As part of a field training operation, my brother, Hunter Williams, sits on top of a joint light tactical vehicle, JLTV, after going through vigorous activities. Like it is portrayed in the movie ‘Warfare,’ soldiers go through moments that seem unreal to the normal human. After watching this movie, I hope the recognition of my two brothers, Hunter, who’s in the Army, and Hayden, who’s in the Space Force, will become more prominent as well as recognition of other soldiers in the military. Photo Courtesy of Hunter Williams

It was a common occurrence for me to make trips to the airport. Even though I never went anywhere, my younger self was always the first one to ask to tag along. The summer of 2015 was an unusual airport trip; the entire family went to drop off my oldest brother, Hunter. All I knew was that he was going to college and that I wouldn’t hear from him for a very long time.

At the time, I had no idea what West Point was. I was told that it was a military college, but did that really make sense to me? No. As the years went on, though, I finally came to learn that it is a prestigious college, and your life during and afterward is unlike anything else. Learning the responsibilities active duty soldiers take on and the hardships they go through made me realize how much these people endure. Everyone knows they serve our country, but few truly understand what it takes to be a member. 

I recently went to watch the movie, ‘Warfare,’ with my family. War movies are typically the same—multiple missions, totally dramatic scenes, and almost fantasy-like shots. When I go to watch these movies the same thought always comes to mind, ‘Would Hunter really be doing something like that?’ Text after text it’s the same response, ‘No, Heidi, that is pretty absurd.’ However, after seeing the opening scene of ‘Warfare,’ I knew it was going to be a different movie. Yes, some could say the scene was pretty corny, but it’s hard to prove the scene to be false. Soldiers are often deployed for long periods of time, so having a scene where the soldiers are watching a spicy movie can be seen as pretty typical. 

One thing to point out about this movie is the amount of detail that was put in. Though I have no military training, it’s pretty easy to tell if something would work in real life or if it wouldn’t. Watching the soldiers carefully walk through a town in Iraq with such awareness for their surroundings and fellow soldiers was something that easily went unnoticed but was a good detail to include. Every part of the movie paid so much attention to detail. When the soldiers started taking camp in a nearby house, everything felt so real. The camerawork didn’t just focus on one person, it was either showing the translator ensuring the residents would be safe, the soldiers on guard duty, the ones setting up camp and even the ones reporting back to base through radio. With so much going on, it felt like the audience was a part of the scene.

When morning came, the cameras focused on the snipers. This was one of my favorite parts because it showed that snipers don’t just take action. A lot of movies will show these soldiers firing and pouncing onto action. However, the surveillance part that they do also play a huge role. When the camera was occasionally inside the scope, it made me feel like a sniper. I found myself looking for odd personal things that stood out to me. The way the directors included that audience was a super cool factor.

Soon after, an explosive was thrown in the soldiers’ camp, injuring two. The way the soldiers sprung into action, ensuring the others were safe first, was a detail that I thought was cool. Even in dangerous times, soldiers will still look after each other first. As they prepared for more attacks, calling in for backup and an escort was something that immediately came to my mind for them to do. As I said those words in my mind, the soldiers started doing the exact same thing. Watching the soldiers prepare for their escort was something I hadn’t seen in any other war movie. Lining up one by one is something you really only see in war, not the movies. As the cameras panned from one face to the other, you could feel the tension. 

Then, suddenly, the theatre boomed with noise. An improvised explosive device, IED, exploded as the soldiers were running towards their escorts, changing the entire tide of the movie. All the audience could hear was a loud buzzing noise and they could only see the dust in front of them. The audio in this movie is unlike any other. As I’ve said before, it seriously makes you feel a part of the scene. Not only is the audio and scenery realistic, the damage caused by the IED was impactful. Most movies either make the damage incredibly difficult to believe, or it just seems fake. After seeing the wounds of the first soldier, it was eye-opening. The detail of the gore felt so real. My favorite detail is how soldiers at first don’t really know how bad the damage is. The theatre is still ringing with the buzzing sound until you hear loud cries. The dramatic change in audio is so surreal. 

Being surrounded by these screams really shows how intense these situations are. Watching soldiers pick themselves up to help their fellow buddies in an open area shows real, heartful charisma. Not only is it their duty to do so, but doing the act alone is like no other.

Watching the soldiers patch each other up shows the audience the true heart and will it takes to do something so heroic. Most movies make it seem easy to do. ‘Warfare’ makes it seem real. Having to save someone with them screaming in your ear to stop takes a whole different bit of courage to do. The level of detail in each scene is seriously out of this world.

I was very relieved when they were  finally being rescued by another squad and an extra pair of escorts. Focusing on one scene really shows what it takes to serve a country. Modern war movies make the act seem so fast, but in reality, time moves slow on the field. ‘Warfare’ did an excellent job portraying that aspect. The credits are another thing that is so perfect. The movie was based on a true event and showed how each actor portrayed a different soldier. Alongside that, behind the scenes showed how those same soldiers helped with directing the movie, making it a true war movie.

‘Warfare’ is not only a great war movie, but an eye opener to everyone. Watching it opened up a whole other aspect of respect. Now with two brothers in the military, I understand the horrors that they could go through. It’s hard knowing that my brothers would have to go through that, but if the time comes, I know that they will be looked after and thanked.

I rate this movie a 5/5 stars.