All Quiet On The Western Front (Limited Collector’s Edition Mediabook 4k UHD + Blu-Ray)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Apr 3rd, 2023
Starring: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Adrian Grünewald, Edin Hasanovic, Daniel Brühl, Thibault de Montalembert, Devid Striesow
Written By: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Directed By: Edward Berger
Studio: Netflix / MPI Media Group
Buy On Amazon.com
The award-winning WWI drama is now available on 4k UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD, and it’s a war film worth owning. The excellent acting, amazing cinematography, and haunting score make it a must-see movie. Do yourself a favor and watch it in the original German language, not the dubbed version.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a film adaptation of the 1927 novel that many students encounter in high school. I, too, read it as a student and saw the 1979 TV movie, although I recall little about it. The story takes place during World War I and centers around a group of young German soldiers, including Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), who eagerly enlists with his friends. However, once on the battlefield, Paul quickly discovers the harsh realities of war and how quickly things can take a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, German official Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl) attempts to negotiate an end to the war.
When I stumbled upon All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix during the winter, I noticed that the default version was dubbed in English. I immediately switched it to the original German version. While some may prefer to watch movies with dubbed dialogue, I find it’s better to hear the actors’ natural voices, even if it means reading subtitles. I think it’s more rewarding in the end that way. This movie, much like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and 1917, exposes the brutalities of war in a realistic way. While the film’s focus is on characters like Paul and Kat, I appreciated the moments away from the frontlines, such as the negotiations led by Daniel Brühl’s character, Matthias Erzberger.
Having it available on Netflix is nice and everything, but we all have found out over time content on streaming platforms isn’t forever so owning this on 4k or Blu-Ray is a better option. Plus it just looks the best, and sounds the best as well! The 4k UHD also includes some extras, like audio commentary, a making-of featurette, and some trailers. The 4k/Blu-ray also has a nice booklet to accompany the movie, with interviews with the director Edward Berger and historian Daniel Schönpflug. As much as I like the book aspect, I can’t stand the cases where the backing isn’t on the book itself. The paper falls off as soon as you open up the wrapping. Such a pet peeve of mine when it comes to home video.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a movie to be seen, on a TV as big as you can see it. It’s a tough watch regardless of what side you’re on. The movie shows you it doesn’t matter what side you’re on, war is hell.
Features:
Audio Commentary
Making-of Featurette
Original Trailer
US Trailer
International Trailer
Teaser
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (66.88 Mbps)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
German: Dolby Atmos
German: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Ukrainian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French, German, German SDH, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Spanish SDH, Catalan, Czech, Czech SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian
Bottom Line: An excellent film about World War I that offers a different perspective on the atrocities of war.
Running Time: 147 mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
