User reviews

I get that this is a low-budget attempt at depicting a topic that has been very well done in the past (Battle of the Bulge, Band of Brothers). I don't get "why this story"? It didn't add anything to any previous Battle of the Bulge film or insight. The uniforms may have been true to the period, but they were far from true to the battle... not a stain, not a spot on them, it really detracts from the believably of the film. They all look like they just stepped out of the local dry cleaners. The Battle of the Bulge went on for 5 weeks. They slept in fox holes, and endured rain and snow. There was nowhere to get your uniform pressed and cleaned.

The battle scenes were horrendous, people just walking around like nothing is happening even when their being shot at. No one takes cover, no one shows any urgency. Wounds are unrealistic as well, and there is no real "story". The viewer is supposed to assume they know everything about the famous battle. Character buildup was also extremely thin. It's been a week since I saw this movie, and I can't remember a single character's name.

Effects... bad, but no worse than USS Indianapolis. The bigger issue is it seemed like an excuse to rent a few WWII German artillery, and drive it around in the forest. All that could be forgiven if there was any plot or story, but there just wasn't. Seemed like a college film project, at best.

The movie may want to tell some war stories from the battle of the bulge, but the characters are more than stereotypical and the acting is horrible. The only redeeming factor are the end credits where there are around 10-12 written stories of several individual soldiers accomplishing acts of bravery, acts of valour and duty way beyond any call of duty. Only these small written stories actually make you feel something when you read them. I know the director tried to gather these stories into one movie and with the right director and right script it could have been a succes.

If you were expecting a modern day remake of the 60's "Battle of the Bulge" movie, sadly you will be left mightily disappointed.

The movie lacked atmosphere, nor did the director manage to covey the dangers, desperation, and fear from this battle. Considering this battle was supposed to be the largest and bloodiest battle the US fought in Europe in WWII, the movie made it look very tame, and almost calm by comparison.

It also portrayed the Germans to be stupid and disorganised, if going by how the movie's unrealistic battle scenes showed the Germans fight.

I think this movie is just an insult to the soldiers who fought there.

Save your time and watch something else.

This is my first review ever..

Came into this movie not expecting much and attracted that Tom was in it. But boy should I have lower my expectations even further. Yes uniforms/wardrobe props look good. But not to blame the acting too much, they did what they could but with director and writer not making it easier for them.. the conversations the clichés of platoon life is laughable, the combat strategies and the nonexistent will to live given the positioning of germans and response to an ambush... Well next time maybe the director should do something that does not contain any kind of group dynamic as he struggles to make it seem real, seen lots of movies with bad acting but still the content made it better, in Wunderland its the opposite.

I went into this movie not expecting much and boy was I right the acting is terrible and really ruins this movie, the uniforms where good but don't expect much more than that. Don't let the other comments fool you it is a extravagant disaster, steer well clear of this movie, it is sad to see Tom, take part in such a laughable movie. Since when did any soldier having the rank of major fight in combat like this movie attempts to show. I stopped watching 15 mins and felt at ease afterwards there are far superior movies out there that actually have a decent story and realism such as Miracle at St. Anna or Downfall.

Did anybody actually watch the final product before releasing it? One minute it's snowing (fake and computerised rings of white just going down different places on the screen - just repeated), then there's no snow and it's sunny. The film lasts 1hour & 11minutes, which is time you will never get back. The most interesting part is all the text after the credits at the end, but most people would have turned it off by then.

I just loved the tiger tanks hovering above the snow. didnt know they have hovercraft tigers in the day... Worst effects ever. Lousy acting. Very inaccurate location and tactics.. Tom shouldve stopped after sniper 2....

One american bullet kills three Germans at once - and so goes on for several dozen minutes.

