(Film Review) The Monuments Men

Time to read: 2 min read

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You can wipe out a generation of people. You can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still come back. But if you destroy their achievements and their history then it's like they never existed. Just ash floating. That's what Adolf Hitler wants. And it's the one thing we simply can't allow.

Review

In this star-studded historical WWII film based on a real story, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) assembles a group of art lovers, which includes James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), and Walter Garfield (John Goodman), whose goal is to save and preserve European art from the Nazis and the Soviets.

The premise of the film has all the hallmarks of an amazing movie, but unlike similar ensemble cast films like Saving Private Ryan, The Monuments Men felt very underwhelming. While the cast, which also includes the likes of Cate Blanchett and Jean Dujardin, is all high caliber, the script falls unbelievably flat. For one, the characters are all largely one-dimensional and character development is non-existent. Furthermore, the narrative is largely separate and episodic, and the film feels like a series of vignettes with unmemorable characters. Lastly, while there are some charming moments, most of the humour feels too generic and falls flat.

Conclusion

A very dry script leading to a very generic movie.

Overall rating: 6.5

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