Storming Juno

I was pleasantly impressed! It's not the greatest war epic of all time or anything but make no mistake, for the semi-educational historical war docu-drama genre, this is Spielberg Saving Private Ryan level stuff.

There are some cheesy moments and the budget shows at times with the graphics and lack of background actors. But I was still thoroughly impressed by the overall production value and was never taken out of it wherever it was obvious the budget maxed out. The film really succeeds at giving you enough little endearing backstory moments to care a bit about the characters and what's going on. The actors are not gonna win any Oscars but again, for this budget and this genre, they did their job and engaged me as a viewer. They should certainly all be proud of the end product.

I'm guessing it was made for TV so it's not overly graphic but it nonetheless did a great job at capturing the horrific intensity, fear and chaos of storming the beaches with some great explosions and countless troops getting mowed down by turrets with good effects. The camera work is solid and really goes a long way to make what was probably just a couple dozen actors look like a true war on the beachfront.

If you're a fan of this kind of stuff or interested in Canada's role in WWII, this is a no brainer. And if you even just happen to catch it, it's worth watching and probably one of the highest quality things you'll see from any genre made for just a few million dollars. Glad I found it =)

Unlike the misconception that Americans don't appreciate the contributions of our neighbors to the north, I (and countless others) fully understand the sacrifices made to keep the hope of freedom alive in this world.

As a long-time USAF Airman, I've worked and played alongside some of the great men and women of Canada. And would trust my life, and protect theirs, any day if necessary.

Thank goodness for stumbling upon this movie, and reminding myself that we have the greatest neighbors right next door. We all aren't the narcissists that are depicted. We are truly blessed. God Bless Canada. But please come get all your geese...they're everywhere. Haha.

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Canadian forces were assigned to take Juno Beach. Told through the eyes of three soldiers - an airborne Corporal, an infantry Lieutenant and a tank Sergeant - we see what it took to storm and take Juno Beach and what it meant to the men who participated.

I was initially a bit disappointed when I started watching this. I was expecting a full-on drama, Saving Private Ryan-style, but instead got a docu-drama. The narration is provided by the three main characters we are following and initially it all felt a but clumsy.

However, once you get accustomed to the style it's actually very interesting and gripping. While the narration is a bit hokey, the action scenes are great. They show well the bravery involved and the how the actions of every soldier contribute to the greater victory.

The film is rounded off by a purely documentary chapter at the end where surviving participants of the battle for Juno Beach are interviewed. This gives a great feel for the personal sacrifices and endeavours involved.

Canadian troops storm Juno Beach on D-Day. This is more History channel than a narrative movie. It probably has aspirations of being Band of Brothers. It seems to be more dedicated to historical accuracy and veteran service than an exciting thriller. It uses some historical footage. The production is limited and the style is old fashion. I really don't like the low energy narration. The acting is also limited and non of the characters stand out. It makes any narrative rather problematic. There are some war action that tries to replicate the actual action but they aren't the exciting thrilling type. This feels like a modern TV movie made by historians and TV filmmakers. There is value in this especially as a service of remembrance.

Everybody knows about Omaha Beach on D Day, the Sixth of June, 1944, because that was where the landings were truly blunted. But we don't hear much about the landings by the Canadians are Juno Beach, just down the road.

This lacks the lavish budget and dramatic screenplay of "Saving Private Ryan" but generally does a convincing job of showing true -- not fictional -- events on and behind the flat sands of Juno, though the film was shot on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Instead of staged combat, newsreel footage of the historical events is inserted -- effectively. And the incidents shown have the virtue of being reenactments of real events.

It's not a long film and it lacks the perspective of "The Longest Day." And it's usually confusing to hear narration by two participants -- a tank commander and a paratrooper -- using voices so similar that it's hard to distinguish them. "I did this," says one voice, and we see a tank commander shouting orders. And without notice, we hear what appears to be the same voice saying something similar and we're way behind the lines with a tiny group of infantrymen.

An earlier attempt was made to show some of the sacrifices of Canadians in "Dieppe" -- the story of a disaster -- but again was hobbled by a low budget, so that much of the story was confined to military leaders arguing over the planning.

It's not a bad film. It resembles a TV documentary using reenactors.