The Monuments Men (6/10)

I was surprised the rating for this was so bad, so I went in with a cautioned expectation. But I did not doubt George Clooney one bit. Three movies came out this week, and this was the one I couldn't wait to go see.

I understand why this may not be enjoyable for many. For one, the first half was very slow. Clooney's direction also was a bit of a miss as he juggled between some light-heartedness in the dialogue and a few more serious scenes.

The transition wasn't smooth and felt forced as somber background music came on to shift the mood. However, the whole movie felt too light-hearted that the seriousness was not pronounced properly and got lost in the transitions.

Some of the scenes went by very quick with a few lines exchanged. Because the movie was had so much to tell and was moving already at a slow pace, the only way to move things along was to have short scenes strewn together and get the storytelling in that way. That was also one of the downfall.

Nevertheless, Clooney took time to introduce his cast and develop somewhat those eight characters that had the most screentime. And when the scenes are good, they are really good. (It still didn't do the movie any favours as I was the only one laughing in a half-empty cinema.)

While the main responsibility lied with Clooney as the director, I doubt he would regret making this movie this way. You can tell the cast was very together, they had chemistry and they enjoyed themselves on the set. After all, Clooney set out to do this movie with half of the reason being able to hang out with friends. He achieved that while telling a historically important movie the way he wanted to.

What I liked about the movie was the great cast with great acting, especially in Cate Blanchett. When the ensemble reached Normandy beach, it reminded me immediately of Saving Private Ryan, as if this happened right after the events there.

Also, one of the point to stress from the movie was, if a piece of art was worth a man's life. It's a question that was debated many times and Clooney showed us that too. But in the end, we are left to be the judge of that ourselves.

I would have given the second half of the movie a 7/10, but the first half just wasn't interesting enough.