I’m going to put this movie solidly in the ‘good but not great’ category.
Let’s start by saying two things:
Firstly, considering the release was pushed back to avoid awards season I was worried that meant the movie was bound to bomb at the box office.
Secondly, I absolutely adore movies (well-made movies I need to add) that revolve around military or human history.
So attending a pre-screening of ‘Monuments Men’ was definitely of interest.
George Clooney leads a cast that includes Matt Damon, Hugh Bonneville, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett and John Goodman. The movie itself is billed as a comedy- drama, and it fills both shoes. Though with Goodman and Murray sharing the screen, who wouldn’t expect some of the comedy to hit its mark.
Following a group of men, members of the ‘Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA)’ program, who were tasked to try to help preserve art caught in the crossfire during the Second World War. They worked as embedded soldiers, on the front lines doing their best to keep track of and save sculptures, paintings and historic and cultural relics from both the Allies and Axis forces as they moved through art-heavy Europe.
The movie mainly dealt with the team as they moved through France, Belgium and Germany during the last two years of the war, though in actuality the MFAA also worked in Italy and Austria – both German controlled or allied at the time.
It’s an entertaining, and at times touching, look at a group of men who played an important role during the war that is otherwise unknown to most people. They weren’t the kind of men who were lauded for leading an attack on the front lines, or with two dozen dog fights. Instead they were men who fought to help preserve humanity in a less corporeal sense: men who wanted to win the war and at the same time preserve the art that makes humanity so unique.
‘Monuments Men’ was relatively well-made, though be warned that is has a few VERY ra-ra-America moments, though I wasn’t really surprised considering the American penchant for that whenever it comes to a war movie. Some of the humour is hit-and-miss, and some of the drama is predictable, but overall the movie is entertaining and a good way to spend a couple hours.
6.5/10
Marg's Meanderings 