All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Review

Title: All Quiet on the Western Front
Year: 2022
Director: Edward Berger
Country: Germany
Language: German

Adapted from a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I (1914-1918), All Quiet on the Western Front proves to be an expansive breathtaking look at the true nature of "The Great War". It's an appropriate picture to watch this Remembrance Day; 104 years after the Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany. The true terror of trench warfare seems fully realized in this German picture. 

The film is about a young German soldier's (Felix Kammermer) terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.

Graphic and disturbing, the atmosphere of All Quiet on the Western Front immerses you in the terrors of the trenches. Though epic in scope, we do not witness a glorification of war but rather an intense condemnation of it. There is no frame that suggests war is anything but brutal, ugly and barbaric. Even shots within posh trains look cold and callous. 

All Quiet on the Western Front is a great achievement, particularly in cinematography, editing and sound but the story does feel a little too familiar in story. At times it was hard to distinguish this compared to 1917 (2019) and Hacksaw Ridge (2016). It's a survivalist picture, but we don't really "get to know" the personality of our main character. It'd be nice to know what he was trying to go back to. 

Everything about this picture is big. The music is loud and memorable; the acting is top notch; the makeup is impressive; the sound design will inspire. All Quiet on the Western Front is quite a great cinematic experience, even though it will make you feel awful for witnessing humanity at its worst.