Erich Maria Remarque’s famous war novel All Quiet on the Western Front was adapted into a Netflix original, directed by Edward Berger and Daniel Brühl. It took nearly two years from the announcement back in February 2020 to release the film to the public. This is the third production of this novel into a film, yet this one, in particular, has gained significant popularity because of new technology that allows for immersive cinematic effects.  The movie made its debut on October 28, 2022. 

The story describes the life of a 17-year-old German, Paul Bäumer, who enlists in World War I with his friends by being attracted by slogans of patriotism and honor. But soon after arriving in the trenches in Northern France, he is exposed to the true terrors of war. Paul’s patriotic view of the war is shattered by the realities of trench warfare when his best friend is killed by an artillery strike on the first night.

The movie teaches its viewers what the effects of propaganda are by showing how the advocacy of heroism and glory, created by the German government, got Paul Bäumer and his friends to enlist in the Imperial German Army to serve their fatherland. This forced Paul Bäumer to think that in a few weeks, he was going to easily capture Paris and become a great-respected patriot.

The film was received by the audience with positive reviews. Google’s audience rating summary from all the websites and reviews is 4.7 stars out of 5 stars. Included in this summary is IGN, a popular review website that said, “war never changes, but All Quiet on the Western Front gives us a fresh look at the age-old horrors.” Also included in the summary are Google users, of which, 93% liked the movie. One Google user said, “if ever there was a movie to clearly and vividly show the horrors and absurdity of war, especially this war, it is this incredible rendition of this famous novel.”

The movie was a great portrayal of real wartime and what soldiers went through while fighting. It gives a first-person view of the struggle of dealing with loss while also accepting it. Viewers got to experience alongside the characters and learn about wartime from the perspective of soldiers.