The Monuments Men Review

The Monuments Men follows the true story of a group of World War II scholars that joined the war effort to find and protect important pieces of art from Hitler's Axis Powers. The film is loaded with an all-star that features George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. With a cast that good, how could the movie possibly disappoint!?

Directed by: George Clooney
Genre: War,
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Running Time: 118 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: All-star cast, Classic and nostalgia feel, Great sense of humor, Fun performances across the board,

The Bad: Not very memorable,

Plot: 7.3/10- In today's age of dark and gritty war dramas that try to remove the heroism from the stories, watching a movie like The Monuments Men that is unforgivingly nostalgia is a breath of fresh air.
There is nothing wrong with the dark war dramas, but we have not seen a more entertaining war drama than The Monuments Men in years. As a fan of the old classic war movies, it was great to see a movie that still has its serious moments, yet continued to have a good sense of humor and heroism. The pacing of the movie can be a tad slow at times if you have a short attention span, but the humor and likable performances kept the movie from slowing down too much. Thematically, the movie asks a an intriguing question: is a man's life equal that of a piece of important art? To be honest, I am not much for art, except for its historical significance to a culture, much like film is today, but the movie does a decent job of conveying its theme, albeit with little subtlety.

Characterization: 2.9/10- For the most part, the characters are a characterture of the actor playing them with one or two exceptions. There is not a lot of development or anything significant, but they are likable characters that are easy to get behind. Sometimes the drama is a bit melodramatic, but, for the most part, the drama is surprisingly effective.

Action: N/A- While there is some WWII war action, it is mostly in the background because the movie is more of a drama.

Acting: 8.7/10- Considering that many of the actors in the movie like Bill Murray, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett are among my favorite actors, seeing all of these top notch actors (listed at the top of the review) in one movie was a ton of fun. While their performances do not have a lot of depth, which is mostly due to the script, the fun dialogue exchanges between the characters is very entertaining to watch with Bill Murray being the standout best of the cast.

Bill Murray and Bob Balaban are easily the best part of the movie.

Soundtrack: 7.1/10- Just like the classic feel of the movie, the soundtrack compliments it well.

Humor: 8.7/10- While not a comedy, The Monuments Men's humor is its strongest aspect. Thanks to the stellar cast, the dialogue delivery is often humorous. The humor prevented the film from becoming boring or slow for the most part.

Entertainment Value: 7.8/10- Even though certain parts of the movie were not the most interesting, the classic vibe of the film, the performances, and humor kept me entertained.

Overall: 7.0/10- While not monumental by any means (see what I did there), The Monuments Men is a fun and entertaining throwback to a simpler time with an all-star of Hollywood's best to support it.

Closing comments: If you enjoy old movies, especially old war movies, The Monuments Men is a must watch. On the other hand, if you do not enjoy old movies or the likable cast, The Monuments Men is likely not for you.

Recommended for: War movie fans, A fan of any cast member, Classic war movie fans,

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