Early Jarhead Reviews

The reviews for Jarhead are starting to trickle in, and while the few articles up on Rotten Tomatoes are good, my man David Poland just destroyed it.  Damn it!!!

Jarhead is the Seinfeld of the holiday movie season… a movie about nothing.

About 90 minutes into the film, someone whispered to me, "When is the movie going to start?" Exactly. It never really did.

At least, um, Andrew Sarris liked it.

Comments

[Michelle Zarrilli]

The studio should be thanking the marketing gurus who used Kayne West's "Jesus Walks" in the cross channel tv spots. (I wonder if a deal was made when Jaime starred in Kayne's new song "Gold Digger"?) This will draw in music lovers regardless of the reviews. Its sad to hear that a movie with Jamie Foxx is getting bad reviews after coming off the "Ray" high. (How big is his role in the movie?) From your review it sounds like your friend was looking for a climax - but this is simply a story of one soldiers life during the Iraq war. I've read the book - I'd be interested to know how the two compare.

[Craig]

Hi Michelle -

I think audience reaction is going to be very interesting to Jarhead, because the commercials make it look like Full Metal Jacket (action packed, violence, brutality of war, etc.), but based on the reviews the film actually seems more like a meditation on the "waiting" that takes place in a modern war.

If word gets out that this is a slower paced film and not Blackhawk Down, and expectations can be re-set correctly, perhaps viewers will look more kindly upon it than reviewers have so far. Clearly the reviewers had something else in mind, and I'm worried that general audiences will feel the same way.

Oh, and I'm not sure how big of a role Jamie Foxx has (definitely supporting though), but it has to be bigger than his role in Stealth. :)

[American Hitman]

As a Marine myself, the movie played out in the exact manner that my life in the Corps has. The inside joke of the Marines is "hurry up and wait" where you get somehwere fast and wait for something to happen. With a movie like this coming out as a story rather than a political statement, the public will get a realistic view of life during a time of war. The greatest enemy a Marine has is time to think about what is going to happen next...

[sergio]

I totally agree with Hitman. Being a former Marine with combat expericence, the "hurry up and wait" game always applied. I read the book and I hope the movie doesn't shy away from what made the book good. The book was not action packed, but it did cover real-life situations that occur in a combat environment and also what happens after the war is over. I can't wait to see the movie to see how true it stays to the book.

[navyair]

I have also read the book, and I think it is important for viewers to recognize the Swofford wasn't trying to tell people what is was like to be a Marine in a general sense, or what the Gulf War was all about, this is his own personal perception of what he faced in the Gulf War.

[Jmarine]

I liked the book but the movie misses the best parts. It only shows the tedium of "hurry up and wait. The extras "background players" were exactly that you could tell they knew nothing about military bearing, how to hold a weapon, or anything related to the Corps. It seemed like they had lousy military experts consulting. Mendes jacks this book up. They dumb it down and make us all look like idiots. Too many script changes create a story with no beginning, middle or end. I feel bad for Anthony Swofford. They killed his book.

[jmarine]

This movie is for civilians not Marines.

[Lori]

Went to see it today with hubby who is a former Marine. I have a new appreciation for those who serve and learned today that I will never have what it takes to be a Marine. Im really glad I went and think everyone should see it, or at least every civilian.

[arctcfightr]

just have to say good movie i can realte im not a jarhead but i am a grunt with the us army and i liked the movie we go throught he same things i was over there when oif hit off and pretty much same things go on good movie

[ana]

I saw the movie today and I really liked it. I thought the performances were stunning. And also, the plot is supposed to be "slow" or whatnot; That's the point of the movie. I also like that it doesn't make any strong political statements, one way or the other...in this day and age, war (just like life)is what it is: a big conglomoration of different shades of grey.

[marineflyboy]

Trash. Makes real Marines seem like idiots and phycos.

Long time Corps and never witnessed any bull shown in this made up movie. Made me sick.

Happy Birthday Marines, 10 Nov, 2005!

[jacob r lynch]

when the book came out in 2003 i felt as though it spoke the true story for all of us jarheads. although the movie has been hollywood-ized and lacks the depth of the book it is still truth. the corps is beautiful and terrible. i love and hate my time there.

[Rob Phillips]

As a Marine Corps Desert Storm vet and as a Grunt, the book and movie (the book more so)hit the nail on the head. Hurry up and wait, fear of what comes next, the sense of unfinished business and every emotion that boils up from your gut. I love The Marines....but hate The Corps. I'm sure every grunt who ever laced up a pair of boots and slapped a magazine in a rifle understands what I'm saying.