When one watches this movie you need to keep in mind that not all war movies are the same and the focus of the movie depends on who made the movie, how it was made and who is watching it? Make sense...of course not but in a nutshell keep an open mind. Is it about war? Yes some of it is. It is about bonding and camaraderie? Yes of course, it highlights how officer have to make tough decisions in very stressful and violent situations. I enjoyed the movie and being ex military in the 3rd Infantry Division you do tend to pick things out BUT I could do that in just about any military movie I have seen especially from WWII to date.

Without being too specific I spotted armor and infantry tactical strategies which confused me a bit but other than that I did enjoy this movie. War is ugly and this movie does not miss that point.

Tom Berenger was excellent and it was nice to see him back in a military role. This movie is for sure worth the rental!

Wunderland is a film based in a time frame around the Battle of the bulge which itself was the last major German offensive campaign on the western front.

The film itself is based around a platoon defending against the German aggressors in the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium.

Directed by Steven Luke, it also stars Tom Berenger famouse for Platoon, Sniper and Born on the 4th of July - so he comes from good war movie stock - sadly his role in the film is limited, which may be a reflection on the small budget this film had, The budget must have been tiny, as you see the various troops roam around a 'could be anywhere' landscape with only several vehicles per side and some really cheap/Free(sic) special effects which is basically a snow filter layer on top of the video footage. Talking about snow and the period of the film, it is based at Christmas 1944 during one of Americas most brutal battles where they lost around 20,000 American soldiers, and the ice and snow had a tremendously huge impact on this period, foxholes could not be dug, tanks and traks struggled to traverse the land, infantry were frozen, malnurished and struggled to fight - not of this was strongly represented in this film, and for those looking for a casual war film you will have already stopped watching as the filtered snow effect was something you would see on a youtube amateur video rather than a historic war film depicting a story of bravery.

That being said, and armed with some historical knowledge I enjoyed the film - despite the actual footage being terribly short- and I would encourage people to watch it with an open mind and after doing some research.

Once the film has ended there is something on the scroll that 99% of people will never see - following the credits and lasting around 10 minutes, there are around 8-12 written stories of bravery of individual soldiers accomplishing Acts of bravery, and valour way beyond any call of duty and it is these historical, war and battle winning acts that make the film, and its evident on reflection the writer and director tried to use these examples in the storytelling of the film. I do wish the memorial stories had been voiced over and were added chronologically, but reading these certainly invoked a lot of emotion and its commendable that these untold stories are brought to light.

On a side note, the memorial stories would make a great 2hr chronological anthology film about the battles in the Ardennes -any budding director out that feeling enthused to make a film like that - please add me to the cast!

A film worth watching with an open mind, let down by a crippling budget 7/10

What a diabolical movie, there must be a whole twenty sentances spoken during the entire tedious 90 or so minutes. If you like the sound of gunfire accompanying absolutely no story then this is the film for you! Personally I'd rather watch paint dry.

Fake snow, no snow,bad acting, this is one of the worst movies I have EVER watched and I'm74. Its also my first review but I felt that I must warn those tempted.DONT! The review that says the 1hr 11mins that this film wastes is gone forever is spot on. Zero stars

I want to leave everything else aside, but what completely threw me off was the amateur look of snowfall, tracers and in general special effects :(

I could go on for another 2 pages about story, characters and drama, but there is no point...

Why is it that Tom Berenger, insists on doing movies that are terrible. When I was growing up I use to watch sniper 1,2,3, all of which are amazing but for some reason he does awful movies now, I mean it must be the money. Anyways its really sad to see him go down this path the good ole days are gone now we are forced to sit or lay down on the ground, while these people make up the history of the war to fit their own ego.

This was a showcase for two actors and a few in a 'supporting cast'. It bears no resemblance to the actual event, and it would leave a viewer unfamiliar with the war thinking that the repetitious firefights were all the battle was about. Where was the 'Bulge?' Recommendation? Watch the 60s version with Robert Shaw.

