1917 stars relative newcomers Dean Charles Chapman and George MacKay and is directed by Sam Mendes. The film follows two friends in the trenches of world war one attempting to get a message across enemy lines. The message contains a direct order to call off an attack scheduled for the next day, if they fail hundreds will die including the protagonists’ brother.

This film is fantastic and has been gaining acclaim for his unique one-shot style of film making. The entire two hour run time is filmed to look like one long very long shot that never cuts. While the camera does cut in hidden places it is still a technological benchmark in film making. However, I don’t think that’s the most impressive part. I think the most impressive part was the films pacing and dialogue. Mostly dominated by walking and purely centered around two characters, one would assume the film would drag and feel boring, but it doesn’t. The plot is always moving forward, and every scene feels important and necessary. Not for one second you feel like the characters are safe, and as soon as a victory is felt in the movie another problem arises not allowing for a second for the leads to catch their breath.

If you haven’t seen this film yet, see it on the big screen. The scale of this film is unreal with massive set pieces and gorgeous cinematography. I saw it in theaters a few months after it came out and it was packed. Not once I saw someone leave for the restroom or a blue light of a phone fill the theater. 1917 demands your attention for the full run time and feels important while watching it. While different in subject matter and creation the only movies that gave me a similar feeling are Avatar and The Dark Knight. They feel similar to me because these three movies felt special while watching and you could feel the energy and importance of the cinema.