[Don]

I've always had a tremendous appreciation and fascination with the Military, particullarly with battles. However being born in an in-between generation - too young for Vietnam, too old for Desert Storm - I've only been able to experience war and the military through others eyes. Therefore I've seen every war movie ever made and read just as many boks. This is one of the best. I found myself going through the same insanity and absurdity of the soldiers. The experience left me drained and frustrated much like the soldiers in the story. Usually when a movie has this affect on me, I find that the Director's methods were heavy handed and manipulative. Not so in this case. Stanley Kubrick is up in heaven saying “yes, this is what Full Metal Jacket was meant to be”.

[noelle]

I get excited whe I see a great film- JARHEAD made me thank GOD for Sam Mendes and this delicious MASTERPIECE of a film, period. I am not a big fan of war movies but I live for great movies. This one restored my faith in the movie industry. It still haunts me-- images of incinerated bodies and a lone oil- slicked arabian horse coming out of the desert. The best depiction of hell on earth I can ever remember seeing.
Every actor was outstanding, heartbreakingly real (Jake and Peter S especially)--bringing to the screen that male bonding magic thing that can make a woman envious of not being a man (well--almost).
Also appreciated the fact that it wasn't another Platoon or Saving Pvt Ryan- we don't need another movie about shooting scenes special effects.
This one touched the audiences heart, and i would not be surprised if there isn't a surge in young men joining the Marine Corp--
Just my opinion.
N.

[Josh0351]

Those who say ‘Jarhead’ is a movie about nothing, have never served in a USMC infantry unit in a forward area, and are better suited watching reruns of MASH for their war-time entertainment "needs/fixes".

‘Jarhead’ is the closest rendition of my USMC (1/8) military/combat experience some 15 years ago, devoid of the usual Hollywood spin, hype and (military) inaccuracies...

[JARED NOT Jarhead]

I just got done with the two hour experience of brilliance in film making. No i am not a Marine, but i felt like one for two hours. I ONLY WISH I HAD THE COURAGE TO ACTUALLY BE A HERO, LIKE THEM. GOD BLESS THE TROOPS.

[d pit]

I really enjoyed the movie. I think that you have to of have been in a combat situation to understand to really connect with the moive as I did. 1 month in Kawait 6 in Iraq. Did any one catch the politics in the end how Staff Sgt. Sykes(Jamie Foxx) was still in the Marines and back in Iraq. Plus how Swoff noted "We are still walking in the desert." But aside from all that it was a great movie. In out and all around.

[Don]

JOsh you were with 1/8. I was with 10th MArines and we supported 1/8 . I had no idea what the grunts went through over in Desert Storm . I guess while we were moving , shooting , and communicating during the ground offensive it must have been tough seeing that grunts might be obsolete over there. I never had a day of rest over there. while my unit waited I was cleaning vat cans at chow hall in the desert and then 3 days before the offensive through the berms , I was sent back to my unit. So waiting was not something i ever had to endure.
I liked the movie because it showed how many felt while in the corps , but I too had a problem with some of the things swofford did which would pretty much meet with a courts-martial. I suppose grunts are different than cannon cockers. I know they partied harder than we did. Grunts I met were nuts.

The movie left me also wondering where the discipline was in Swoffords Unit , but then again it cost a lot of money to train those guys in a special unit and sending them back to the rear would not have helped. AS far as I am concerend swofford was a messed up marine. He would not have made it in my unit with his behavior. I need to read the book and if this stuff is in his book , then his book is his way to bring about catharsis and search for redemption and a confession for the type of behavior he displayed.

[PMW]

Wow, some of the best/worst memories of my life and Marine Corps experience all came back in a sudden rush from a seat in a movie theatre. I thank LCpl. Swofford for bringing the brutal reality of a grunts life to the eyes of so many Americans who misunderstand the present-day Marine. If you can take the idea's displayed in this movie and apply them to the current war in Iraq, it is easily understood, although not by any stretch condoned, how incidences like abuse at Abu Ghraib prison occur.

[josh0351]

Don-

I cannot comment on the differences between the grunts and non-combat arms units (although, 'Arti' is considered a combat-arms MOS, so I should say "non-grunt" units). You boys from the 10 Marines always backed us up well - thank you.

