Review of Unbroken (2014) by Jacob — 24 Jan 2015

Unbroken is a film that would’ve worked better as a miniseries. While the film has some great moments that were well done, nicely adapted, and gripping especially in the first third, there are other moments that either glossed over or omitted entirely preventing the film from having the kick it needs.

Its frustrating when some parts of the film are executed really well and other times the film is screaming “Notice Me, Nominate Me, Oscars where we come.” Had the filmmakers been more focused on making a good movie for the sake of making a good movie and not going for the gold and/or if the film had been a miniseries it could’ve been great and fleshed out the characters and effectively told the story.

As it is, its alright. I didn’t feel like I had completely wasted my time although I do wish I had been able to see American Sniper. In a month where Hollywood tends to give me garbage I’m glad that there was something out there I could see and get something out of.

People who haven’t read the book will be able to follow the film ok and might enjoy it more without familiarity with the story. This is a depressing, interesting, and important aspect of World War II and its nice that so many people are being exposed to.

If you have read the book though and are a fan of the story, you’ll be disappointed at the alternations and omissions made that prevent the film from being as great as it could’ve been. In all seriousness though if you are curious read the book its really good.

As for the movie its ok. It was engaging and wasn’t a waste of my time but I’m probably not going out of my way to see it again and I’m not going to highly recommend it either. Check it out if you are interested but if you’ve read the book, lower your expectations.