Stalingrad

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was the big closing night film of the Russian film festival. I know it is the first non-american film to get an IMAX 3D release. Pity we didn't get it in IMAX but at least I managed to see it in the cinema at all.

So confusingly this film starts Japan during the recent earthquake and tsunami. Not sure why. Then flashes back from there. It's a strange bookend. And despite the title, we don't really get much of an idea of the actual battle in Stalingrad, the battle has been going for some time when we enter the film and doesn't finish when we leave it. We only get to follow a small company in one house. But we do get to know them, all trying to protect a young girl who refuses to leave.

And at the same time we get Thomas Kretschmann on the german side, he has a girl to protect too. He's not entirely the typical evil Nazi and provides and interesting counterpoint to the main gang.

This was a really long film. And despite its impressive productions design, the effects in the sporadic action scenes and the striking colour grading, it really did seem to drag to me. I was never really that interested in either side of the conflict. And ultimately I don't think I learnt anything about the actual historical battle either. Impressive production and there's lost of cool stuff in it but the longwinded character drama stuff in between those bits failed to grab me.