Netflix has stepped up its streaming output of war movies in recent years, with the likes of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Sam Mendes’ 1917, and Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper all appearing on the platform in the past 12 months. What’s more, Netflix has secured the exclusive streaming rights for newly-released war movies, such as the critically-acclaimed Dutch World War Two film The Forgotten Battle. Most prominently, in 2022, Netflix premiered the German movie All Quiet on the Western Front.

Edward Berger’s modern masterpiece received widespread praise for its visceral depiction of the full horror of war, with its visual and sound teams receiving special attention for their authentic realization of life as a German soldier in the trenches of World War One. However, it’s important to note that Berger’s work, as great as it is, isn’t the movie version of All Quiet on the Western Front to have been met with glowing reviews.

All Quiet On The Western Front Is One Of The Best War Movies Of The Last Decade

For Bone-Chilling Realism, There’s No Other World War One Movie Like It

While other painfully realistic war movies from the last decade like 1917 are no longer currently available on Netflix, it would be difficult for any of them to top All Quiet on the Western Front. This movie is the ultimate illustration of what wars can do to those sent to fight in them, from the physical suffering soldiers go through in the trenches, to the psychological traumas they carry with them for the rest of their lives, if they manage to survive.

James Friend’s cinematography brings home the full misery, claustrophobia and terror of living in the trenches like no other movie ever has. Volker Bertelmann’s nightmarish score, meanwhile imbues the entire film with a sense of dread for those still living, and of sorrow for those butchered in the field of battle. This is among the best cinematic testaments to the full tragedy of World War One. Nevertheless, its rendering wouldn’t have been possible without source material that’s even better.

The Original All Quiet On The Western Front Movie Is Even Better Than Netflix’s Remake

Lewis Milestone’s 1930 Movie Is One Of The Greatest War Films Ever Made

All Quiet on the Western Front was originally adapted into a movie in 1930, becoming one of the first Hollywood war movies to be made with sound. This original American version of the movie, directed by Lewis Milestone, with a screenplay based on German novelist Erich Maria Remarque’s book of the same name, is generally considered one of the greatest films ever made. It’s ranked at number 89 in Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies of All Time, and it’s ranked fourth among all movies to have been released up to 1930.

While this original version might not boast the jaw-dropping visuals or bone-rattling score of Netflix’s recent adaptation, it makes up for any technological limitations with dialogue of profound emotional resonance. For instance, a scene in which the young soldier Paul Bäumer returns to his old school from the trenches, and asks a classroom full of students, “There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good is it?” This scene is notably absent from Berger’s new version of All Quiet on the Western Front, and exemplifying why both movies are not just important, but essential, viewing.