Though World War Two movies have tended to be the most represented within the war movie genre, World War One movies have had a resurgence in recent years. That's not to say there weren't any WW1 movies in decades past, but they've become a little more commonplace. Part of it may have to do with the fact that the 2010s saw the 100th anniversary of all WW1 (1914-1918) as a whole, and maybe it's partly to do with the fact that WW2 has been done to death when it comes to film.
The cinematic potential of WW1 has most recently been explored in 2022's All Quiet on the Western Front, with the film finding success from critics and viewers alike, and earning nine Oscar nominations. It's one of many compelling entries into the WW1 sub-genre of war movies, as the following great films set during the alleged war to end all wars demonstrate.
1 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (2022)
While it's not the first adaption of the classic anti-war novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front stands as the most visceral depiction of the harrowing story. It centers on a group of young German men who go off to fight in WW1 expecting it to be a glorious adventure, only to find that actual conflict is anything but.
It's not a film for the faint of heart, as it gets considerably more gritty and violent than preceding adaptations ever did. However, it is more than worth watching for those who appreciate anti-war movies, as it has some stunningly shot sequences and features compelling performances from the entire cast, all of whom really sell the horror inherent in the film and, by extension, war itself.
2 'Gallipoli' (1981)
Gallipoli sheds light on Australia's role in the First World War, and through its depiction of idealistic young men being taken advantage of by their country, it certainly has thematic similarities to All Quiet on the Western Front. Here, it's two young runners who become friends and sign up to fight in WW1, thinking it will be a globe-trotting adventure.
For some of the film, maybe it is. It takes more than half the film before they find themselves in actual combat at the Gallipoli peninsula, but once they do, everything goes to hell. It manages to show war as heartbreaking and terrifying without resorting to graphic violence, instead devastating audiences by making them care for genuinely decent young people who get swept up - and ultimately destroyed - in a senseless conflict much bigger than them.
3 'They Shall Not Grow Old' (2018)
To commemorate 100 years since the end of WW1, director Peter Jackson assembled this impressive documentary about life for the average soldier during the conflict. They Shall Not Grow Old does a remarkable job at restoring grainy, black-and-white footage, remastering it in HD and colorizing it in a way that makes it look better and more lifelike, unlike most attempts to colorize black-and-white footage.
It also includes sound effects added to what's otherwise silent footage, and features archival narration from actual veterans who were interviewed after the end of the war. It's an immersive and confronting watch, but an essential one, as it brings to life a 100-year-old conflict that usually only exists in murky photographs and similarly unclear black-and-white footage.
4 'Johnny Got His Gun' (1971)
Even though most WW1 movies show the conflict in all its horror and unquestionable terror, Johnny Got His Gun is particularly brutal and hard to watch. It follows a young soldier who's horrifically injured right at the end of WW1, and finds himself in a hospital bed without his arms and legs, and is unable to hear, see, taste, or smell anything, too.
What he does have are his traumatic memories from fighting, which the audience is shown as he lies in bed, unable to move or communicate with anyone else. It's such a bleak and distressing movie, but is difficult to stomach by design, as it aims to show the worst possible outcome faced by someone injured in a war.
5 'The African Queen' (1951)
The African Queen is set in Africa during the start of WW1, though ultimately ends up being more of an adventure film than a war film. It pairs together Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, and centers on a drunken riverboat captain who reluctantly agrees to take a missionary on a dangerous trip down a long river.
Naturally, given the two are mismatched, a romance develops, but thankfully the quality of the acting makes it believable enough. And it does find time to have a few war-related sequences, particularly closer to the film's climax.
6 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' (1943)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is the rare war movie that's set during both World Wars. It was released while WW2 was still ongoing, and begins during that conflict. The film's protagonist, however, is a veteran soldier, and flashbacks reveal that he participated in WW1, with his experiences there heavily influencing the direction of his life between the two major wars.
Narratively, it's quite complex for a movie that's 80 years old, and arguably qualifies as an epic, standing at 163 minutes long. Thankfully, it's aged fantastically well, and still stands as a great movie that combines several genres - including war, historical drama, and romance - in interesting ways.
7 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962)
The second-longest Best Picture winner of all time, Lawrence of Arabia is a true epic in every sense of the word. It follows the eventful life of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who became involved in WW1, and became an unlikely - and surprisingly influential - figure within the Arab tribes' revolt against the Ottoman Empire.
It's an ambitious but sweeping film, and like all great epics, it's as rewarding as it is long. It features some of the best cinematography of all time and boasts a strong lead performance by Peter O'Toole. It's also essential among WW1 movies for shedding light on one side of the global conflict that isn't as frequently depicted in cinema.
8 '1917' (2019)
Taking place almost entirely in real-time, 1917 is a suspenseful and stomach-churning film for just about all of its runtime. It follows two young soldiers who are sent on a dangerous mission across No Man's Land, needing to deliver a message that will call off a doomed attack, meaning hundreds of lives are in the soldiers' hands.
It stands out for its presentation, as it's filmed and edited to give the appearance that it's all captured in a single shot. It's far too intricate and complex to actually be done in one take, but it fakes it pretty well, and still contains numerous shots that remain unbroken for several minutes or more. It's also another example of a WW1 movie made approximately 100 years on from the conflict, thereby contributing to the resurgence of films taking place during the conflict.
9 'Wings' (1927)
Wings is a movie that shows war films have always been popular and influential, as it was the winner of the very first Best Picture Oscar of all time. It centers on two fighter pilots during WW1 who both love the same woman, therefore dealing with violent conflict in the skies and emotional turmoil on the ground.
It's a silent film, and as such, does admittedly feel dated and like it's from another time. However, getting past the barrier of watching a silent movie reveals a movie that's still quite remarkable to this day, especially when it comes to aerial combat scenes. The romance stuff might be a little cheesy, but as a silent action movie, the dogfighting scenes really deliver and still hold up to this day.
10 'Paths of Glory' (1957)
While it wasn't his first war movie - nor his last - Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory might well be his best. It does a great job at capturing the visceral horror of trench warfare in its opening act, though much of the movie ends up focusing on a war trial, where three soldiers stand accused of failing to follow orders during a battle.
For a movie that's so old, it's remarkable how much of a punch it still packs. Few films have accurately captured the hopeless futility of war as well as Paths of Glory did, and as far as movies set during WW1 are concerned, it's undeniably one of the very best.