1917 (2019) review

British General Erinmore (Colin Firth) sends Lance Corporals Schofield (George McKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) to run through the trenches and deliver a message to Colonel MacKenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) instructing him to not move forward with a planned attack, which would lead to the deaths of thousands of men.  This is first and foremost a technical marvel, shot by the legendary Roger Deakins and edited to look like it was done in a single take, and the set-design is fantastic - watch it on as big a screen as possible - but what holds it back is its insultingly undetailed script, which turns its actors into props to shuffle around (or just litter the ground or float in bodies of water) and adds little to their characters: you'd think with Mendes dedicating it to his grandfather (a WWI vet) it would be more about the men actually doing the fighting.