Gods & Generals
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Movie Reviews of Gods & Generals
Movie Review: Let's get one thing straight right now
Summary: 5 Stars
The odds are if you didn't like this movie, then you shouldn't have seen it in the first place because this movie wasn't made for everyone. I can see why most people wouldn't find the movie appealing as it doesn't follow the format that the typical viewer has come to expect. It doesn't have comic relief between battle scenes, it doesn't have any amazing CG effects, the explosions seemed subpar, it was very lengthy, Tom Hanks wasn't in it, and there wasn't any witty dialogue. Instead, the movie chose to focus on the values of brotherhood, loyalty, honor, and the duty of a soldier. While this movie's special effects will never win any awards, they did not lack entirely (there is a major difference between the way black powder and an oil tanker driven by a killer cyborg explodes). Like many reviews have stated, the more you know about the civil way, the more you will enjoy the movie. As for the storyline, myself and many others thought it was very moving. I can see how many people however would think otherwise and I would like to point out to them that much of the dialogue was based on actual quotes. Reviewers have also felt the need to critique the film's plot. The movie, is based on historical events. I've never heard anybody criticizing the plot in a history book or documentary, which this film closely approximates. In short, if you know nothing about the war between the states or you are looking for a hollywood blockbuster viewing experience, then watch a different movie. Another sure sign you will dislike this movie is if you didn't like Gettysburg. If you are interested in learning about the civil war and the people behind it and don't mind spending 4 hours doing it then you should at least give the film a chance.Movie Review: Spectacular Civil War masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Gods and Generals is a superb follow-up to the magnificent Gettysburg - a second instalment of top-quality storytelling, gripping drama, breathtaking action sequences and haircuts that defy the imagination. This time we go back to the tumultuous opening days of the conflict. The action spans three separate engagements - Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and Bull Run- from all of which the confederate forces under General Robert E- Lee emerge triumphant. Robert Duvall fills Martin Sheen's shoes as Robert E. Lee for this movie and is, I feel, better cast. Facial hair enthusiasts will also have a field day- more strange moustaches and beards than you can wave a stick at - with Tom Berenger winning the Most Ridiculous Beard in a Civil War Movie award hands-down (with Jeff Daniels's handlebar moustache in the first Gettysburg movie coming in a close second) . The movie focuses on General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, with Stephen Lang putting in a strong, moving performance as the legendary soldier (killed by complications following a bullet wound inflicted by friendly fire fact fans). I find myself at odds with many of the reviewers below who have dismissed Gods and Generals totally. Well I've seen this movie a couple of times now and I've seen nothing that justifies the mangling this film has received below. The music, for instance, is superb - defintely a notch up from the synthy washes we had to endure in Gettysburg. But it is, exactly like Gettysburg a beautifully made, lovingly crafted Civil War movie that is highly educational too boot. It created a whole new genre with art nestling comfortably alongside education. Gods and Generals is not just a great movie, but a major cinematic endeavour.Movie Review: The Most Historically Accurate Civil War Movie Ever Made!
Summary: 5 Stars
Maxwell hit the nail on the head with this one. The antebellum south and war-torn U.S. were captured perfectly and the performances were awesome. I read the other reviews and you have to be an atheist or historically illiterate to not give this movie the highest rating! Some of these reviewers would probably give "Dumbass, the Movie" a much higher rating!
I'm not particularly religious, but the religious fervor in the movie was very appropriate. Stonewall WAS extremely devout and so was Lee (though Roger Ebert apparently wasn't aware of this fact).
Lang's portrayal of Stonewall Jackson was award-winning and even a bit eerie - if you've seen a photo of Stonewall the resemblance is amazing, even to the piercing eyes. Duvall as Lee was also a vast improvement over Sheen's puffball performance in "Gettysburg." As for the shallow blasting by some critics of the age differences between some of the returning stars of both movies, I believe the book, "Gods and Generals" was released after the the movie "Gettysburg" so it would have been quite difficult to have the same actors look younger than they did a decade ago.
Concerning the length, the injection of the Battle of Antietam, though historically important, would have either meant removing another vital element of the film or adding another hour or so, thus really making those poor marshmellow-butts whine!
Personally, I found it very satisfying to watch "Gods and Generals" at the theatre and immediately throw the longer "Gettysburg" into the DVD player when I arrived home.
If these two movies are any indication of the last installment, "The Last True Measure" will be a fantastic piece of film-making.
Movie Review: Civil War problems are still unresolved
Summary: 5 Stars
After seeing the movie & reading several reviews, it is obvious that the problems that resulted in the civil war have not been resolved, & need to be addressed. I thought the movie was an excellent attempt to historical accuracy, while still making a small profit for the investors, on a limited budget. Massive sets would have been costly & would not have added that much to the movie. Although wordy, much of the dialog was gleaned from the letters written & saved from the time, & people did & do speak as they write. But by being less bloody & gory, its makes the film viewable by the very young, who truly need to be the ones to learn the 'lessons' of the civil war. The remaining problems still need to be resolved, & we must learn to forgive both the North & South for the transgressions of the other, & move on as a stronger, more powerful nation, respecting the views of each. I spent 20 years in active military service & another 15 as a civilian & reservist. I have served with all five services & lived in both Northern, Southern & Western states. Although born in Ohio, I hold no specific allegiance to any other than the ONE United States of America - Under God. This movie is certainly worth seeing, & investing in a copy for ones own home library, along with Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure & the PBS series "The Civil War", recognizing that we can only gather as much information as possible, & each one make our own decisions. I will submit that had we not remained one, United States, our efforts during Worlds War I & II may have come out much differently.Movie Review: a provocative film
Summary: 5 Stars
Gods and Generals struck a raw nerve in the body politic. That's because when it comes to the Civil War people have already taken sides, often times without even knowing it. Most have assimilated and accepted the official, public education version of what happened as an article of faith. Abraham Lincoln is not just a man with flaws and qualities, not simply a shrewd politician and formidable leader. In this sub-conscious universe he has been elevated to the position of a deity. To question the received wisdom is to question one's very existence.One has only to read many of the reviews in these pages to see the glib facility with which many have swallowed, hook, line and sinker the triumphalist propaganda always spread and taught by the victors - in all places at all times. It is just too discomfiting to think, even for a moment, that the American Civil War may not have been necessary. That all those lives need not have been lost. That all the destruction need not have taken place. That the horrible institution of slavery could and would have been abolished , as it was in the rest of the western hemisphere, by peaceful means.
Gods and Generals is not a perfect film. I cannot disagree with many of the artistic criticisms leveled against it. Its distinction however, arises from its soul. It is perhaps the most rigorously honest historical film in recent memory. It is truly, not superficially provocative because it forces you to re-think everything. It is the only film on the present scene to have truly earned and deserves the label, anti-war. For its fierce artistic independence and its intellectual honesty I give it five stars.