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Originally Posted by James
I'm not sure I like the idea of framing war as 'exciting'. The best war films are the ones that display just how futile and cruel the whole concept is. As for Saving Private Ryan, it doesn't have much to say, but that opening scene is beautifully shot. One of Spielberg's nicest sequences in his whole filmography.
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Agreed. As much as I like most of the rest of the movie, it's just not on the same level as the first ten minutes. And while it might be sketchy to find a war film "exciting", it's just human nature. We, or at least men, are hard-wired to want to be warriors, so whether people want to admit it or not, war movies are as much about vicarious glory-seeking as they are about making actual statements about war. I mean it's not really that universal an experience for most people these days, and yet war movies are still very popular. Just like Call of Duty is the biggest franchise in gaming right now.