SummaryBased on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR to go into Germany, rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with th...
SummaryBased on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR to go into Germany, rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with th...
This is their story. It is true. It is history. As a film, it is riveting, suspenseful, harrowing and exciting, and somehow, it also manages to be something rare among war pictures—a big-scale entertainment.
The Monuments Men fails in its grand ambitions, but it's still satisfying in bits and pieces, like a busted statue. Even a tribute made of shining fragments counts for something.
Cool movie went there with friends, got some popcorn and had a great time. Movie was awesome, had to see it and recommend it. It is actually real story
As an European, I appreciated this film. It's a masterpiece among films about World War II. Many of interesting paintings and sculptures are shown in the film. Moreover, it is an interesting historical fact this movie show to us. Some scenes are funny, others are more serious and quite sad. The Monuments Men is truly a good movie.
Clooney, for the first time in his directing career (“Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The Ides of March”) never finds the sweet spot, and never quite wrestled the script into a shape entertaining enough to make the liberties he and Heslov took with the facts worth it.
The Monuments Men feels not just self-conscious but also a bit self-congratulatory, its creator squashing the spirit of adventure with too many grandiose lines about the Importance Of Art.
Clooney has transformed a fascinating true-life tale into an exceedingly dull and dreary caper pic cum art-appreciation seminar — a museum-piece movie about museum people.
What is wrong with people? I really think people have become desensitized to what a good movie is. It slowly started with the "professional" critics, and now, to my disbelief, the consumer. It's not just about this film being scored low, it's about others as well. Unless a movie has insane violence, meaningless nudity, infidelity, subjects that are taboo to most cultures, then it get's knocked down. Note that, when one of the characters in this movie has a chance to cheat on his wife, he takes the higher road and remains faithful. This is almost NEVER seen in movies anymore, hence, a reason why some critics didn't give it higher marks.
People, movies are meant for entertainment, not just shock value. Is this movie really deserving below a 8 of 10? Below a 7 out of 10? George Clooney got it right making this film. A return to what movies are truly made for. Feeling, entertainment, chemistry with the viewer, and relativity. Once you begin to break down every scene in a movie, pick it apart, compare it to "the book," and intentionally look for flaws, then you've lost sight of what going to the movies is all about. Why even go? Save yourself the time and $9, and breathe for a little while until you reset and can learn to enjoy films for what they are, an entertaining escape. I don't know, try making a movie yourself that has a fraction of emotion and meaning that this film does. Then, maybe you will come to appreciate a good film when it is staring you in the face.
The Monuments Men is a true return to American film making. Does it deserve a 10? No, but I will rate it with such, so that more people won't be turned away from it because of unnecessary negative reviews. Sit back, breathe, and enjoy it.... oh and come off your high horse and stick to what you get paid to do.
The characters were good, and the second half was also. But, the start wasn't good, at all. I was bored and didn't like the script. But, once the second half started it became better. Even then though, it went fast. I liked it though, worth a watch.
The heist isn't thrilling, the jokes aren't funny, the drama isn't moving and the film is long.
The Monuments Men
I sympathize with Clooney. Especially his films. An actor turned director, George Clooney draws a lot from current generation, my generation directors, which I can see. And hence also regret. Take just the Coen Brothers, for instance. And specifically their projects hovering around their obsession of nailing down the best comic film. That is not to say, in any way that they aren't good. It's just that compared to their dramatic ventures, these ones feels outdated and short handed on possibly everything. And Clooney coming from that same field, grows his fruits with those same expectations and instead fails more miserably than they ever do.
Comedy of errors is the genre it is often mentioned under, and error it comes out. And the theory of passing the artistic skills like materialistic possession comes alive in this film like no other. Another fine example is the electrifying resemblance between Clint Eastwood's The Bridges Of Madison County and Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born. Now, Clooney's latest exploration resembles eerily with his own collaboration in Steven Soderberg's Ocean's Trilogy.
But what it is subtexted- not actually!- is a pretty loud metaphor that they, now that I think- shouldn't have mentioned to keep it nuanced. Instead to reach a higher level, the film wishes to have Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds like narration. Remember that sweat inducing conversations that marked a whole new scale on the "close call" term. But no one can do it like Tarantino does. Clooney gets a nod from us for his attempts and that is it. The Monuments Men is everything a guy at the stage and state of his career like Clooney, could pull off. And that is good, he and his fellow actors live by the big name they come with, the material though, ironically, lacks art.
Just watch Frankenheimer's "The Train." Virtually nothing in it actually happened but it succeeds where "Monuments Men" utterly fails, in that you will give a damn about the characters in the film, and you will gain a sense for why people would risk their lives to save art. Also, "The Train" has an actual plot.
"Monuments Men", by contrast, makes extensive use of comic relief. Never a good sign.