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The End of the War Film 1918. Author Leslie-Judge Company.

15 Best World War I Movies You Should Watch Now

World War I happened many years ago when most of us were not born and thus may not have the exact picture of what happened. However, the good news is that over the years movie production enthusiasts and interested people in the war have struggled to give us a glimpse of the events through the production of war films that are both entertaining and educative. Probably the interest arises from the trauma, justice, patriotism, and the need to unite the world.

And the war鈥檚 enduring place in the public interest has seen a new wave of Great War films that have been outstanding. It is difficult to choose the best, but, some of the most notable in my opinion may include; They Shall Not Grow Old and Journey鈥檚 End, and the Western Front. Here are the 15 Best World War I Movies you should Watch Now.

1. All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front ad. Author New York, Wid’s Films and Film Folks, Inc..

This is the latest World War I film with incredible detail and accuracy and first came to the screens in 2022. It offers German鈥檚 perspective of the war. Directed by Edward Berger, it stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Br眉hl, Sebastian H眉lk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, and Devid Striesow. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque and reminisces the closing days of World War I.

Ideally, it follows the life of an idealistic young German soldier named Paul B盲umer. After enlisting in the German Army with his friends, B盲umer finds himself exposed to the realities of war, shattering his early hopes of becoming a hero as he does his best to survive.

One commentator stated, 鈥淚t鈥檚 on a completely different level of detail and believability, right down to the soldiers鈥� bloodshot eyes caused by the concussion of explosions. It really captures the experience of trench warfare in the latter part of the war.鈥�

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2. They Shall Not Grow Old

This documentary movie does not just depict the violence muted on innocent citizens during the war but also showcases technological, medical, and social leaps brought about by the war and the effects that years later. Produced in 2017 by Peter Jackson and getting onto the screens in 2018 was created using original footage of the First World War from the Imperial War Museum’s archives. Hearing some of the soldiers recalling their sadness when the Armistice finally came is a useful reminder that the experience of war was far from homogeneous.

This is what the experts said about the movie, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible film in the way it brings the archives to life and it鈥檚 so powerful for featuring the recordings of the veterans. It shocked me to the core to hear the voices of men who鈥檇 been dead for 30 years that I鈥檇 once interviewed. Anyone with even a passing interest in the war should see it.鈥�

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3. Journey鈥檚 End

Still from the American drama film The Journey’s End (1921) with Mabel BalAuthor Hugo Ballin Productions / W.W. Hodkinsonlin.

This is a 2017 British war film based on the 1928 play by R. C. Sherriff. It was written by Simon Reade and directed by Saul Dibb, and screened in the “Special Presentations” section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It is about Young Second Lieutenant Raleigh who is sent to the front lines of the war, the trenches in Northern France. He requests to be under the command of Captain Stanhope of C Company, a man who was a few years his senior at school.

On 21 March they are ambushed while on duty. The British soldiers can barely see or hold on to their weapons through all the dust and debris. Raleigh, the commander, is severely wounded in the back. Stanhope lays him on a bed in the officers’ dugout. He comforts the dying man and covers him with a blanket just as Raleigh complains of being “too cold” and breathes his last. Stanhope emerges in shock as the artillery explodes around him. The Germans have completely destroyed the British.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter commented that “the film serves to illuminate how very different the British army or any army was then, with its class distinctions and comparatively polite conversational modes, and how differently wars are now fought. On the other hand 鈥淭he review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 91% based on 102 reviews. The website’s critic鈥檚 consensus reads, “Journey’s End brings R.C. Sherriff’s 90-year-old play to the screen with thrilling power, thanks to director Saul Dibb’s hard-hitting urgency and brilliant work from a talented cast.”

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 4. Gallipoli

Soldier landing at Gallipoli 1915. Author National Library NZ on The Commons.

This is a 1081 documentary film. The inspiration for the story came from a trip to Anzac Cove in 1976. Flying back to Australia from London, passed through Turkey for an expedition. At the Gallipoli Peninsula, walking in still-extant trenches, Weir found not just shrapnel and bullet casings, but also the personal effects of young soldiers.

 The film’s title refers to the disastrous “1915 Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, where 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed, and over 20,000 wounded, in a hopeless battle against the Turks.

5. 1917

1917 is a 2019 war film directed and produced by Sam Mendes. The inspiration is from stories as told by his paternal grandfather Alfred, a World War I veteran. It depicts the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich, and follows two British soldiers, Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), in their mission to deliver an important message to call off a doomed offensive attack. Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch also star in supporting roles.

6. Wooden Crosses

Wooden Crosses (French: Les Croix de Bois) is a 1932 French war film by Raymond Bernard, based upon a novel by Roland Dorgel猫s. Patriotic student Demachy enlists in the French army in 1914 at the start of World War I. He and his comrades soon experience the terrifying, endless trench war in Champagne, where more and more wooden crosses have to be erected for this cannon fodder. It is a good movie to watch as it portrays one of the bitter most rivalries of the war between Germany and France.

