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Plot: What’s it about?
Before Dawn is certainly a strange title for a war film, but here we are. While I don’t mind branching out with some films, I also am weary of war films that don’t have the big Hollywood budgets. That isn’t to say that smaller films like this are unwelcome in my eyes, it’s simply they can also be limited by their budgets. I will get this out of the way first: the war scenes here don’t feel lacking. While this doesn’t have the intensity of say Saving Private Ryan, it doesn’t reduce the carnage either. No, instead, it’s the story here that feels all too pedestrian.
In 1916, we find Jim Collins (Levi Miller) who lives with relatives on a sheep farm in Australia. He sees others like him going off to fight the war, so this leaves him torn as he doesn’t want to betray his family. Nevertheless, he goes off to fight in Europe. The film them cuts back and forth to show the war scenes and Jim back at home. The flashback sequences only seem to pad out the already brief running time. The film moves awfully slowly and was downright boring at times. It didn’t help matters that I just had a disinterest in much of what was on screen. With a better story or more compelling characters, I might’ve cared more.
While the heart is here, it’s really everything else that falls short. None of the characters are given much life, the war scenes, while decent, still didn’t involve me. Lastly, the story just didn’t grip me. I hate to compare this to several other war films, but it’s hard not to when there are so many superior ones out there. I would rank Hacksaw Ridge, Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot, 1917 or even Windtalkers before this one.
Video: How’s it look?
Using the appropriate wider 2.39:1 size, the image did look quite pleasing. Details seemed fine and colors and all displayed enough positives that I can’t think of much else beyond my usual remarks. The blood and battle sequences were fine as well.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Also strong is the DTS HD track that features nice clarity from the vocals, but the range we’d expect from the battle scenes. Having the remote nearby would be handy as it can vary in volume during the film.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Behind the Scenes – This is broken into 6 subcategories all detailing the authenticity and the production. None of them exceed 2 minutes, so don’t expect anything too deep here. Still, for such brevity, there is still enough good insight to watch them all through.
The Bottom Line
While I can often appreciate when a film has its heart in the right place, I still must review the bottom line for me. Unfortunately, Before Dawn simply missed the mark for me. It was boring, and the story has been done many times before, and better, at that. Skip this one.
