Reviews

Taking place in France, just after the allied invasion of Normandy, this is the story of a successful hospital surgeon whom takes revenge on a group of SS soldiers. The movie is a combination of events taking place at that specific moment and flashbacks to prior (more happy) times.

This movie made in France and released in 1975. The acting is pretty decent, with the popular actress Romy Schneider - whom gained worldwide popularity due to her iconic role as "Sissi" - in one of the lead roles. I think that her role in this movie may have had a very positive effect on the popularity (IMDb rating) of this movie.

The fact that this movie was produced in the 70's, gives it the advantage that much equipment from WW2 is still easily available. What is especially interesting to see, is the use of cars that are powered by so-called "wood gas generators". Not to be confused by "gas vans" that were used by germans to kill prisoners, "wood gas generators" are systems whereby a combustion engines - whom normally run on petrol or diesel fuels - use wood / charcoal / coal as fuel. The latter are thereby "gassified" allowing making it fit to use instead of petrol. This movie shows quite a number of vehicles equipped with several variants of gas generators. After a country was occupied by Germany, which caused petrol fuel to be prioritized for the Nazi forces, civilians converted their cars by equipping it with a gas generator. Closer to the end of WW2, they were also seen on german (military) vehicles, due to shortages and low availability of petrol fuel. Such gas generator systems are quite rare to see in a WW2 movie. This movie however, shows quite a number of vehicles, with systems on top of the roof (large cylinders) or variants that are installed right next to the engine.

I personally found this movie just acceptable: I score it at 5.8/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 6 stars. I am personally not biased by having Romy Schneider feature in one of the main roles. Thing that I did not like are the regular flashbacks and most annoyingly the unrealistic manner in which the doctor is able to fight against a group of SS soldiers. If you are open to "James Bond"-like fiction, where you always see someone win in the most impossible of situations, I think that you may like this movie a lot better. This may explain the difference between my rating and the relative high average rating of 7.5 stars.

This movie is about the assassination (attempt) on Reinhard Heydrich and the aftermath (e.g. The Lidice Massacre).

Although this movie has a roster of quite a number of famous actors, I found the movie too "fake". One of the main factors contributing, is the very obvious english accent that many of the actors speak. The manner in which the actors conducted themselves was way different from what you would expect from czech soldiers growing up on e.g. A farm. Instead, it was as if I watched english elite speaking cocky accents.

I also found the actor that plays Heydrich, to be too quickly in speaking his german sentences.

The vehicles, props, uniforms, etc. Were however more than excellent. That this movie was produced "only" 3 decades after the end of WW2 - which is pretty closeby when it comes to vehicles - of course benefitted in many war items to still be ample available.

If you haven't yet seen a movie about the historically relevant facts surrounding Heydrich's assassination, I suggest you start by watching another movie. The ones that I can recommend are: The Man with the Iron Heart, Anthropoid or Lidice. If you have an interest in learning more, it is only after watching those aforementioned movies, that I would recommend watching this one.

I score this movie 6.1/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 6 stars.

This movie is internationally known as "The Replacemet". Based on true events, it is about a large group of high-placed nazi war criminals that are "hiding" in a village on the spanish coast. This including the infamous Nazi SS doctor Albert Heim, whom during WW2 performed the most cruel experiments on human prisoners in the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, and whom is known as "dr. Death" or "mini Mengele". Grim facts like lamps made of human skin or human heads that are used as paper weight, are also attributed to Heim. This person is truely a showcase for how evil a person can be. The extremely painful procedure of murdering prisoners by injecting petrol (fuel) in the heart can also be attributed to him.

Taking place in the period around the 1982 Fifa World Cup that was held in Spain, it is the story of how a newly assigned police detective / investigator discovered this large group of nazi war criminals. It shows that in post-Franco's Spain - the fascist dictatorship headed by Franco that started in WW2 and ended with his death in 1975 - there is still a lot of tollerance from far-right supporters.

This movie is an excellent example of how many nazi war criminals were able to get away after WW2 through the so-called "Ratlines". Famous destinations are the countries in South America - particularly Argentina. This movie shows that Spain, which amazingly remained under Franco's fascist dictatorship after WW2, was also a location favored by Nazi war criminals. The latter at least until the media, and jewish organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Institute, put more and more pressure on the authorities to search for these war criminals whom were hiding under a false identity amongst the population.