Some redeeming qualities but not many. The cinematography and sound track were pretty decent, the dialog and acting turned this into a titanic. The actual story of of the battle of the bulge is compelling and powerful and carries this film with moments of drama interrupted by high school level acting. It is shame to see such a great story totally butchard and degraded. I tried to give this film a fair shot but when an SS officer openly shares his faith with his prisoner as a sign of human commonality I just lost it. Not to say that men of faith could hide in the SS, his open and free expression exposed the director's and writer's naiveté explaining the childish dialog and directing.

Consider myself somewhat well versed on WWII history and felt that had a little research time been utilized by the script writer perhaps falling back on old tired clichés might not have been so necessary. This forced actors that were poor to begin with seem even worse! The addition of Tom Berringer to the cast seemed only to attempt to add credibility to this film. It wasn't enough to carry the movie forward.

The potential for this movie to have excelled compared to its actual final product rates this movie a disappointment by almost any measure.

Set on the backdrop of the very first days leading up to the Battle of the Bulge, Wonderland, follows Lt. Cappa and his soldiers of the Second Infantry Division as they are ordered to a quiet sector of the battle field-- The Ardennes forest. But as History has taught us, The quiet Ardennes does not stay quiet for long. On December 17th, The Germans plow through the Ardennes in a major offensive attack, sending allied armies into a frantic retreat. The story revolves around Cappa's orders to hold the line and slow down the Germans advance, buying more time for his comrades to reform a defense.

In my own opinion, this is a triumph for war movies. It's just as intense as any war movie, but doesn't contain all the blood and guts our society today gives us. It has enough to convince the audience that it's all real and then brings you into the atmosphere by the fantastic acting. Tom Berenger(Platoon, Sniper) is fantastic in his portrayal of a US Army Major McCulley. It was great too see him in a historic war movie again and it is where he belongs.

This is also a low-budget film, which helps you appreciate it even more because there are no signs of that small budget. This is just as intense as pretty much any war movie you will ever see, but you don't have to worry about it being too violent or bloody. It's just as compelling because it puts you inside the eyes of the soldiers themselves. I hope that all who have access to see this movie take advantage of it because this is a side of cinema that isn't seen often.

it is fun to see the use of actual period correct US & German tanks and vehicles. The small use of CGI vehicles (mainly German tanks) are on par with what a small budget war movie is able to creat, and lets be honest, how easily is it to find multiple German tanks from WWII?

If you enjoy a good war Movie, then this film is for you and you will enjoy it!

This isn't Saving Private Ryan so if that's what you're looking for then avoid it. It's a low budget period film set during the Battle of the Bulge. Overall it's a decent production. The uniforms, sets and attention to period detail are outstanding for a film of its budget. The acting is on par with any low budget film. No Oscar winning performances here but they do their best. It was great to see Tom Berenger as the Colonel. His scenes aren't extensive but he delivers on those that he has. CG is pretty shaky, but again, on par with what you'd expect from a film like this. Overall it's a decent movie made on the cheap.

In one of the first scenes where the Major is debriefing the Lt., I swear the script is an almost complete copy of the discussion between Dennis Farina and Tom Hanks characters at the beginning of 'Private Ryan'....that was my first clue. Other than that the acting and script is just pedestrian and boring. Semper Fi

If you want a decent reflection of Battle of the Bulge, watch Band of Brothers ep 6 and 7, or even the 1965 movie "Battle of the Bulge.

This one is so bad that it should be used as a model for directors on how *not* to make a war movie. Unlimited shooting, even though there's no indication anyone has more than a few magazines. Muzzle flashes without sound. Soldiers on both sides strolling along the front lines, chatting away while not looking for the enemy. Soldiers attacking on both sides, standing upright in large, tight groups, only at a brisk walk...until the shooting starts when they stop and kneel to shoot back. The waiting until the enemy is just a few meters away before they open up...

Just pathetic, and maddening, when you consider that after so many good WWII movies setting the bar so high, why this? ...Why?!