Gods and Generals (Extended Director's Cut)

2003 • 279 minutes
4.5
40 reviews
8%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

This sweeping epic charts the early years of the American Civil War --from the Battle of Bull Run to the Battle of Fredricksburg -- exploring the motivations of the combatants and examining the lives of those who waited at home. As director, producer and screenwriter, Ronald F. Maxwell ("Gettysburg") proves a triple threat as he brings this epic Civil War saga to the screen. Based on Jeff Shaara's bestseller Gods and Generals--a prequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Killer Angels by his father, Michael Shaara--the film examines the lives and personalities of Confederate generals Lee and Jackson versus Union generals Hancock and Chamberlain as the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg approaches.
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.5
40 reviews
Paul Bellora
December 21, 2022
Did not measure up to Gettysburg in any way. Lower quality depiction of the combat, less attention paid to strategy, and some really shoddy sound editing and 2000s CG. So much of the movie was spent on pointless side stories and “family fun” that could have been dedicated toward the military details of this fascinating, horrible conflict. By the end I was fast forwarding half of the scenes. Worst, while I did go into it with an open mind, this movie came across as blatant confederate propaganda.
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Ryan Preston
June 20, 2020
In this day and age when media has become imprisoned by political correctness, this movie does an honest representation of men fighting for their homes, their livelihoods, and their freedom. This movie does not wrongly simplify the causes and purposes of this war to just those for and against slavery but depicts it as it was... A war for slavery, men's rights, state's rights, and civil discourse all of which we have forgotten of today...
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James Power
July 3, 2020
The reviewers leaving Confederate apologia miss the point entirely. Lee was not an honorable man fighting for his home, in fact his home was in the heart of the Union - you can visit it today, and witness the resting grounds of service members killed by America’s enemies. The movie does an okay job showing how twisted folks can be and how they can trick themselves into ultimate dishonor by being blinded by bigotry and unearned self confidence. Overall, prefer Gettysburg
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