Thanks for the memories!

Fresh and Exciting

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Roger Ebert called this 1979's best movie, and he put it in the top 10 movies he had ever seen. I personally can't go that far, but Apocalypse Now is a very good movie. So what is it about? IMDB's summary says: "During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe." This kind of makes me see this as a Saving Private Ryan for the Vietnam War. And if you have read my review for that, you will know that I find this movie to be superior.If I had to pick at something-I do think the last half hour drags a little too long, and that the actors speak too softly. But those are minor set backs. There is also a "redux"-an extended cut that runs nearly 50 minutes longer. I saw that first and don't recommend that you do that. It's fine but the original cut is way more superior. See the original first. While I can't currently call this one of my favorite movies, this is definitely one of the finest war movies ever made!

Coppola's greatest work. The incredibly stunning cinematography along with the unforgettable performances from Duvall, Sheen and a stand out performance from Brando, makes this film one of the greatest to hit the screen.The legendary scene featuring The Ride of the Valkyries can also not go unmentioned.A cinematic masterpiece.The Horror... The Horror

Why would you watch this more than once? I can't even make it through the movie once. What a horrible waste of 2 and a half hours. Just stop!

Coppolla's flawed but masterfully done movie earns it's ranking on almost every top film list that matters. 3 years in the making, the finished cut (the 1979 version not the "Redux") doesn't reflect Coppolla's personal agony in creating this (that story is told in the documentary "Hearts of Darkness" by Coppolla's wife Eleanor). Like every war movie, there are the inevitable criticisms of lack of realism in the events portrayed, to the tune of "Yeah we really did a lot of surfing during fire fights, didn't we?" But that viewpoint is perhaps improper when looking at a truly unconventional movie of this type. "Apocalypse" is no documentary but a metaphor for the Vietnam war itself, and comparing it to other more realistic movies such as "Platoon" is unfair. Coppolla clearly is going for effect here, and the extreme absurdity of the events shown are intentional and meant to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer (and anyone who saw this film in a packed theater in 1979 will tell you, Coppolla succeeded admirably at this). This is one of the few movies that deserve (and almost require) multiple viewings, since it would be very difficult to get the full effect of the powerful story-telling going on here, and to grasp the message (the madness that was Vietnam.). It's safe to say if this is your first viewing of "apocalypse", it'll be like no other movie ever made, before or since.In my opinion the best cut of the film to watch is the 1979 original and NOT the "Redux", at least for the first viewing. The Redux was released in 2001 and includes about an additional hour of footage - but most of the new footage seems pointless, is fairly ponderous, slows down the story immensely and not one bit of it adds to the plot (and in fact dilutes the story in a big way.)