One can clearly see that the makers of this movie put much attention and detail in making it period authentic. By making the events unfold during the 1982 Fifa World Cup - which was organized by Spain - made it all the more authentic and in my opinion one of the best examples of how one can make the viewer believe he (or she) is watching events that unfolded during that period. As far as I can judge, all vehicles, clothing and other props fitted well with the 1982 period. I found the acting not stellar, but decent enough. I think the acting lacks a bit in the display of emotions, especially when it comes to people being hurt or dying. It is as if these events didn't matter to the personalities in the movie...

What I liked very very much is the totally unexpected ending of the movie. I am not going to spoil the experience, but I can already tell that you probably will be amazed at how the movie unfolds at the end.

Overall, I find this movie a great example of how Nazi war criminals were successfully able to get away after the end of WW2. I personally never expected that formerly high-ranking Nazi war criminals - whom were e.g. Sentenced in absence during the Nuremburg Trials - were still living a free life in Spain during the early 80's. As such, it clearly deserves a spot in my list of best movies of WW2.

Concluding, I score this movie 7.1/10, which results in an IMDb rating of 7 stars.

The international title for this movie is "Natural Light". The story takes place in the area of Saltanovka, Belarus. Coincidentally, this area is already famous for an important battle that took place in 1812, i.e. The french invasion of Russia. This movie however is about a hungarian corporal, which serves in the German troops during WW2. I actually think that these troops may have been part of the SS, whereby it was their main task to keep control of the areas after they where conquered by the german army. Itbis actually a difficult "war" against the remaining resistance - i.e. Partisans - whom hide in the woods in the eastern countries of the Nazi controlled area.

I think that this movie very well portrays what war in these occupied woods - against the Partisans - is about. Due to the mud, swamps and (oftentimes) rain, it is very slowgoing, whereby trust, food and water are main items. It also causes normal human behavior to slowly slip away, making place for a need for survival combined with evilness. This whereby even women and children are not spared from getting hurt. Through the eyes of the corporal, we will get a small impression of what it may have been like.

Due to this movie wanting to portray this type of warfare as close as possible, this results in a very slowgoing story. This whereby long periods of "basic survival" alternate short periods of intense action when contact is made with the Partisans. So please be warned that this movie is not the typical movie filled with lots of talking and events. Instead, the amount of talking is minimal. Actually, it is more about human deeds, in an area where "laws" are determined by the people themselves.

I think this movie is an excellent portrayal of this type of warfare, which took place for almost 4 years in these areas. I think the words "hunting humans" is the best way to describe what happened in the woods during WW2.

The acting, props, vehicles, scenes, ... are all pretty decent. I really got the impression that I was watching events that looked like having taken place during WW2.

I am personally not aware of many other movies that try to portray the fight between Nazi controlled troops and the Partisans. I can only think of either "Defiance" (2008), with Daniel Craig in the lead role, or the very impressive "Wolyn" / "Hatred" (2016). Both movies however are seen from the viewpoint from the Partisans and/or the local population. What makes "Natural Light" unique is that it takes the viewpoint from the side of a hungarian soldier that fights for the german occupier...

I score this movie 6.7/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars. I think this movie is a very relevant one in understanding this type of warfare that took place during WW2. It really is contrary to the "Blitzkrieg" that many think about when they talk about WW2.

I personally watched both the Netflix show and the Chinese one. Yes, all 30 episodes of the chinese version! And I find the chinese version a better watch than the Netflix one. Why?! I will explain...

I decided to watch the Chinese version when I just completed the Netflix version. The latter - i.e. The one from Netflix - I scored at 7.3/10 stars, resulting in an IMDb score of 7 stars.

The first 2 episodes of the chinese version I found on YouTube. I have to honestly admit that during watching the first episode, I wasn't really impressed on what I was seeing. I found the sound / music often too loud or unattractive and also had some difficulties in adapting to the chinese language that was spoken. And was also somewhat strange how some people acted. Sometimes exagerating. But I decided to keep watching. And I have to admit that it took me until halfway through episode 2 before it got a lot better. Maybe it was me getting accustomed to the format. Otherwise I got the impression that the actors / director got more in their own role. Heck, maybe it was both of these factors.

After having finished the second free episode on YouTube, I was so taken by the chinese version that I decided I wanted to see the rest. I wasn't originally aware of if, but I found out that Amazon Prime had it available! So I could continue my experiece!