7. Aces High

Lobby card for the 1919 film Ace High with Pete Morrison and Hoot Gibson. Author Universal.

Aces High is a 1976 Anglo-French production and is based on the 1928 play Journey’s End by R. C. Sherriff with additional material from the memoir Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. It stands out from the rest as it depicts air combat in the war and the fear and pressure of flying aircraft they couldn鈥檛 escape from and with no parachutes.

 The film takes us through a week in a squadron where the high death rate puts an enormous strain on the surviving pilots. One Malcolm McDowell stars as a hard-boozing Royal Flying Corps ace who is hero-worshipped by the young pilot whose sister he鈥檚 dating and is slowly crushed by the burden of trying to keep him safe. Or as safe as it鈥檚 possible to be in a highly flammable wooden biplane with no parachute.

8. All Quiet on the Western Front

This is a 1930 extraordinary film about the loss of innocence under fire. One thing that features very prominently in the movie is the terrible brutality of war, which informs every scene. It is based on one of the many books burned by the Nazi Party after Hitler took power, because of its representation of German soldiers as disillusioned and its perceived negative representation of them in the war. Its German soldiers are played by American actors, including Lew Ayres as Paul B盲umer, and there鈥檚 a strange early dissonance in trying to tally the accents with the uniforms. But the unsparing depiction of combat in all its brutality is still confronting. A soldier鈥檚 severed hands clinging to barbed wire is just one moment that sears itself into your mind.

9. King and Country

Joseph Losey 1965.Author Jack de Nijs for Anefo.

This is a 1964 British war film directed by Joseph Losey, shot in black and white, and starring Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. During World War I, Army Private Arthur James Hamp is accused of desertion during battle. The officer assigned to defend him at his court-martial, Captain Hargreaves, finds out there is more to the case than meets the eye. One of the actors, Tom Courtenay, is a recipient of the Best Actor award for his role as Hamp at the 1964 Venice Film Festival, where the film was also nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was also nominated for four 1965 BAFTA awards, including Best Film.

The New York Times called it “an impressive achievement,” noting “As usual, Mr. Losey has drawn the best from his actors,” and concluding that “Some of its scenes are so strong they shock. Those who can take it will find it a shattering experience.”

10. Paths of Glory

Title logo of the film “Paths of Glory! (1957). Author Stanley Kubrick (1928鈥�1999).

This is a must-watch movie. It is a 1957 American anti-war film co-written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who leads his men in a futile attack on a German position known as the Anthill. When the assault fails, his superiors look for scapegoats, leaving him to fight their case in a kangaroo court.

11. The Big Parade

The Big Parade is a 1925 American silent war drama film directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert, Ren茅e Ador茅e, Hobart Bosworth, Tom O’Brien, and Karl Dane. It was written by World War I veteran, Laurence Stallings and is about an idle rich boy who joins the US Army’s Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes a friend of two working-class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.

It also laid the foundation for Hollywood鈥檚 homecoming war movies and symbolizes the major role that America played in the war as represented by John Gilbert鈥檚 rich kid joining up, fighting on the Western front, and losing a leg in the process. His emotional return home is practically a blueprint for future Vietnam films.

12. Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. In 1991, it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The 1962 movie is based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel, through his British company Horizon Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

It depicts Lawrence’s experiences in the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria during the First World War, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council. Its themes include Lawrence’s emotional struggles with the violence inherent in war, his identity, and his divided allegiance between his native Britain with its army, and his new-found comrades within the Arabian Desert tribes.

For its performance, it was nominated for ten Oscars at the 35th Academy Awards in 1963, winning seven including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture, and Drama and the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Outstanding British Film. 

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13. Regeneration

Regeneration is a 1997 British film. Like many other movies, it was based on an adaptation of the 1991 novel of the same name by Pat Barker. It is directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The film is about the stories of a number of officers of the British Army during World War I who are brought together in Craig Lockhart War Hospital where they are treated for various traumas. It features the story of Siegfried Sassoon, his open letter reprinted in The Times criticizing the conduct of the war and his return to the front.

14. La Grande Illusion

La Grande Illusion is regarded by critics and film historians as one of the masterpieces of French cinema and among the greatest films ever made. It is a 1937 French war film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. It is about class relationships among a small group of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape. The title of the film comes from the 1909 book The Great Illusion by British journalist Norman Angell, which argued that war is futile because of the common economic interests of all European nations. The perspective of the film is generously humanistic to its characters of various nationalities.

15. Oh! What a Lovely War

This is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough. The formidable team of casts includes; Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert, and Maurice Ro毛ves, contributed to the success of the movie.

It is based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! Originated by Charles Chilton as the radio play The Long Long Trail in December 1961. The title is derived from the music hall song “Oh! It’s a Lovely War”, which is one of the major numbers in the film.