Directed by the widely respected David Granger, War Once More sets out to revisit World War I through the weary eyes of James Alden, a journalist played with intensity by Leonardo DiCaprio. With a massive budget and a production team obsessed with historical detail, the film certainly looks every bit the grand epic it claims to be. But while the visuals hit hard, the storytelling tends to trip over itself, trying to juggle too much and ending up stretched thin. It’s gorgeous to watch, no doubt, but it doesn’t always land emotionally.
It’s now streaming on Youcine, so it might still be a solid choice for a night in.
A Powerful Premise Undermined by Narrative Excess
The film opens strong. We meet Alden as he embeds with a mixed group of American soldiers during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. The setup hints at a stripped-down, boots-on-the-ground war experience—something closer to The Hurt Locker than a sweeping Hollywood production.
But the script, written by Eleanor Vance, can’t seem to decide what kind of story it wants to tell. Instead of focusing on Alden’s mental and moral decline, it pulls the audience in several directions at once. Every soldier seems to get a backstory, yet none of them have the space to breathe. There’s also a sudden romance with a French nurse, played by Marion Cotillard, which feels like it wandered in from another movie entirely. Add to that a parallel storyline following a German officer, and the whole thing becomes a bit of a narrative traffic jam.
The core storyline—Alden losing himself in the madness of war—gets diluted. Instead of a focused character study, the film ends up feeling like a collection of familiar war-movie beats stitched together.
DiCaprio’s Committed Performance Amidst a Sea of Caricatures
DiCaprio, however, does not slack. His performance is full-throttle, showing Alden’s slow collapse with remarkable control. One standout moment has him forced into combat despite being a non-combatant; DiCaprio conveys the panic, revulsion, and resignation almost entirely through his face. It’s the sort of performance that reminds you why he’s still one of the greats.
The supporting cast, though impressive on paper—Tom Hardy, Timothée Chalamet, Willem Dafoe—mostly play versions of characters we’ve met in a dozen other war films. Hardy is the hardened leader, Chalamet is the young idealist, Dafoe is the medic who’s seen too much. They all do their jobs well, but the script gives them little room to become real people. Their arcs feel predetermined, and that makes it harder for the emotional moments to hit.
Spectacle Over Substance: The Aesthetics of War
If there’s one area where War Once More absolutely excels, it’s the technical craft. The combination of Granger’s direction and Roger Deakins’ cinematography delivers scenes that are both grim and stunning. The trenches are claustrophobic, the battlefields stretch endlessly, and the camera sweeps across the devastation with unsettling beauty.
The sound design is just as strong—every explosion, metallic clank, and distant shout adds to the immersion. You feel the chaos.
But the film leans so heavily on these larger-than-life set-pieces that the human heart of the story gets overshadowed. The big moments are awe-inspiring, yet they don’t always carry the emotional weight they should because the characters themselves aren’t deeply rooted.
Thematic Ambition and a Forced Finale
Granger clearly aims for a strong anti-war commentary. And to be fair, the film does brush against something profound during its quieter scenes—especially when Alden confronts a propaganda filmmaker about the truth behind what is shown to the public.
However, the final act becomes surprisingly blunt. Alden’s emotional speech about the lies of war feels like the movie spelling out what it wants you to think rather than letting the story speak for itself. It doesn’t feel earned, and the film shifts from cinematic storytelling to something closer to a lecture.
Verdict: A Flawed Spectacle
War Once More is a strange mix of brilliance and frustration. It delivers jaw-dropping visuals and one of DiCaprio’s most intense performances in years. But the overly packed storyline and surface-level character work keep it from reaching the heights it so clearly aims for.
Still, if you’re in it for the spectacle—the battles, the atmosphere, the craftsmanship—it’s absolutely worth watching. Just don’t expect the story to haunt you the way the imagery does.
Since it’s available on Youcine now, it’s easy enough to download the APK and give it a go.