And what an experience it was! Vastly better than the Netflix implementation! Okay, on the special effects side, it was not so perfect as with Netflix... but the storytelling was so much better! I honestly had many questions after having seen the Netflix version! I mean... how can alien materials even end up on earth (i.e. The headset)?! But I had none whatsoever in the chinese version! The author of the bookseries thought out everything so well that the authentically derived chinese show left almost no questions. The Netflix version adapted in such a way that it created big questions and many an impossible situation! I am not going into details here, because that will spoil the watch for you!

Watching the chinese show was just an epic experience! It just got better and better each episode! Therefore I came to the point that I will give this show a score of 9.5/10, resulting in a 10-star IMDb rating. And I do not often give such a high rating! Honestly, it is only the second time that I award a 10-star IMDb rating to a series that was not produced by the USA. Note: the other one was "Das Boot", the stunning WW2 submarine movie (I prefer the "extended director's cut" of Das Boot).

Now the issue that I see. Because the score that the viewer gives to the chines version is actually a lot higher than the one for Netflix. But unfortunately this doesn't show up in the rating that is on the main page...

How thisrating is calculated has always been a mystery to me. I have never been able to find any explanation on the process behind it. Fact is however that when you click on the star rating, you will be able to see in more detail the histogram of the rating given per country. This whereby the real average score is displayed below each histogram. Taking this information will result in an overall average score / rating of 8.2 stars! A whopping +0.6 stars higher than what is suggested on top of the main page. And this is a big difference! There is always some difference, but typically they are never so big!

Looking at the Netflix version, shows that they receive an IMDb score that is even higher than what the average rating is. But this difference is minimal: 0.1 stars, but in this case the audience rates it on average lower than what IMDb states. So when you compare the chinese version and the Netflix version, the chinese version is given a disadvantage of 0.7 stars! And this is in my opinion unfair

So I would find it more fair if the chinese version also receives the score on IMDb that it deserves. And not a score which is 0.6 stars lower than the average rating given by all people that rated it. And yes, it will then be quite some higher rated than the Netflix one. And this is totally deserved! So, please be aware that IMDb shows 7.6 stars, whilst it actually is 8.2 stars (average)

As a final note I want to say that I am stunned by what the production team - CCTV and Tencent - behind the chinese version has been able to achieve with such a relatively "small" budget! What Netflix spent on just 2 episodes is more than the total spent for the 30 episodes for the chinese version! So I hope we will get to see much more of this chinese type of quality content in the future!!

In this movie, Tom Hanks plays the main role as captain of a submarine destroying that is accompanying a fleet of ship across the atlantic ocean during WW2.

This movie - like "The Enemy Below" - is unfortunately one of the rare examples on how it must have been to be on a destroyer during WW2. I want to emphasize the word "unfortunate", because this task was of critical importance in being able to win WW2. Without the atlantic convoys, Great Brittain would not have had the resources available to not only successfully defend itself against the Nazi Empire, but without them an Allied Invasion would have been impossoble.

It shows the complexity of guarding a large convoy of merchant ships during its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Especially during the period that no air cover could be given, i.e. The so-called "black pit".

As we can expect from Tom Hanks, the acting is of a high level. He very well shows how a destroyer can be successful in defending a large group of other ships, and that is by being great in teamwork.

I score this movie at 8.4/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 8 stars.

This movie is based on true events that took place during WW2 in the "Pacific Theatre", i.e. The battle between the Allied Forces and Japan. More specific, it is about the preparation and final battle for control over the strategically important island named "Iwo Jima". If the Allied Forces would get control over this island, it could use it as an airbase from which it could directly attack the mainland of Japan with heavy bomber planes. This movie focusses thereby primarily on the experiences by both: (i) a low-ranked soldier of the Japanese Army, and (ii) a high-ranking general of the Japanese Army which is responsible for strategic preparation and tactics during the final battle.

The acting, props, scenes, etc., makes you experience how the war looked like at that moment. All is at such an excellent level that it makes this movie deserve a spot in the best movies about WW2.

Note that this is also the island where the world-famous photo has been taken that shows several soldiers putting down a pole with an american flag. This photo has subsequently been used as reference for the famous "Marine Corps War Memorial" - a.k.a. "Iwo Jima Memorial" - location in Arlington VA.

