Jack Penman-Reid
Stalingrad is by no means a great film, but neither is it a bad one. It's just OK.The film starts in the wake of the 2011 Japan Tsunami and goes back in time to the battle of Stalingrad. The film is almost entirely set in one square in Stalingrad with Russians holed up in one end and Germans holed up in the other. The plot revolves around 5 Russian soldiers and their relationship with a civilian Woman who lives in the building they're defending.The title Stalingrad is a bit misleading as the movie hardly covers any of the battle, just the personal story of a few soldiers in a tiny part of the city. None of the characters of particularly interesting or well acted apart from one who is mute for the majority of the film but I feel this added to the person's character. I also didn't feel that the opening and ending being in the modern day really added anything to the film or plot and overall was unnecessary. The action is entertaining for what there is of it but it definitely goes down the route of Gung Ho rather than anything believable. Scenes of Russian soldiers on fire but still managing to attack are an example of what the action in this film is like. It's worth mentioning that the vast majority of the action is in slow motion too.Overall I wouldn't say don't watch Stalingrad but don't go out of your way to watch it either. I watched it for free on Netflix and I wouldn't recommend paying for it. It's something to watch once when you're bored. If you want to watch a good film about Stalingrad, watch the 2001 film Enemy At The Gates.
gordonl56
STALINGRAD 2013This 2013 Russian production is an absolutely stunning looking war film. Having said that, it is a shame that the lack of a real story robs the potential this had to be a first rate war film. Anyone expecting a film on the Battle of Stalingrad had best be ready to be disappointed.The film trots out a tale of a group of Soviet soldiers, sailors etc holding a large house near the Volga in Stalingrad. They are outnumbered and out gunned by the Nazi bunch all around them. The script plays out like one of the Soviet era war films from 1960's. All the standard Soviet types that populated those films are present. There are all the same political "fighting for the motherland" type drivel that just serves to slow the action.While the cgi effects and battle parts are really quite well done, the lack of a real story, bring the non-battle scenes to a rather boring slow walk. The Soviets are all hero types, while the Germans are all perfect Nazi swine.A real missed opportunity to make a classic film on one of the great battles of WW2, A shame.
fung0
This is a very odd film, obviously mixing a variety of genres and movie tropes, with uneven results. Nonetheless, I found it worthwhile, though I was forced to revise my expectations continuously while I watched.Like the previous German 'Stalingrad,' this Russian film does not attempt to tell the story of this pivotal battle of World War II. Instead, it once more burrows down to give us a worm's-eye view - this time from the Russian side. But where the German film captures only chaos and madness, the Russian version gives us at least a symbolic representation of the larger reality. We don't see the vast strategies at play, or the chronology of the battle. But we do glimpse the scale of the devastation, and we do get some perspective on the undoubted fortitude of the Russian defenders.There's a very odd 21st Century gloss over all all this. The film uses trendy digital techniques, and even IMAX 3D. (Mercifully, I saw the 'flat' version.) This gives it a hyper-kinetic, surreal quality that seems painfully at odds with the historical subject matter. This is the battle of Stalingrad as seen by a modern time-traveler, not as it would have appeared to the participants. The film is impeccably produced, but the stylistic approach will be understandably off-putting to many viewers.However, almost obscured by all the high-tech technique, there's a rather beautiful little story struggling to escape. The tale is presented as a reminiscence, almost as a fable. It's about one small group of soldiers, who befriend a young civilian survivor. This girl, Katya, refuses to move out of her apartment, even though her friends, neighbors and family have all perished there. And even though the Germans bring ever greater firepower to bear against the building.Young Katya does a pretty good job of representing The Spirit of the Russian People. Idealized, certainly, but why not? Surely those who fought and died in this gruesome battle deserve to be idealized, if anyone does. Katya's innocence is the innocent hope of every civilian population that's ever been subject to invasion and subjugation. How could ANYONE endure the unimaginable hardships of war and occupation, if they couldn't cling to some vision that it would all be worth it, that in the end things would come out right?The soldiers are also stereotypes, but likable ones. Like Katya, they're icons that do ring true on some human level. Their violence - on both Russian and German sides - is casual, senseless. This is a view of war reduced to a personal battle of wills, between opponents who no longer clearly remember their original objectives. And the individual dramatic arcs do work, despite the odd style of the film.It is both a compliment and a criticism to say that this version of 'Stalingrad' is 'enjoyable.' The creators have wrung a very positive, very human story out of the chaos of large-scale butchery. It's an odd objective, to be sure, and one that many will find inappropriate. But taken purely as a cinematic creation, 'Stalingrad' is definitely worth seeing. And, in some strange way, it does deepen our understanding of the time and place it depicts.It's true, this 'Stalingrad' is impossible to watch without mixed feelings. But perhaps that's as it should be, for any film on this topic.
laertiscy
I have live during a war and see how a real one is. This movie is one of the best about WW2 I have ever seen, from the point of real life view of how soldiers and people -citizens- react under those circumstances. Also may not represent the real Stalingrad battle but that's not my point here.It is slow and bit boring sometimes and yes most viewers will like more action and explosions and gore. Forget all about those brave super heroes you see from Hollywood movies. It is not like this not at all. An example that's a standard cliché in all movies now, the sergeant opens the vehicle door and shouts "go go go go soldiers get them, lets show those !!!! what we really are" etc etc. That's a bad joke. It is not like that in the line of fire and when soldiers run out from the transportation vehicle and the first bomb drops nearby even 300 meter away its nothing like what we see in movies not even at 10 % close.
