct some issues outside of the film canon appeals to me" thing versus a "the actual film canon is great" thing, for sure. As most American films tend to do, it sacrificed a lot of historical accuracy and just, you know, common sense in favor of heightening the drama. Also the rapey bit was super weird and I remain unsure of what, precisely, it was supposed to accomplish in the narrative?
Like, I guess the point was to get Brad Pitt shirtless and to have that long, uncomfortable meal scene where they talk about dead horses, but? Idk. I basically saw Shia LaBeouf and had blinders on to everything outside of that, lol. While I'm usually the person who likes to play within the bounds of canon, the occasional property comes along where I mostly just want to take the concept and explore in a way that doesn't suck, and this was definitely one of those experiences. Not that every aspect of the movie sucked—ex: the soundtrack, pretty/artistic shots, Jason Isaacs in fur, etc.—but the weak narrative and muddy themes definitely made it a bit of a head-scratcher in ways I didn't necessarily appreciate or enjoy.
I'm also not entirely sure why we needed the kid at all? Like, if the point was to illustrate the brutality of war and show an experience where men were struggling with maintaining their humanity in the face of that brutality, we could have just used the existing tank crew to do that, particularly with the recent loss of their friend. Logan Lerman is precious and everything, but he didn't really add much to the story or the cast. Like, he didn't make them better people, and nor did they do the same for him.
I'll admit to being a little bitter that the Baby Driver character was the one who made the dramatic "We're staying with you, top" speech when, based on archetype and set-up, that should have been Bible's moment, but oh well. All the characters seemed to shift archetype and role depending on what the scene called for rather than being rooted in their own beliefs, ideals, and mannerisms, which I didn't especially love, but I'll forgive a lot for a moment where one man tenderly bandages another's arm while quoting 1 John (I think) to each other in an incredibly homoerotic manner.
I also would have loved more Jason Isaacs, tbh. Like, that character was also super interesting and it sucked that we only got to see him for a second. It would have been cool to see what this movie could have been if it had an actual storyline instead of just being basically an aesthetic sampling of tank life in WWII, which I think is part of why I want to fanwork it. (I also would have liked to hear more about their exploits in North Africa, but c'est la vie, I suppose.)
Anyway, as I said, I'm in it for sad religious gay Shia LaBeouf, who I'm absolutely going to fic about (because I can't not) while gleefully ignoring the greater meat of the film canon.
Thanks for watching it so I could flail at you about it~ Sorry it was a lackluster experience.
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Like, I guess the point was to get Brad Pitt shirtless and to have that long, uncomfortable meal scene where they talk about dead horses, but? Idk. I basically saw Shia LaBeouf and had blinders on to everything outside of that, lol. While I'm usually the person who likes to play within the bounds of canon, the occasional property comes along where I mostly just want to take the concept and explore in a way that doesn't suck, and this was definitely one of those experiences. Not that every aspect of the movie sucked—ex: the soundtrack, pretty/artistic shots, Jason Isaacs in fur, etc.—but the weak narrative and muddy themes definitely made it a bit of a head-scratcher in ways I didn't necessarily appreciate or enjoy.
I'm also not entirely sure why we needed the kid at all? Like, if the point was to illustrate the brutality of war and show an experience where men were struggling with maintaining their humanity in the face of that brutality, we could have just used the existing tank crew to do that, particularly with the recent loss of their friend. Logan Lerman is precious and everything, but he didn't really add much to the story or the cast. Like, he didn't make them better people, and nor did they do the same for him.
I'll admit to being a little bitter that the Baby Driver character was the one who made the dramatic "We're staying with you, top" speech when, based on archetype and set-up, that should have been Bible's moment, but oh well. All the characters seemed to shift archetype and role depending on what the scene called for rather than being rooted in their own beliefs, ideals, and mannerisms, which I didn't especially love, but I'll forgive a lot for a moment where one man tenderly bandages another's arm while quoting 1 John (I think) to each other in an incredibly homoerotic manner.
I also would have loved more Jason Isaacs, tbh. Like, that character was also super interesting and it sucked that we only got to see him for a second. It would have been cool to see what this movie could have been if it had an actual storyline instead of just being basically an aesthetic sampling of tank life in WWII, which I think is part of why I want to fanwork it. (I also would have liked to hear more about their exploits in North Africa, but c'est la vie, I suppose.)
Anyway, as I said, I'm in it for sad religious gay Shia LaBeouf, who I'm absolutely going to fic about (because I can't not) while gleefully ignoring the greater meat of the film canon.
Thanks for watching it so I could flail at you about it~ Sorry it was a lackluster experience.