I think it is ok to compare this film with Saving Private Ryan, or with any other film for that matter. Together they show something about war but even more about typical, grand Hollywood productions. Where Spr tries to tackle the visual side of ww2, Trl goes for the more thoughtfull aspects. I felt that Trl was better of these two large, war spectacles that in my opinion should have done more in order to achieve any kind of place as classics in the more intellectually enlightened world of today.
With Trl I occasionally felt that Malick would have done right if he had not tried to tackle all the characters from the novel, sometimes it is not the right way to go. The film could not ultimately take the story and the theme far enough to make me genuinely appreciate it. If there was a lot of footage shot that did not make the film it would be nice to see it included in a directors cut or a tv version, I'm sure that would give a more fuller picture.
With Trl I occasionally felt that Malick would have done right if he had not tried to tackle all the characters from the novel, sometimes it is not the right way to go. The film could not ultimately take the story and the theme far enough to make me genuinely appreciate it. If there was a lot of footage shot that did not make the film it would be nice to see it included in a directors cut or a tv version, I'm sure that would give a more fuller picture.