Before Dawn (2024)

 

 

Movie Name/Year: Before Dawn (2024)

Genre: War, Drama, History

Length: 1h 40min

Rating: R

Director: Jordon Prince-Wright

Writers: Jarrad Russell, based on the story and characters by Jordon Prince-Wright and Jarrad Russell

Actors: Levi Miller, Travis Jeffery, Myles Pollard, Tim Franklin, Jordan Dulieu, introducing Peter Sullivan, with Ed Oxenbould and Stephen Peacocke

 

Synopsis: After leaving his family’s sheep farm in the Australian outback, a young man joins his countrymen on the western front of World War I with hopes of helping expedite an end to the bloody conflict. But as war rages on, he is forced to grapple with the brutal realities of trench warfare, including a near-constant battle to keep himself alive—without leaving another man behind. 

 

Paul Walenkamp as Lieutenant Longhorn in the War/Drama/History, BEFORE DAWN, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

 

Cat’s Point of View:

Sometimes I simply have a difficult time with war movies. I have many reasons for this. The biggest, however, is simply that they remind me of the horrors my grandfathers had to endure during WWII. While I know nothing about what my paternal grandfather's war experience was like – because he never talked about it, ever; I am generally well-versed in my maternal grandfather's war story. Well, what he was willing or able to discuss of it, at least. We discovered after his passing in February of 2001 that he had been a member of military intelligence – what that had entailed, he took with him to his grave. I know in significant detail, though, about his experience with a land-mine in Germany while his company was making a move towards a bridge. I have likely mentioned some of this before, butI can't help but reiterate. I digress...

 

Scene from the War/Drama/History, BEFORE DAWN, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

 

My point is that I miss The Major, as his chemistry students called him, desperately. It takes a significant effort not to cry when watching movies about WWI and WWII. This is occasionally mitigated if the story unfolding on screen is particularly engaging. That wasn't entirely the case with Before Dawn.

 

While Before Dawn is a tale based on true events, it is largely a work of historical fiction. I was intrigued by the prospect of seeing a glimpse at the lives of the Australian company featured in the film and to see if there would be anything different depicted about their contribution to the WWI effort. I was also further intrigued by the snippit of trivia available that at least one of the explosions meant to replicate a barrage caused a localized 2.8 on the Richter Scale. I wondered how that would translate on-screen and if the scene that particular explosion was utilized in would be evident.

 

Levi Miller as Jim Collins in the War/Drama/History, BEFORE DAWN, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

 

I found that I appreciated the “no man left behind” attitude and attempts by the main character, however, I don't feel like Before Dawn broke any new ground here. I can't say that I could identify that particular earth-shaking explosion – but that could be atributed to the effects team and editing to where that blended seamlessly with the rest of what was going on.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to WWI trench warfare movies, the 2 hour war epic, 1917 (2019) already significantly broke the mold. Having watched that cinematic masterpiece, other similar depictions of that particular conflict tend to pale in comparison.

 

Paul Walenkamp as Lieutenant Longhorn in the War/Drama/History, BEFORE DAWN, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

 

Before Dawn did a respectable job of conveying the emotional story about the horrors of war and how it impacted a small group of Aussie lads over a large span of time fighting in France. I am just not sure it will be as memorable.

If war dramas or historical fiction are your cup of tea, however, maybe give it a watch yourself to make up your own opinion on it. My own take is significantly colored by my own emotional experiences with the survivors of war.

 

Before Dawn will release in select theaters as well as hitting digital On-Demand beginning Friday, July 19^th, 2024.

 

Levi Miller as Jim Collins in the War/Drama/History, BEFORE DAWN, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 47%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 6.2/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3./5

 

Movie Trailer: