The World War Two Film Is Rebooted, In Fedor Bondarchuk's Epic, "Stalingrad"; Which Is Reviewed By Scott Gentry.

 "Stalingrad" (15)
Directed by: Fedor Bondarchuk.
Starring: Mariya Smolnikova, Yanina Studilina, Pyotr Fyodorov and Thomas Kretschmann.
Running time: 131 minutes.
Rated: 15 for containing strong battle violence.
Language: Russian and German, with English subtitles.
Out now in UK cinemas. 

Vaguely deriving from the infamous battle for the control over the city of Stalingrad, this bold yet imperfect film, tells the story of a small group of Russian soldiers, who are ordered to protect a building of strategic importance; from the German army by any means necessary. 

To say that "Stalingrad" is an excellent action adventure, would be a complete lie. "Stalingrad" is however, a film which is particularly good in terms of action, scale and visual effects. Where the film's faults unfortunately lie, is within the key ingredients of any film: intriguing characters, a well written script and a story which both excites it's viewers, but also ends in a satisfying manner. The three afore-mentioned ingredients unfortunately, cannot be found in this melodramatic film. 

In regards to its imperfections, the characters portrayed by the cast of "Stalingrad" are both exceedingly dull and impassive, which leaves a large gaping wound in an otherwise passable film. This is surprising in regards to the actor Thomas Kretschmann ("The Pianist"), as his style is impressive and always refreshing; but here the actor delivers a performance that could have benefited from perhaps more perseverance. Furthermore the script is tedious and in many ways unintelligent. Instead of creating astute Tarrantino style dialogue, we are left with communication that could have been written by the least literate screenwriters, working in cinema today. 

Despite its condemned nature, "Stalingrad" does however feature well upon the key ingredients of an action film. For example, the 3D effects are well produced and liven up many of the action sequences, in a Zack Snyder/Micheal Bay style. Not only is the 3D enjoyable, but you are able to tell that this $30 million budgeted film's 3D effects, are crafted considerably well. Having been shot in 3D, this film decided not to convert itself into 3D, but be filmed properly, to give a distinctive edge for audiences. Like the 3D, "Stalingrad"'s action is exciting and at times may be unbelievable, but is stunning. In terms of scale, prodigious scenery was created specially and faithfully, costing 120 million Rubles, 6 months to create and almost 400 people to depict the city of Stalingrad perfectly.

Verdict

Exciting at times and Impressive in its visuals, "Stalingrad" disappoints in the more important features, but is a perfect example of a film, that should have perhaps been sent straight to DVD and Blu-Ray. 

4.5 stars out of 10.

Written by Scott Gentry.

Film Rating Key

1-2 stars out of ten = Awful.

3-4 stars out of ten = Average.

5-6 stars out of ten = Good.

7-8 stars out of ten = Excellent.

9-10 stars out of ten = Amazing.