After months of witnessing death, destruction, pain, suffering, mutilation, and all the other horrors of war, the boys start to wonder if what they are fighting for is really worth it.
The movie is, as stated, grippingly realistic, even so much that they used real German troops from WWI in various scenes performing duties they actually performed in The Great War.
The film does show that Germans did feel bad about killing, though. In one scene we see a German soldier wound a French Soldier, and then try (in vain) to save his life.
The movie was not a hit with everyone; during the film's German release, the Nazis interrupted screenings by releasing rats into the theaters and by shouting martial slogans to the crowd. (What do you expect? Of course angry Germans wouldn’t like the movie.)
The film moves fast and it is often hard to follow in parts, but when it isn’t the film shows an accurate portrayal of The Big War. When the film was transferred to VHS, it was done poorly. Since the film was made in 1930, it had deteriorated some. The film was not "restored", and thus, it appears grainy and blotchy in parts. If you want to truly enjoy this film, look for the restored 1998 version, which has 30 of 35 minutes of deleted film put pack in.
The first sound anti-war film and perhaps the greatest anti-war film, All Quiet on the Western Front delivers it's intended message of anti-war with a realistic shot to the face that hits you like a brick wall. Made without censors and thank GOD Hayes commission free, the film is anti-war propaganda at its greatest.
Plot: 
It moves fast, but is often hard to follow as there are so many different characters to keep track of. However the story is from the point of the enemy side of the war, and, like all war films, states in cold hard blood that war is terrible for anyone, even the enemy.
The shows the horrors of war very well; decapitated hands, a blinded GI screaming away; patient after patient loosing arm and leg to various injuries. Though the footage is horrible, is only conveys the general theme or just how horrible war actually is.
Visual Effects: 
In the early days of movies, visual effects were severely limited. In All quiet on the western front, the visual effects show the horrors of war in good detail, but as stated above, they were limited, and it showed.
Although the war effects were limited, they were very good for their time and conveyed the war message very. there would be great advancements in the years to come, but for what it is, it makes for a great picture.
Sound:
The sound effects are just right for a war like this, and are average for a movie from this time period.
Character Development:
Despite the fact that there are so many characters, they are all well developed. Not to great length’s, however, but enough to give them depth. Some characters even show pain, anguish, and general remorse. The main soldiers don’t simply run, get and die; they go through what really happened: torture, pain, suffering.
Atmosphere:
The mood and setting of the film is very realistic; there are live fire battles, people shown with missing limbs, and Germans hunkered in trenches, just like in WWI. At times, you even feel for some of the boys fighting, even though they are the enemy.
Realism:
The film is very real. In the truest sense, it is accurate down to the letter. It shows what really happened during the First World War, and doesn’t sugar coat anything. Hollywoodism? not in this picture. At all. It doesn't glorify war; the book is the best anti-war book ever written, and the film is just as good.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it beat out for Best Picture
The Big House, (1930); Disraeli, (1929); The Divorcee, (1930); The Love Parade, (1929)
8.3/10Is the movie worth your time to watch?
10-02-03
Updated 10-01-07
