It really is Beaches for men. Father-son themes, heroic defiance, unyielding resistance, nobility, unf*uckingodly-beautiful fight scenes…. It really was a work of art.
The dramatic construction of the ending seemed a little off to me; their final battle seemed too short, and the council’s final decision to send troops oddly timed with the death of the traitor and the return of the wounded trooper. The result felt, to me, like it trailed off a bit, instead of really hitting the heroic crescendo notes that it felt like it could have.
But, that being said, the rest of it was f*ucking beautiful, and I’d gladly give it an 8 out of 10.