I score this movie at 8.5/10, just making it a 9-star IMDb rating.

Inspired by true events that took place just before the end of WW2: therefore also its international title "Before it Ends". Starting as of April 1945, Denmark was faced with over a 250,000 german refugees, often young children or the elderly. This already fragile group was distrubuted over many danish villages, whereby they were left to their own, in many cases without any support from the german autorities or the German Wehrmacht. These people were therefore dependent on the willigness of the local danish people for help. And due to social pressure, this often gave problems... and this is exactly the subject of this movie.

This movie also clearly shows that the "Denmark Medical Association" is not truthful to its Hypocratic oath. This by not allowing its members (i.e. Medical doctors) to provide urgent care to people. This neither before the war ended and more stunningly, nor AFTER war end. The consequence was that many weak german refugees, including countless young children - even babies - were denied any treatment for life threatening diseases, resulting in many unnecessary deaths. And this whilst after the war ended, there were sufficient resources - medication and doctors - available to treat them. I personally think it is a huge disgrace that this was allowed to happen.

This movie also shows that some people, - which so-called "fight" for the resistance - are nothing but ordinary murderers. Blinded by revenge, hatered - or even outright evilness - some so-called resistance fighters used the end of the war to murder civilians which they either did not like and/or were of german descent.

A combination of great acting and excellent period-unique props, makes this movie an attractive watch. It very well depicts how Denmark may have looked like at the end of WW2.

I personally found this movie a very relevant movie to watch in case you have an interest in learning about WW2. Overall, I score this movie thereby at 7.4/10, resulting in an IMDB rating of 7 stars (almost 8 stars).

Based on true events, this movie is about the life of Rudolf Hoss, camp commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

When I heard of this movie being in the makes, I had high hopes that it would be a movie that would open the eyes of many people. Why so?! Well, Rudolf Hoss was not only a camp commander, but actually the architect and builder of the largest death factory that humanity has ever seen.

So I expected that we would be able to see how he built Auschwitz to the size it actually came to be, whereby we would also see how innocent - and often unknowing - people were either gassed upon arrival or slowly tortured to death as slaves. And all this whilst Hoss, his wife and children lived a life in luxury in a house on the camp grounds whereby even a small animal zoo was built for his entertainment.

Well, upon watching this movie it appeared one of the major disappointing movie that I have seen over the past few years. Where it would have been a great opportunity to show how cruel and evil humanity can be, the viewer is treated by some dull movie about him living as a family in his house on the camp ground. There is literally nothing that makes this movie give you an idea of how contrasting his life in luxury was versus life just a few yards away on the camp grounds. Because you will see nothing from the camps!

And people may say that this movie is a "piece of art", whereby much is left to interpretation. Well, I personally think that this 'interpretation' is a convenient way to very cheaply produce a WW2 movie of one of the most controversial subjects during those times: i.e. The systematic murder of millions of people, women and children included.

If there is any doubt on what exactly we miss in this movie, I suggest you watch the way superior alternatives that show how 'life' in a concentration camp may have looked like: "The Grey Zone", "Son of Saul" or "The Photographer of Mauthausen". Or the greatly underrated movie "Amen", which is about an SS officer which is responsible for introducing gas chambers for efficiently murdering people. Or otherwise "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", which showed the huge contrast between life was inside the camp and the house of the camp commandant.

So... I am actually pretty disappointed in what "The Zone of Interest" turned out to be. In my opinion it is a movie that you won't even remember watching in a few months time. And that is one of the major issues, because any opportunity to educate people on what Auschwitz stood for should be taken with both hands! And that we watched over 100 minutes of mainly the garden of one of the largest war criminals of WW2 is a slap in the face of all people whom lost their lives in a concentration or death camp during WW2.

I still decided to include this movie in the list of WW2 movies. The reason for doing so, is that - different from me - many people seem to conclude that this movie is a very worthwile watch. How could it otherwise get an average IMDb rating of 7.9 stars and a 9+ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

I score this movie at 5.5/10, only just making this movie a 6 star IMDb rating...

This movie is inspired by the true events of the denazification process of a famous orchestra conductor named Wilhelm Furtwangler.

