Netflix’s “All Quiet On The Western Front” remake was just released two weeks ago on Oct. 29, and while being a great movie, it’s a terrible adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque book of the same name from 1928. It revolves around the story of Paul, a teenager from Germany who enlists into service during World War I, only to discover the horrors that await him. To understand why this movie is a terrible adaptation, the entire story must be spoiled.
What Makes This a Bad Adaptation?
To understand what makes this movie so great and terrible at the same time, one needs to look into the book the movie is based on. “All Quiet On The Western Front” was a book detailing the horrors and small happy moments in World War I and the terrors of watching your friends die right before you, but also finding some joy in what would be an otherwise bleak endeavor. It should be stated that it’s OK for a movie to change some things to suit the story they are trying to tell. A great example of this would be Harry Potter, which had very pivotal moments that were changed or altered in some way to suit the movie better. Many of the greatest moments from the book don’t appear in the movie, such as:
Kantorek, the schoolmaster who in the original book and both the 1930’s movie delivered his nationalist speech about German pride and glory was made into an extremely minor role in the 2022 movie. Kantorek was important because he was the symbol of blind faith and nationalism, a man who knowingly sent his students to die in a war yet still is completely trusting in the fatherland. It was important to have Kantorek as a character in the book because he was the direct opposite in terms of viewpoints to the people he sent to die, but doesn’t play a big role in the new movie.
Kat, who was Paul’s best friend and closest ally in all adaptations, has a very minor change in the way he dies. This change isn't terrible, but it’s something to point out.
Paul never goes home in the new movie, which was quite an important and pivotal part in the book as Paul realizes he can never go back to the way he was before enlisting and how much he has changed since fighting in the war.
Paul has a much different death in the book than he does in the film. In the movie Paul dies when fighting in a close quarters fight with a French soldier, later walking out into the trenches and dies of blood loss. In the book however, he is shot while reaching for a butterfly, symbolizing peace and beauty of which Paul couldn’t find during the war.
What Makes This A Good Movie?
Overall, the new 2022 movie is extremely good even if it wasn’t the exact same as the book, yet still there are many standouts that set this movie apart, one of those being the cinematography. Echoing 1917, which came out three years ago, the film utilizes many long takes, letting the audience observe the entire story from Paul’s point of view, but also to fully show the horrors of the Great War. This movie is absolutely brutal, and much like the movie that came before it, was essential to emphasize the terrors of war, which is the point of every single re-telling of this story.
The movie is extremely bleak, as even in the opening minutes viewers are thrust into an uneasiness of what’s to come. One great example of this is in the scene where Paul gets his uniform and he points out to mention that it has someone else's name on it. In response to this the officer rips the name tag off and gives it back to Paul, putting the nametag on the ground next to a number of other name tags that are hidden from the newly enlisting troops.
Such a small detail like that goes a long way in storytelling, letting you make up the story for yourself, and making you fear what’s to come when you already know what happened to the young men in this war. However, the best scene in the movie comes from Paul’s experience with a French soldier in a crater during a battle. During this scene, Paul is unable to kill the soldier, first trying to suffocate him with sand after stabbing him, but then he sees pictures of the soldier’s family and tries to save him but can’t. This scene was the most important in the book as well, showing that this war was terrible to begin with, and how death and casualties aren't just a number in history.
Overall, this movie is incredibly well made, especially for a Netflix original movie. If you are looking for a great war movie, then you will absolutely love “All Quiet on the Western Front.” From the characters, the excellent cinematography, backgrounds and sets, and sound effects, this movie is a masterclass which absolutely deserves a perfect rating.
Rating: 5/5