A lot of what was portrayed in 'Jarhead' goes on (or at least went on) even after the war – it’s all part of the lifestyle. Games were common; from forming it up sometimes hours prior to battalion formations, to wall locker inspections in the middle of the desert/ocean, to other unmentionable mind games. Very few events in ‘Jarhead’ strayed far from the truth (or at least the real-life experiences of my times in the Corps), and every character portrayed in the movie has a dead ringer from my platoon. It was kind of eerie – even my wife, also a Marine, commented afterwards on specific parts/events of the movie that coincided nearly EXACTLY with those of my experiences.

Semper Fi, thank you for your service, and happy 230th Birthday!

Josh

[Don]

The truth is it was an artillery and air war . We even wound up in front of the grunts and were part of an almost ambush , when we were saved by air and Tow Companies. We actually came under fire by anti-aircraft battery. Our CO was awarded two silver stars , one for leading us in a u-turn into another lane during the first breach and then disobeying our battallion commander by staying at our objective . That decision was made by then Genreal Keys while we waited for the grunts to catch up with us. Kept us from becoming toast.

No offense but we remember the grunts were stuck after the fisrt minefield dealing with the massive POWS and this movie really shows how the grunts may have had a hard time keeping up. Thank god you guys eventually caught up with us and got in front where you were supposed to be. We even bypassed the tanks , the only ones in front of us for a while were the LAV battalions of Recon.

Then that is when it became a cluster as we wound up supporting even the army. ANyone who called for fire we responded.

I really don't think this movie tells the whole story of the grunts. Many grunts did do their jobs. I know we followed you guys for a while. ALways within two miles , then in front, then behind again. There were no firebases out there. WE were quite lucky . Those in Iraq now deal with non-combatants. We had carte blanche to take out whole grid squares considering it was the middle of the desert.

We played a lot of games , but that was because maybe some idiot's weren't prepared for inspections. Then we were ran at 3:30 in the morning for 10 miles. But I have to say this. The rotation schedule was screwed up after the first gulf war , That my unit missed every General inspection our sister batteries had to endure.

Maybe I was jsut used to the mind games. Like getting a cold and told to dig a fighting hole to get rid of it.

When we first got to our unit as boots we did endure some of those idiot hazing things , but we stopped it after we got promoted and put in charge. Hurting our fellow MArines wasn't a priority for us.

Happy b'day

Don

[John]

As I write this I glance at a photo of six of the many brave Marines with whom I had the previlige to serve with on Hill 881 S in 1968. Six men who in many ways the movie Jarhead did very much remind me of. I have read other reviews of Jarhead and am very much attempting to keep my thoughts of the movie and it's story in perspective. I must admit that this is a struggle for me to do so. My honest feelings are that this portrayal of Marines although not without fact, falls short in giving just respect for those having served as Marines throughout history. I suppose most Marines would not want to admit to masturbation, loosing their girl to Jody back home, or even their own disinchatment with the Corps. As I do not really have a problem with these depictions, I do have reservations about their significance. My disappointment is in how the picture dwelled on these irreventcies as if they were to somehow truely exemplied the essence of the Marine Corps and Marines in battle. Possibly in one mans eyes, but I think not in the eyes of most who have proudly served in the Corps and might just take offense of this stories appparent focus. I do though believe this story should be told, but I think the timing could have been much better. Now is the time to show our respect for all those now in uniform, and while we must portray certain realities of war for its entertainment value, we should equally attempt to remain respectful of all those who serve and have served. I guess the question at hand is, just who is the intended audience. By what I saw in Jarhead, I can not clearly answer that question. The saying goes, "if you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter how you get there." This is the final impression I was left with of Jarhead in its attempt to portray one mans Marine Corps memories. In my view the film lacked direction and eventually wound up just where it had started. Nowhere. Semper Fi my fellow Marines

[Jake]

I feel this movie hit it right on the nose. I am a Marine who served in Iraq in the second war. The movie just brought about too many memories and emotions that are hard for me to describe in words. There is no brotherhood like the Marines and most Leather Necks can vouch for that. It made me feel like re-enlisting. Ohh-rah, Semper-Fi and happy birthday fellow Jarheads!

[Jeff]

I found one inaccuracy, at least from my experiance in the Gulf War, The small scorpions always killed the big black one, lol. I saw the movie last night with my wife. I felt like I was in the damn movie! It was if I told that story, I fear that the only people that will truly get this movie are the "Jarheads" that served in this war. From taking those GD nerve gas pills for nothing and wasn't there a Botcholizm shot they made us take too? To stiring the crap with burning diesel. I loved the movie and thought it was very realistic. Semper FI to all Marines.