About SPR.. Don't pretend it's perfect... However, it is better to me now than I gave I credit for at the time. Originally, I was so annoyed by the usual "rah rah" American heroism and the story elements ("hey, where is the captain from
?" how about "who cares?") then all the stereotypical roles were rolled out: the cranky, smartmouthed Brooklyn guy, the god-fearing country boy, the bumbling (journalist) guy, the tough guy, the ever wise and all- knowing captain. Blah.
Plus it was just another movie focusing entirely on the US contribution to the war, ignoring the massive blood spilled by the other allies. I'm American, not anti- by any means, but there just hadn't been many movies to break out of that narrow focus.
Looking back, I enjoy it a little more and cut it more slack. It was a big budget film and HAD to appeal to a wide audience, more than just war movie or history buffs. And thus we had all the Tom Hanks / Matt Damon storylines stuf and the lighter moments to lift some tension. Still not the defining war movie I'm waiting for, but it definitely had its moments.
