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The 1st 45 Minutes in the Boot Camp are Excellent! The Rest is Just Pure Garbage

posted a year ago by HarrySkywalker (694)
32 replies | jump to latest

How can this movie be considered one of the best war movies ever is completely insane. It's like Stanley Kubrick himself: tremendously overrated.

The first 45 minutes of the movie, which happen during the boot camp, is top-notch dark humor material. The performances from R. Lee Ermey as Hartman and Vincent D'Onofrio as Gomer Pyle are superb.

It's filled wit legendary quotes. It's so funny, hilarious, memorable and so dramatic andn tragic in the end.

And then the Vietnam part starts and... it's one of the worst piles of garbage I've ever seen from a mainstream war movie.

Everything is so dull, boring, uninteresting and it's not even realistic at all because it doesn't look at all as Vietnam! And yet some call this realistic?

No character is remotely interesting and Private Joker stops being interesting when they arrive at Vietman. His narration is so dull and annoying.

A 116 minutres movie has 45 minutes of gold material but the rest of the 71 minutes are just pure garbage. There's no way this can be considered one of the best war movies ever. It's not even close.

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

"Everything is so dull, boring, uninteresting and it's not even realistic at all because it doesn't look at all as Vietnam! And yet some call this realistic?"

You must not know Kubrick movies very well. None of his movies are realistic. When asked about realism, Kubrick said something along the lines, Realism is good but Interesting is better.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Clearly you are a bit confused.

This is a war movie supposed to happen in Vietnam. It's based on a real war. It's absolutely irrelevant if the other Stanley Kubrick movies are realistic or not.

But what you say makes no sense as well because Kubrick fanatics claim this movie is very realistic and that it's one of its main positive points.. LOL!

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

It is actually pretty realistic looking. It takes place during the Tet offensive in the city of Hue (Urban warfare). The most unrealistic thing about it is that there are a lot of buildings still standing in the movie where as in the actual city of Hue it looked more like ground zero. Kubrick was lucky in that he discovered that at the gasworks where they filmed, some of the buildings there were designed by a German architect that designed many of the buildings in Hue.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

It doesn't look realistic at all.

The movie setting looks nothing like Vietnam!

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

Google Hue city Tet offensive. It looks close enough. This movie is about much more than a tour through Vietnam. The story could take place in any war.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Nah. It doesn't look at all like Vietnam.

This has been a consistent criticism.

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

Just wondering what you're expecting? Should the buildings look different? Are you wanting jungle warfare? I'm just curious what you think we should be seeing in the movie?

[–] Seperatrix (1214) 10 months ago

Sounds like he's suffering from a case of Platoonitis.

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

Maybe. Hard to tell. He doesn't really explain.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Pazuzu9, clearly you suffer from a serious case of Horribilis. It looks nothing like Vietnam. Fact.

Seperatrix, clearly you suffer from a serious case of Horribilies.

This movie sucks. Cry more.

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 10 months ago

Well, you're reasoning is irrefutable. I concede.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Exactly. It's too irrefutable and bombastic.

[–] Zarkoff (1853) 9 months ago

Nothing you can do someone says "fact". argument over.

[–] mnphotoguy99 (436) 9 months ago

Not all of Vietnam looked like the jungle. Duh!! If that is what you want, go watch Platoon.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 9 months ago

Nothing in Vietnam looks like what appears in the movie. DUH!

If that's what you want go watch Barbie. DUH!

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Seperatrix, clearly you suffer from a serious case of Horribilies.

This movie sucks. Cry more.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

Pazuzu9, clearly you suffer from a serious case of Horribilis.. It looks nothing like Vietnam. Fact.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 10 months ago

I wouldn't exactly call the rest garbage, but you're right; the first half focusing on their training is pure gold. And as good as the rest of the cast are, what makes it so good is R Lee Ermey. First time I saw it I (like most people, I'm sure) thought 'Who the **** IS this guy?'

The rest of it is pretty boring by comparison. There's certainly no way I'd ever call FMJ one of the best war movies ever.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

I call it garbage because it bores me to death. Only the last part is somewhat rather interesting.

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 10 months ago

If you don't like this movie you might stick to Transformers movies.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

If you do like this movie you might stick to garbage Barbie dolls comercials.

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 10 months ago

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie worl.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 10 months ago

You mean Barbie World!

[–] [deleted] 9 months ago

Now is it PURE garbage, or is it, say, 75% garbage cut with about 25% recyclables?

[–] pazuzu9 (384) 9 months ago

I hate it when they cut the garbage.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 9 months ago

Nah. It's just PURE garbage bin.

[–] Zarkoff (1853) 9 months ago

The second half gets way too much flack.

It's not as good as the Paris Island scenes, but it's still great. There are some memorable lines, some funny and intense moments.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 9 months ago

The second half is awful at every single aspect: characters, pace, action, setting, dialogue, etc.

[–] Zarkoff (1853) 9 months ago

It starts out strong with Joker's encounter with a prostitute and doesn't let up from there.

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 9 months ago

That's why it starts horrendous.

You just mentioned the worst scene of this movie. And then it's just garbage.

[–] UMAD (655) 9 months ago

exactly what i thought.

the movie ends when the boot camp ends. after that its trash

[–] HarrySkywalker (694) 9 months ago

That's right!