The movie includes quite a significant amount of dialogue between the two famous actors Harvey Keitel (investigator / prosecutor frome the US army) and Stellan Skarsgard (Furtwangler). These discussions thereby take mainly place situated in one room. Attending are also two other people, a lieutenant from the US Army and a transcriber. Remarkable is that the latter is the daughter of a german Wehrmacht colonel whom - close to the end of WW2 - was executed because of his involvement in an assassenation attempt on Hitler.

This movie has an average IMDb rating of 7.1 stars when this review is written. I personally score this movie at 6.0/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 6 stars. Despite the great actors, I found that the story does not warrant a feature length movie. Because of it taking place mainly in one room, I found it also not that visually appealing. There a movies that are way better in showing the post-war investigation. This movie is however a great watch if you have a special interest in the denazification process.

Based on true events that took place in 1939 and subsequently in the 1980's, this movie is about the so-called "Nicky's Children". It shows how - trough the initiative of one London-based stock broker - many jewish children were saved from certain death in the gas chambers of a Nazi concentration camp during the early days of the second World War.

A combination of more than excellent acting of both the older Nicolas Winton (Anthony Hopkins) and his younger "version" (Johnny Flinn), this movie is a very decent watch. Due to the historic significance, it is thereby as relevant today as ever. This seeing the events occuring in both Ukraine (a war with Russia) as well as in Israel (a war between the "Jewish State" and "Palestine"). It makes clear that the effects of war on children should not be underestimated and that any help can have effects on many generations to come. In the case of "Nicky's Children", we talk about over 6,000 lives at the release of this movie.

I score this movie at 7.3/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars.

This movie is produced in Belgium and based on a fictional novel. It tells the story of Wilfried (Wil) Wils, which just started working for the Antwerp police in occupied Belgium during WW2. After just having finished his police training in 1942, we see how he struggles with the events he experiences during his job as police officer.

The City of Antwerp is a very relevant location during WW2, not only because of it being a huge harbour, but also because of the city having many jewish inhabitants. Even today, the city of Antwerp is known for its "Diamond District", which houses many jews. As such, Antwerp was facing many razzia's during WW2, where jewish people were rounded up for deportation. And it is in this climate, that we see this movie take place.

Although this movie is not based on true events, I think that it is still relevant for any person interested in WW2. This since it shows what is expected from being a police officer in a city with many jewish inhabitants.

I found the overall storyline not that impressive - but the movie was still a very okay watch. This mainly because I was pretty impressed by how everything looked: all uniforms and other props looked authentic for the 1942 period. Most impressive are the houses, streets and other locations like e.g. The central railway station looked! As such, I really had the idea I was watching Antwerp as it may have looked like in 1942.

I score this movie at 6.7/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars.

Coming from the same writers - and showrunner(s) - from the immensely popular "Narcos", "Griselda" is marketed to the world as a show that delivers the same kind of experience. And as a big fan of "Narcos", I was looking forward to the release of "Griselda.".

In the months prior to the release of "Griselda", Netflix made a big deal of already showing of some scenes on social media. In turn, this also caused the family - more specific her son - to sue Netflix for using this new show to incorrectly portray the story of the life of his mother.

In the 3 days after its release,I watched all six of the episodes. The reason why I mention this, is that I actually expected to watch all episodes in one day. As was the case with all other episodes of "Narcos", I was looking forward to binge everything in one day. So I already 'reserved' a free day for this binge. And this is where my first big surprise came! "Griselda" wasn't bingeworthy...!! And the number of episodes was even way less than I expected. Where any other season of "Narcos" has 10 episodes, "Griselda" had only 6.

And of course now comes the question why I didn't find it bingeworthy?! This won't be easy without spoiling the experience. But I am going to give it a try since I think it is important that you know that "Griselda" is way different than any other installment of "Narcos".

First of all, it is the story of the police that bothered me. As becomes obvious from any pre-release marketing material from "Griselda", the main antagonist is a woman detective. Whilst being positioned as "inspired by true events", I found the story about the woman police detective not only very hard to believe, but more so one big plot to show some kind of 'superwoman' that is constantly fighting for women's rights. I can't even recall the times that it is emphasized that a woman - living in the sixties - had no career perspective. Please understand that I have no problem when this issue is raised once, but in "Griselda" it is done on a literally continuous basis. Up to such a level that I almost got the impression that "Griselda" is used to brainwash the audience on some kind of political message...

