Combat Obscura

It shows true segments of wartime experience and also what young people who we send to war sometime act like. However, the negative is what naysayers key on. Fact is, what sometimes is said and done in that situation doesn't translate well to the civilian world out of context. The language, horseplay, and interaction with civilians and the enemy are all by products of war. It is harsh, ugly and dark. Our Marines are just trying to survive in an impossible situation not of their own making. It is what it is.

By far this is the most explicit graphic war documentary I have ever seen. Only The Dead, and Vietnam Television History come close. Here we see the US Marines trapped in a hopeless situation without the support of the local population. Their comrades die around them.

Totally uncensored and raw. No flashy Hollywood narrative or editing. The Marine filmmaker keeps recording at all times to tell his intended view of the reality of war.

They let their anger and stress out in a number of ways from daily hash and marijuana in the field, to out right anger. There's very intense gory footage of combat casualties and deaths right in front of the camera in high-quality. For those going to point the finger at these US Marines, if you've never lived under the Taliban control then you really shouldn't comment.

This film just throws you right into a war to get a glimpse of what it's like. If one is looking for more of a artsy documentary with a plot maybe stick to the National Geographic Afghanistan documentaries but of course they're censored.

I know for certain that this is not the realities of war, but a cinematic Hollywood adaptation to the world, but nonetheless the film provides an insight. I'm very grateful for the reality in which the film provides As for my comments on how the USA military is... I'll keep that to myself.

...and for that alone it's probably worth a watch. As a former veteran (and the ONLY reason I mention that is to point out I know what it's like to be under Uncle Sam's thumb) it's both novel and slightly shocking to see this raw view of combat Marines in "global war on terror". The sight of seeing young Marines in a combat zone partaking in weed (presumably there was just no access to the more traditional alcohol) is just one of several candid revelations in this otherwise conventional documentary. I'd be very interested to know the reactions of the Marine brass on seeing "Obscura"... but fortunately, all the UCMJ evil-doer Marines are all safely discharged into civilian life and beyond the reach of the military legal system.

For showing Marines in a true, unvarnished and uncensored way, along with showing some of the unpleasant truths that the American press has been ordered to conceal from the American public, "Combat Obscura" manages to set itself apart from all of the many Nat Geo style, DOD-approved-and-censored documentaries made about the "Forever Wars", so far.

This film has received a lot of criticism for its lack of narrative story telling, and I can understand why that might frustrate some viewers. However, the title of the film promises exactly what it delivers: a view of combat from the periphery. Obscured from direct line of sight.

In my opinion, this is the most candid and realistic account of combat to be portrayed in documentary form. And it effectively conveys the absurdity and intensity of modern war.

This film is not supposed to answer questions. It is simply here to illuminate a side of war that is rarely seen.

I find this film incredibly refreshing in its honesty. The concept is fully realized and perfectly executed. I think it will serve as a staple for future generations that wish to understand America's war on terror and the men who fought it.