Waltz With Bashir Review

One of the most powerful movies I've seen in years. by movieboy23
Waltz With Bashir is an incredible tour de force. Ari Folman shows his tremendous film making skill by venturing out into the normally tame area of animation to tell his story of war, destruction and the importance of human life. Even the slower bits of dialogue intrigue the viewer as he/she is swept up into the stunning visuals of the piece. There are plenty of characters in the story to maintain the viewers interest, but not too many to distract from the main storyline pertaining to the protagonist, who happens to be Folman himself. Additionally, the ending of the film (which I won't share in this review for fear of ruining it for others) left me speechless. I can't remember the last time a film left me at such a loss for words. Please do yourself a favor and see this film as soon as possible. One more thing: I (and numerous media outlets and reviewers) predict that this film will win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Feature.

Waltz with Bashir: An honest look at the man in the mirror and the horrors of war by Abumaya
As an Israeli and a Jew, I was very proud that Israel could make itself so vulnerable and be introspective in broad daylight about such a serious and disturbing topic. This is a testimony to Israeli democracy at its best. The movie itself probably resonates differently with every viewer. On the literal level, this is a compelling voyage of one individual grappling with his past through a documentative narrative that weaves between the two forms of story telling with great ease. The animation is rich and in-vocative. The merger of comic-bookesque two dimensional animation and 3-d environments was a visual feast for the eyes. The music set the tone of the narrative and would probably stand very well on its own, and the combination of all these factors led to a product that was greater than the sum of the parts.

Five Word Review by redyeah
beautifully done strong concept film

Amazing! Very Powerful and creative! by donain
This movie was really something special. It makes you think and feel what the Israeli soldiers felt during the first Lebanon War. The animation and soundtrack portray the drama of life and death beautifully. Highly recomended!

brillliant .. by esteesgray
world changing

Powerful movie on the human toll of war by ivystern_ameritech_net
Great movie. The animation was wonderful and effective. Movie really focuses on the human toll of war -- without taking sides or making judgements. We know Israeli soldiers who fought in that war and thought the movie aptly captured their experience.

Waltz with Bashir by behindthecamera
Every aspect of this movie makes me think. It's haunting, gripping, and a memorable film. Each story has high emotional content, realizing what war is and what it does to you. Not only that, but the animation style is a brilliant companion to the movie. While you're watching this, you have to remember that a lot of this actually happened. Even though this is a foreign film, find a way to see it for it's well worth the experience.

Old School Propaganda with New School Visuals by mediocrates
This is not a film for emotional or political juveniles, but for a grownup audience it is impressive and compelling. To appreciate this film, you will need to have a strong stomach for its disturbing imagery and a strong mind to think critically about its content. The visuals are innovative and striking. This is a prime example of a movie that plays far better in a theater setting than at home. It is riveting and provocative to watch, and generated something I haven't seen before...a lobby full of people standing around arguing about it after the screening. Not bad for a Saturday night. If the theater had a lobby cafe, they would have cleaned up. Yes, this film is political. Yes, it manipulates the viewer (as do the best of films). But this film demonstrates that propaganda has a bright future in the cultural mainstream. I hope its market share will confirm this.

a must see movie by ronnie greenbaum
Even though the movie dealt with a very heavy topic i.e. genocide, it was presented in a way that helped you understand what the main character was experiencing. It also helped explain, from an Israeli point of view, the massacres that took place in Lebanon. The end of the movie with the real photographs was extremely powerful. I left the theater totally drained. I will and have recommended this film to all my friends to see.