The second thing that bothered me, is that the storyline lost momentum in the second part. Where it is fast-paced and interesting in the first few episodes, it is totally different in the last few episodes: it became repetitive and predictable. What also bothered me is the large jumps in time that were suddenly made. Speaking for myself, it felt as if I was watching a completely different show in the second part. One that was more akin to a soap.

The last few episodes also seemed to hint a lot to both "Scarface" and "The Godfather". Not only were direct references made to those two immensely successful movies, but also the background music was chosen the same. At some points for instance, I clearly recognized the italian violin-like music that was used in "The Godfather". And maybe it's just me, but I fail to see anything italian in "Griselda".

And although I get the impression that the business strategy of Netflix seems to have pivotted towards copying past successes of other studios, it shouldn't be done so obvious or?! Was the concept of "Narcos" not a successful enough that it could continue in the same way in "Griselda"?!

Coming to think of it, I understand that the production of "Griselda" - like many other Hollywood productions - was halted for 5 months. This due to a collective writers strike of the Writer's Guild of America (WGA). Maybe it was this strike and the resulting production halt that affected the script in the last few episodes?!

Concluding, I felt somewhat disappointed after watching "Griselda". Taking account all the aforementioned points, I unfortunately come no further than a score of 7.1/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars. And mind you, this is in no way a bad score. But I expected it to score way higjer. Of course expectations were running high, knowing that this show is created by the same people that were responsible for "Narcos". But I never expected such a big difference...

This series of 6 episodes is based on the real events that took place in West-Germany in the years just after WW2. This whereby former ranking officers from the SS and the Nazi army are involved in rebuilding a new "shadow army" in Germany.

You will learn how both Dr. Otto John and Reinhard Gehlen - historically important people after WW2 - act against each others objectives. This through the eyes of a young woman whom has close ties to both sides: i.e. She basically functions as a spy for its own country.

The series is a combination of (1) a historically relevant and interesting storyline, (2) pretty decent acting, and (3) scenes that make you think it is really post-war Germany which you are watching. It was such an attractive watch that I binged all episodes in one day...

The historic events shown in this series also triggered me to further investigate what exactly I saw in this series. This series really makes you wonder whether the "Allied Forces" were 'allied' in the first place?! This whereby the capitulation of Nazi Germany merely caused the defeat of one enemy (Nazi Germany), whereby WW2 just continued against Russia under another name: i.e. "The Cold War".

Concluding, this series challenges the viewer on what exactly happened just after WW2. I score it thereby at 7.3/10, resulting in an IMDb score of 7 stars. I personally hope that this series will get a second season. The 6th episode is left open ended, so as a viewer I am left craving to see more. Especially after reading some more on Wikipedia...

This movie is based on the true events that culminated in the strategically important battle that took place during November 1944 in the dutch province "Zeeland", which is located in the lower part of the Netherlands. The outcome of this battle gave the allied troops access to the strategically important harbour of Antwerp that is located in Belgium.

The movie is based on 3 distinct storylines of separate people that in the end all have life-defining impact on each other. The first person is a Nazi soldier of dutch decent. The second, a dutch family - most specifically a girl - aiding the resistance. And third, a group of english soldiers that were originally destined to fight in "Operation Market Garden" - i.e. The eventually lost battle by the allieds in the dutch city Arnhem - which delayed the end of WW2 by 6 months and resulted in the famine during the 1944-45 winter in The Netherlands.

The movie is produced in The Netherlands and shows pretty decent acting. More impressive are the action scenes that look very realistic and make you believe that you are witnessing real events that took place in the year 1944. The flooded villages and destroyed houses also look stunning.

The only thing that could have been improved, is to include more dialogue between people. I had the impression at some moments during the movie, that it was a bit slowgoing. But maybe this also has to do with how life looked like during 1944 occupied Netherlands. Maybe people just didn't have much to say to each other. This because of either fear of being snitched / betrayed or just out of lack of positive things happening in their lives.

Overall, I think that this movie deserves a score of 7.5/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 8 stars.

A first note that I want to make, is that this is a show that commenced in 2018 and is based in the same set of novels that the original "Das Boot" (1981) is based on. Currently (2023) running in its 4th season, this shows is also produced by the same company that was behind the 1981 original: i.e. "Bavaria Fiction".

This series is a mix of submarine warfare and storylines that involve resistance against the Nazi regime. Each season thereby builds upon the previous season, making it an altogether very interesting series. Actually, it is in my opinion one of the best fiction series about WW2 which is available.

