"Saving Private Ryan"was recently released on video. Obviously everyone has heardof it and most think it is bloody and graphic. Well, the truthis ... it is. However, it is a movie that must be seen notonly by adults, but teenagers as well. It opens by portrayingwhat really happened at Omaha Beach during World War II.Steven Spielberg does a superb job capturing your fullattention in this opening scene. Emotions fly in everydirection. The setting could not have been better and theforeground is very realistic. This breathtaking film is soreal you can feel the soldiers' excitement andfear.

Before "Saving Private Ryan" wasreleased, many were all for war and thought nothing of it.After seeing this, however, their opinions drasticallychanged. There are a number of kids who still say, "Cool,let's go to war with this country. We are strong enough."The truth is it doesn't matter how strong you are, innocentlives will still be lost. "Saving Private Ryan" willchange that mindset. This film, in a good way, is as close towar as you can get without actually fighting. It is extremelygraphic for a positive reason - to point out thatwar is not fun and should not be taken lightly.

"Saving Private Ryan" is excellently writtenand has superb cinematography. No other movie will come closerto getting you to touch the lives of the true and only heroesof the United States of America. This movie is stronglyrecommended to everyone. Hopefully, it will get the pointacross that war is not a game and should not be treated likeone. Thousands of frightened men had to find that out the hardway. .

Review by K.D, Walpole, MA