Review of Gods and Generals (2003) by Thomas P — 23 Jan 2014

To watch this movie and appreciate it you need a profound understanding of Stonewall Jackson and the Civil War. To the common person it's a snore fest but to someone educated about the war it makes absolute sense and can be very emotional at times such as the scene where the opposing Irish brigades engage one another at Fredricksburg.

Most reviews I've read on here talk about how Pro-Confederate it is and there are no "bad guys". First of all this isn't fiction it's historical fact! These were Americans against Americans, many of the generals on opposite sides new each other personally and were good men.

Also most people don't understand that religion in those days was far more profound in society than it is today. Jackson himself was a religious fanatic. This film is also from a series of books. Gods and Generals is the book that tells it from the Confederate point of view hence why it concentrates on them.

Killer Angels (Gettysburg) tells the story of both sides while The Last Full Measure is from the Union point of view. However the scenes with the saintly treatment of slaves by Confederates is definatley questionable and inaccurate as is the parts with the little girl.

It also left out far too many key parts of the war such as Jackson's valley campaign, the Battle of Antietam and ran on far too long for a movie, you cant compress the entire beginning of the war into one film!.

It should have been done the right way: historically accurate and in two parts. However this still is a great movie and highly recommended to anyone curious about the Civil War or who is a buff. The common person will most likely not find it to their liking or understanding.

Personally if these so-called "Top Critics" and "super-reviewers" can't see how this is still a good film they need to seriously re-examine their "superior" methods and should do a little more research on the subject before writing a review.