Although it is a fictional storyline, large parts are still based on real events, like e.g. The "Wolfram Crisis" (season 2) or "Lebensborn" (season 4).

The acting is sublime. Many of the best and well-known german actors feature in this show. It further has stunning scenes with also extremely convincing submarine war action. As such, it is a gem to watch.

Concluding, I think this show deserves a score of 8.7/10, thereby making it a 9 star IMDb rating. And for a series to achieve such a high rating is not easy in my opinion. This since it requires a constant high level of entertainment and/or engagement to be delivered in practically every episode. And I must admit that this show is able to deliver this over the four seasons that have so far been released (2023).

This movie is internationally known as "The Butcher of Prague", whereby events start somewhere in 1939. This when Prague was already under Nazi control (note: it was in March 1939 that the nazis took control of Sudetenland).

Based partially on true events, this movie is historically relevant in telling the story of what happened in a Czech village named "Lidice". If you are unaware of the facts that occured in this village during WW2, I suggest you watch this movie. To prevent giving away spoilers, I will only say that whilst writing this in 2023 - 80 years after the events occured - there are still newborn daughters that are given the name "Lidice". If this doesn't show how impressive the story is, I don't know what will be...

Before watching this movie, I personally had no clue what "Lidice" stood for. And this is pretty amazing seeing my interest in WW2 content, whereby I even curate a list of 200+ of the best movies and shows about WW2.

I have to admit that at some times, the movie lacks in pacing. I also think that the acting could have been better. Seeing what happens, I would also expect to see way more emotion in people. But after watching the complete movie, I consider this a minor thing. I was just too stunned to learn about the facts that occured in Lidice.

The props, vehicles, clothes, weapons etc. Were all excellent, making all scenes very convincing: I really had the impression watching WW2 events.

Overall, I think that this movie deserves a score of 6.5, resulting in a 7-star IMDb rating. However, this score does not take into account that I won't ever forget what "Lidice" stands for. Because if I had to score this movie on how it is able to show how cruel the Nazi regime was, this movie would deserve a score of 10/10.

True story about how a group of Danish people organized an important resistance group just after April 1940, the moment Denmark came under control of Nazi Germany.

This movie shows in an excellent way what were the considerations and risks that people took when they were asked to join the resistance. Apart from that, it shows what may be involved in doing work for the resistance.

With the very decent acting and convincing movie sets, you really get the idea that you are watching Denmark during WW2.

I have to honestly admit that during the first 10 minutes, the storyline was too much "off topic", but after the moment the topic changes to the war effort, the movie constantly delivered in keeping your attention and even got better and better whilst the story developed.

I score this movie 7.2/10, making it a very well deserved 7-star IMDb rating.

Movie about a jewish camp inmate of Auschwitz named Salamo Arouch, which is given privileges by the camp leadership for his boxing skills. Coming from Greece, he and his complete family were interned at Auschwitz, whereby this movie is based on the true events he experienced.

This movie very well shows how the camp arrival and consequential selection for gassing takes place. It also very well shows the daily struggles that the inmates faced that were not gassed upon arrival. Especially the unique position that certain inmates had. Like e.g. Kapos and inmates with special skills like a boxing champion.

I score this movie with 7.3/10, resulting in a 7 star IMDb rating.

This over half a century old movie is a fictional story that is based on experiences from french resistance members.

This movie receives some extreme high scores from both Rotten Tomatoes - which rates it at a score of 99 (!) - and IMDb with 8.1 stars. I personally however, could not see such an extreme high score in this movie. True, the story is an interesting one, whereby you will see several missions of the french resistance, but I found it pretty slowgoing at moments. I further had some difficulty in understanding some plot turns in the movie. If you decide to watch this movie, I am giving you already the hint that the main character looks pretty different when he isn't wearing glasses whilst having a beard. I personally lost what was going on when his appearance changed so drastically and only like 5 minutes later understood this was the main character of the movie...

Since this movie was made during the 1960's, there was still a lot of access to props from the second world war (WW2). Combine that with cities and villages that didn't yet change much since WW2, and the viewer is left with very convincing and credible scenery.

Overall, I unfortunately can not get further than a score of 6.3/10. Yes, I found it a decent watch, but nothing of the likes that many other people judge this movie to be. So I sincerely hope you like it way better than I.

