Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The movie begins like the future documentary Triumph of the Will, with brave German soldiers marching in a German village, with call to courage, motherland, bla, bla, bla... Sure when those rookies finally train and go to the front, it's something really totally different and it's called reality: when you watch your comrades falling, throwing their guts, you find that there is no explanation to such a butchery! You realize that the only winners are firms that sells weapons, politicians who claim war and never do it, safe in their palace and that finally all those young lost lives have been useless... Sure the movie speaks like no other and there is really inspired moments, especially the final scene but honestly, a war or anti-war movie in black and white during the WWI and for 2 hours are however too much for me...

All Quiet on the Western Front is a World War I movie released in 1930. Following the main character, Paul, a young German student that gets swept up by nationalist fever, the story shows the misery of war. As soldiers starve, fight for their lives, and struggle to maintain their sanity, none of them can quite explain what they're fighting for. Paul's notions of life and war are immediately shattered and the film follows his progression as he questions the meaning of his life and the purpose of the war.An example: "How does a war even start?" "It's when one country offends another." "Well, I guess I can go home because I'm not offended."This is a perfect example of the mindset and attitudes displayed by the characters who are simply trying to survive and find enough food for another day.Dramatic and heart-wrenching, All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the best WWI films. As you watch the film, you quickly forget that all of the main characters are fighting for Germany, who are usually displayed in more villainous roles. In fact, you can switch the uniforms and it would have no impact on the story and I think that is the point. Paul quickly realizes that war is not glorious and he certainly does not feel like a hero. This realization directly conflicts with his initial feelings when enlisting for the war in the first place. The main conflict of the story is Paul reconciling the myths and naivety of his youth with a horrific, almost purposeless, reality. Treated as a hero at home and given constant advice about the war from elderly men who are far from the front lines, Paul loses his sense of home and purpose and is left lost in the new world he discovers.Despite some poor acting at times and humor that has not aged well, All Quiet on the Western Front is a good film. If you're interested in an early film about soldiers in the Great War, it's definitely worth a watch.

I was in high school when I first saw this great war film and I am now a senior, senior, citizen and have seen it a few more times. ALL QUIET remains right at the top of my list of outstanding war pictures. Here was a unique depiction of life in the trenches from an enemy point of view, a novel approach. Lew Ayres gives a memorable performance as Paul Baumer, the sensitive German soldier, and has a fine supporting cast. The vivid battles in the trenches remain in my thought, and though they lack the technological know how of today, are indelible.One of the most touching scenes is when Baumer kills the Frenchman in the shell hole and remorse overcomes him. Another tragic part is when his buddy is dying in the hospital and is visited by his comrades. A lighter scene is when the company has an over abundance of food due to its losses and the men become satiated. They are so comfortable that they are inclined to philosophize about the causes of war and its solution. When Paul loses his friend, his depression grows and his death at the hands of a sniper is a fitting end to it all. The remake, with Ernest Borgnine, was satisfactory, but could not approach the quality of the original which I often find to be true.

"All Quiet on the Western Front" is a classic history - drama movie in which we are in World War I and through the experiences of a young soldier we watch the tragedy and the pain of war through the eyes of individuals. This movie is based on a novel by German author, Erich Maria Remarque.I liked this movie because it shows the truth about war and especially World War I and how difficult are things there for soldiers. We watch their feelings and their emotions when they are in the war, from what they think about life in general and their lives until what they have to do to survive. This movie shows us not something heroic or any kind of hero but the cruelness and the pain of people who are in that war. I have to admit that the direction of this movie which made by Lewis Milestone was very good (won the Oscar for the Best Director) and of course the interpretation of Lew Ayres who played as Paul was simply outstanding.Finally I have to say that "All Quiet on the Western Front" is a must see movie when we talk about history movies. This movie combines very well events from World War I with the true drama of that war and this is something that makes this movie so good.