I understand the hesitancy. All Quiet on the Western Front was THE definitive book on World War I written in 1929, then a year later turned into THE definitive movie about WWI, one of the greatest movies ever made. So Hollywood naturally would be pretty hesitant to remake an all timer, despite the allure of the reboot/franchising era. Since the book is actually about Germans, we have been overdue for the German adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Almost 100 years after the book premiered, Germany’s film industry takes their shot at adapting their own story. It’s not quite 1930’s Hollywood magic, but it’s still a terrific tale that drives home the point that all movies should: war is hell.
Roused into joining the war effort by his teacher in school, Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer) enlists in the German army to fight the Great War, alongside fellow classmates Albert (Aaron Hilmer), Franz (Moritz Klaus), and Ludwig (Adrian Grunewald). Despite what their professor’s ra ra speeches say, nothing could prepare the boys for the front lines of trench warfare, an endless waking nightmare of a place filled with superiors who only make them feel worse. Desperate for survival tactics, Paul finds some mentors in Stanislaus “Kat” Katczinsky (Albrecht Schuch) and Tjaden Stackfleet (Edin Hasanovic), vet soldiers who prioritize survival and practical warfare over speechifying.
How do you add to the sterling legacy of All Quiet on the Western Front? That’s the challenge facing Edward Berger, the writer director of this 2022 version. The biggest change from the story is the scope expansion in this version, showing the circular, never ending war machine. The opening is harrowing and excellent, showing the macabre process of mobilizing an army through any means necessary, and preparing the audience for the horrors our protagonist is about to face. Berger also adds some insight into peace negotiations going on while Paul and his friends are fighting on the front. As we get a glimpse up the power ladder, realities on the ground fade away, replaced by similar idealistic speechifying that Paul receives at school, plus a cushy lifestyle where none of the war’s consequences are felt by either side, only fueled really by pettiness, power grabbing, and hubris. So when practicalist Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) tries to make peace to stop the commoners’ suffering, generals on both sides don’t feel any of that horror, and double down on their positions until they can claim “absolute victory” over the other side. The result? Berger throws in a LOT of thematic repetition, as scenes of war repeat themselves over and over again with only the faces changing.
But these additions only add window dressing to All Quiet on the Western Front. Berger otherwise remains true to the amazing source material. Felix Kammerer is a wonderful Paul: an innocent thrust into war, forced to deal with hell at too young an age. We view the war mostly through his eyes as the horrors of trench warfare, death of friends, and eventually, the will to live itself, slowly take form inside of him. Albrecht Schuch is not quite Louis Wolheim, but he acquits himself well enough to one of literature’s great characters, Stanislaus Katczinsky. Schuch gives Kat that pragmatic, darkly funny personality that would be necessary for anyone to cope with the daily desolation. Plus, we get more emotional shading in 2022 as Kat knows he’s the end of Paul’s journey, and that journey isn’t worth the pain you have to go through to end up there. The action sequences are exhilarating in the moment, but always end up back at the same place: despondency, and futility, awash in grey and blue accompanied by a pulsating soundtrack meant to put the audience constantly on edge.
The world needed an update of All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022. The story is relevant as ever, with the movie sadly paralleling the Russia/Ukraine conflict. I hope the movie serves as a reminder to anyone in power that war does nothing for anyone. It destroys everything in its path, and likely is something people will never recover from. So leave the poor kids alone, and let them keep their will to live please.