This movie is based on the true events that took place in one of the most renowned Auschwitz prisoners Primo Levi. More specifically, it is the last book of his experiences, whereby this book starts at the moment that Auschwitz is liberated, i.e. As end of january 1945. It describes his experiences he had during his travels in the soviet liberated part of the former Nazi empire.

Note: for the people that have never heard of "Is this a Man" - which describes his experiences in Auschwitz - one of the most impressive books that I have ever read.

With great acting and stunning scenes it is an altogether convincing image of how the situation may have been in the period up to the end of the war. It does not show the continuous women abuse that was ongoing during those times, but it shows that hunger and food were a day to day battle.

Overall, this movie deserves a score of 7.4 / 10, resulting in a very well earnt 7 star IMDb rating. I am personally surprised by the fact that this movie is not more known.

If you ask me, this movie is heavily inspired by the movie trilogy "Cloverfield". A bit to heavily actually. Because there are so many parallels, that you can say they practically stole the concept. Something that Netflix seems to do more and more.

Since I am a big fan of the Cloverfield-trilogy, I also liked this movie. And alike the first Cloverfield installment - which takes place in a doomsday bunker where total strangers meet up - this movie seems to take place in a house shere strangers meet up. And yes, also this movie has an open end.

Overall, this movie has pretty great actors. You however shouldn't expect too much of the movie sets. Since everything takes place in a house and its close surroundings - with no CGI or special effects to speak off - you won't be blown away by stunning visuals. Again, same as the first installment of the Cloverfield-trilogy.

As always with Netflix, we see a lot of elements that have to do with ESG, more specifically inclusion. But in my opinion, they go a bit too far this time. It seems that each new show or movie needs to make bolder statements, but a statement like this - and I quote exactly what is said in the most serious of circumstances - goes too far: "Trust should not be doled out easily, especially not to white people". Imagine a white person saying that about a black person in a Netflix movie, and you catch my point...

Although I do not like the obvious copying of other movie studio's concepts - i.e. The Cloverfield trilogy - and the just mentioned racial remark, I still give this movie a score of 7.3 / 10, resulting in 7 IMDb stars. I especially like the suspense and the unknown: exactly what I liked about the doomsday bunker movie from the Cloverfield trilogy... So?! Is this movie then also going to be a trilogy where we see more CGI and visual effects in the next installment whereby we see earth being taken over?

This movie takes place in the pacific theatre of WW2. More specifically, it is the jungle on a small island of Guadalcanal.

After a pretty vague and slow first 10 minutes, the movie changes pace whereby the next one-and-a-half hour of the movie is pretty action packed! It is so action packed that it easily competes with some of the best scenes of one of these best mini-series I have ever seen, i.e. "The Pacific". And with all the action in the jungle - and all the booze you see after the action ends - you would almost think it is the Vietnam war you are watching. But don't be mistaken... this movie pretty well shows how jungle warfare against the japanese must have been during WW2.

The last 45 minutes were of a different nature. The pace goes down significantly, whereby the movie turns into a bunch of personal stories. I personally didn't like this part so much, thereby pulling the overall score somewhat down. I think the movie could have easily edited down to 2 hours, which would have scored higher than now. Because with a 2 hour and 41 minutes in duration, it is a pretty long watch. And a large part of the last 45 minutes just make you want to see the end of the movie.

With regards to the acting, I think this is one of the rare movies that is just filled with huge stars. And this makesnthe acting more than excellent! Combined with awesome scenery and true-to-props, I really felt I was seeing realistic WW2 scenario!

So whilst being a bit too long in duration, I still score this movie 7.5/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 8 stars. It is a movie that you do not want to miss if you like the mini-series "The Pacific", and want to learn more about the non-Nazi part of WW2.

This movie is also known under the name "The Champion of Auschwitz". It shows Auschwitz camp life through the true experiences of a gifted boxer whom is prisoner of the camp. Because of a lack of entertainment for the guards and SS soldiers, camp officers decide to organize boxing matches, whereby this gifted boxer is made the main attraction.

What makes this movie special, is that it shows the beginnings of the Auschwitz "main camp", whereby prisoners were still living in brick buildings and Birkenau didn't exist yet. Having only 1 crematorium, it also still made use of burning pits.

This movie has pretty impressive scenes, which show the evil behavior of the Nazi guards and officers.

I score this movie with a 7.2, resulting in 7 IMDb stars.