The Monuments Men follows the true story of a group of World War II scholars that joined the war effort to find and protect important pieces of art from Hitler's Axis Powers. The film is loaded with an all-star that features George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. With a cast that good, how could the movie possibly disappoint!?
Genre: War,
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Running Time: 118 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13
The Good: All-star cast, Classic and nostalgia feel, Great sense of humor, Fun performances across the board,
The Bad: Not very memorable,
Plot: 7.3/10- In today's age of dark and gritty war dramas that try to remove the heroism from the stories, watching a movie like The Monuments Men that is unforgivingly nostalgia is a breath of fresh air.
There is nothing wrong with the dark war dramas, but we have not seen a more entertaining war drama than The Monuments Men in years. As a fan of the old classic war movies, it was great to see a movie that still has its serious moments, yet continued to have a good sense of humor and heroism. The pacing of the movie can be a tad slow at times if you have a short attention span, but the humor and likable performances kept the movie from slowing down too much. Thematically, the movie asks a an intriguing question: is a man's life equal that of a piece of important art? To be honest, I am not much for art, except for its historical significance to a culture, much like film is today, but the movie does a decent job of conveying its theme, albeit with little subtlety.Characterization: 2.9/10- For the most part, the characters are a characterture of the actor playing them with one or two exceptions. There is not a lot of development or anything significant, but they are likable characters that are easy to get behind. Sometimes the drama is a bit melodramatic, but, for the most part, the drama is surprisingly effective.
Action: N/A- While there is some WWII war action, it is mostly in the background because the movie is more of a drama.
Acting: 8.7/10- Considering that many of the actors in the movie like Bill Murray, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett are among my favorite actors, seeing all of these top notch actors (listed at the top of the review) in one movie was a ton of fun. While their performances do not have a lot of depth, which is mostly due to the script, the fun dialogue exchanges between the characters is very entertaining to watch with Bill Murray being the standout best of the cast.
 |
| Bill Murray and Bob Balaban are easily the best part of the movie. |
Humor: 8.7/10- While not a comedy, The Monuments Men's humor is its strongest aspect. Thanks to the stellar cast, the dialogue delivery is often humorous. The humor prevented the film from becoming boring or slow for the most part.
Entertainment Value: 7.8/10- Even though certain parts of the movie were not the most interesting, the classic vibe of the film, the performances, and humor kept me entertained.
Overall: 7.0/10- While not monumental by any means (see what I did there), The Monuments Men is a fun and entertaining throwback to a simpler time with an all-star of Hollywood's best to support it.
Closing comments: If you enjoy old movies, especially old war movies, The Monuments Men is a must watch. On the other hand, if you do not enjoy old movies or the likable cast, The Monuments Men is likely not for you.
Recommended for: War movie fans, A fan of any cast member, Classic war movie fans,
Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
Good review, I'm glad you liked it! Somehow though, I felt the movie as a whole felt 'thin' in a sense, even with a fantastic cast. Plus Its too bad the critics didn't really enjoy it, since it was made by George Clooney and all! I'm still really excited for 'Fury' with Brad Pitt, that looks alot better than this did. Plus who doesn't like Brad Pitt!
ReplyDeleteMatt
I do agree that it felt thin, but it was fun. Fury looks good, hope it does not suck.
Delete-James
I really enjoyed this movie.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
Delete-James
I'm afraid I found it rather boring and really smug. Yes, a war film can be gentle, of course, but I found it all curiously uninvolving and instantly forgettable. Perhaps Hugh Bonnerville's scene (I won't spoil) was the most poignant. Like Matthew, I like the look of Fury.
ReplyDeleteIt can certainly be boring, depending on your taste.
Delete-James
I found it all rather dull and lifeless. We never got to know the characters, which was a major issue with me. I also found that ironically, Clooney failed to make the case he wanted to: that saving art treasures was worth risking human life for. I see why it was pulled from the December schedule to early this year: despite all its best efforts the Oscars (which I think Clooney was going for) weren't going to reward a turkey this like.
ReplyDeleteMajor disappointment.
My expectations for the movie were low, so I wasn't disappoint. If I did expect some Oscar worthy movie, then yes, I would be disappointed.
Delete-James
Planning on watching this at some point, really glad to hear it's worthwhile if not memorable.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Delete-James
Also, I still can't believe you haven't seen 'Fight Club'!! Still waiting for you to review that
ReplyDeleteMatt
I hope to watch Fight Club later this week actually.
Delete-James
While I don't think I liked this as much as you did, I'm glad that you did like it. Personally I had a kick watching John Goodman and hearing Sully's voice! :D
ReplyDelete~Jamie
Goodman voiced Sully? Cool! :D
Delete-James
We are in exact agreement on this one. I hardly remember a thing about it since I've seen it, but the story was definitely worth a watch as its one that's never been told before. Good review James!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jordan!
Delete-James
Really nice review James. I agree with you about the characterization; I think the main thing about the movie that I enjoyed/liked was the cast. :) The idea of saving art for the sake of its cultural value was interesting, but it somehow fell flat for me. Still, I enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeletexx
Thank you SW. Yeah, the cast is the best. :)
Delete-James
As you know, I really loved this movie. I'm working on my list of ten favorite war movies right now, and this is totally on it. But like you said here, it's kind of a throwback to a very different kind of movie-making than we see today. Because it's an ensemble piece, it does rely on the actors to flesh out their characters with their acting, not with lots of exposition. I'm pretty sure that because I love classic Hollywood movies and watch so many of them, this movie appealed more to me than it did to a lot of modern moviegoers -- and I'm cool with that! Some people like the hyper-realism of Saving Private Ryan, for instance, but I would rather let my imagination fill in the details than see someone's entrails.
ReplyDeleteI think too that this movie probably left a lot of critics and viewers cold because we're used to a much more ironic kind of storytelling these days. These men are heroic, they put their lives on the line for something they believe is worth preserving, and the filmmakers honor them as such, they don't at all point at them and say sarcastically, "What fools! They're not heroes, they're deluded schmucks fighting for something pointless." Which is the sort of thing a modern movie is almost expected to do.
It might not make my Top 10, it is certainly a lot of fun. Thank you for the long comment, and sorry for the short reply (typing is hard for me right now).
Delete-James
I saw earlier that you're typing with one hand... what happened? Did I miss something? Anyway, after 3 kids, I'm quite speedy typing with only one hand -- it's doable, but very frustrating when you're first learning.
DeleteA few months back, I injured my arm, and it has gotten worse, so I am not suppose to use for a while, even for typing. I'm praying that I will not need surgery.
Delete-James
Bummer! Definitely hope not using it can prevent needing surgery :-)
DeleteI really enjoyed this movie. I loved the fact that it captured a more innocent form of story telling. The men were incredibly respectful to each other and the women they interacted with (which was just so refreshing), and it was just a good, safe movie - a real family movie. I also loved the theme, the idea that art is worth saving. The paintings, the statues, aren't just canvas and marble - they represent the best part of western culture. Those men gave their lives to preserve our culture, so that when everyone started to rebuild they still had a solid foundation. I think this was based on a true story, and I was so glad George Cloony decided to tell it :)
ReplyDeleteSame here! The old school form of storytelling really worked. :)
Delete-James
One of the earlier comments said it was lifeless and thats why it mostly failed. First it was marketed as something it was not. Second it told an important story but in a very dry way. I did enjoy the movie but not enough to review it. Usually movies like this based on a true story rock it out of the park, even if the movie is not perfect. For example the Bang Bang Club The boat was missed on this movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the marketing. It made the movie seem something special and original, and not an old school war movie.
Delete-James