Battle for Saipan (2022) User Reviews

Monkeys?!

[zqgjqcxc · 3/10 · 3 February 2023]

At least I didn't hear a kookaburra...

Dreadful plot. Historically inaccurate. Geographically inaccurate. Biologically inaccurate. Guns with endless ammunition. Soldiers that bunch up together and still don't die. Soldiers that don't take cover and still don't die. Japanese soldiers that can't throw grenades around corners. Japanese soldiers that roam and attack in single file. Subtitles required for non US English speakers. 'Merica!

Three stars for knife action and manly grunting.

This movie is best skipped. It strains to evoke much at all in the viewer. It solipsistic in that you have no idea where the rest of the US military is located.

The D-Day of the Pacific sure was a dull amateur day...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 9 March 2023]

I figured that this wasn't going to be a particularly great war movie, but I still opted to sit down and watch what writer and director Brandon Slagle had to offer.

And let's just say that if you opt to skip on "Battle for Saipan" on account of the premise of the synopsis and/or the cast ensemble, then you're not missing out on anything great here. Yeah, "Battle for Saipan" wasn't exactly in the same league with something like "Saving Private Ryan".

In fact, the storyline told in "Battle for Saipan" was pretty simplistic, almost to the point of being amateurish. So this wasn't exactly a golden moment in war cinema. Sure, it was watchable, but this was hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing. And that single viewing is somewhat of an ordeal to sit through in itself.

The movie starts out by stating that the battle that took place at Saipan was referred to as the D-Day of the Pacific. Well, strap yourself in firmly, because the movies utterly fails at depicting this in any sense, be it visually, action-wise, sheer number of soldiers present, well, you name it. Yeah, director Brandon Slagle delivered a movie that felt like it was recorded at an old abandoned building at some rundown farmstead. It didn't feel or look like anything from World War II.

What did work for "Battle for Saipan" was the costumes and the weapons though, as they looked authentic enough. And yeah, that definitely helped to keep the movie afloat.

I have to say that the likes of Casper Van Dien, Louis Mandylor and Jeff Fahey usually make adequate enough movies, but they had nothing to work with in "Battle for Saipan", and it was clearly showing on the screen.

If you enjoy World War II movies, then you might get a bit of a kick out of whatever transpires on the screen in "Battle for Saipan", but don't get your hopes up.

My rating of "Battle for Saipan" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.

Intentions matter

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 4 June 2023]

No pun intended - this being historical - well I can't say if they are accurate or how much of it is. What I can say is that it does try its best to do it justice - at least that is what I got from it. Having said that, the budget restrictions are quite ... visible! Not just in the effects department, but also when it comes to sets and choreography (people running into gunfire, convenient hand to hand combat when one of our main characters runs out of bullets and so forth) ... if you are really mean, you might add actors to that.

I on the other hand am not mean (well not today) and think everyone involved does their best to portray and play as good as possible. I assume the script could have used a bit more work - even if this is supposed to be "true" (again heightened and loaded with suspense for sure) ... seen worse, but that does not make this a must see either ...

Bad, How Are Amazon Charging For This? Even free on Prime it would be worth a miss...

[lewilewis1997 · 1/10 · 19 January 2023]

Every male actor a hunk, every female actor a model. Then we get to the story; 'based on real events'. Yeah, very loosely. Casting should have been fired way before a camera was hired.

It just has that 80's made for TV feel, yup, worse than The A-Team, that bad. The dialogue is awful, the acting far too intense in the minor moments. Sometimes less is more, guys.

Of course the Japanese just throw themselves at machine guns like they were never trained in the basics. Of course the GI's are so proficient at unarmed combat. The Japanese would never have any idea about Karate or Jiu Jitsu. How could they despite inventing it?

Really not good in any way. Have the production team bigged this up on review sites? Mmmm?

Had to turn it off.

[lionoflaredo · 2/10 · 1 December 2022]

Inauthentic, script was banal, costuming not historically accurate, fight scenes like a B Kung-Fu movie. Formulaic and uninspired.

This movie plays like a mediocre made for TV drama and just doesn't involve or demand much from the audience. I frankly couldn't finish watching it because I found it insulting and trite. I was disappointed to have paid good cash to see it and have it be so unoriginal and pedestrian. I only hope that some day a filmmaker will approach the Battle of Saipan authentically because it was truly a horrific sacrifice of American lives and deserves a better treatment than this refuse.

Surely you have something better to do with the hour and a half of this movie

[mriguitar · 2/10 · 6 March 2023]

Perhaps I should've known better when I saw Casper's name in the cast list... Obviously low budget but there have been lots of good movies made on a shoestring Inaccuracies and anachronisms abound... From plastic buckles on the military gear, to wrong uniforms... having to burn "sensitive documents" which are obviously photocopies... The script is poorly written, the story is weak (while, given the events described, it did not have to be.) The sets are poorly designed, as are the special effects (i.e. Gore, explosions, etc.) Please, spare yourself the pain of my experience watching this, you, undoubtedly, have much better options available to you.

unbelievable

[ghajas · 1/10 · 3 March 2023]

This must be a joke for sure.

There is nothing that just slightly resembles war or ww2 or even a war-movie. Amateur reenactors would do better.

The story is a great collection of ridiculous clichés, un-natural characters, stupid conversations.

First I was not able to watch it after the first half, but I forced myself and returned to see the similarly unexplainable second half.

Please don't do it, it's even worse than the beginning.

The makers have clearly no idea of anything.

Do yourself a favor and leave this movie out of your life, does not worth the few minutes to fast forward it through!

Maybe it was trying to be as bad as possible?

[pemigewasset68 · 1/10 · 26 February 2023]

Maybe it was a bet?

Maybe it was a dare?

Maybe it was a a favour?

Maybe somebody's eight year old and his pals got together and wrote a script and all these other people decided to take the easy money?

Maybe the studio needed a loser for tax purposes?

Maybe Casper and Jeff needed something on their resumes to distract from something else?

Maybe reading these reviews is time better spent and considerably more entertaining than watching this inconceivably, incomprehensibly poorly executed motion picture?

Maybe some viewers have amazingly low standards and were never exposed to anything better, and so write 10 star reviews and chide everyone else for recognizing and writing about what a steaming pile this dead turkey is?

Maybe I really had to struggle to find enough things to meet the character limit, and at no point could I dredge up anything positive or redeeming to say?

Horrible

[coolin1045 · 1/10 · 15 February 2023]

The opening scene where there are walking though the jungle of Saipan, there M1A1 Thompsons don't even have front or rear sights or butt plates. Also since when did the Japanese have russian built T-34's in WWII. M1 carbines did not have bayonet lugs on them until much later in the war then July of 1944. Zip ties on rifle stocks like what those weren't even invented untill the 1950's last time i checked WWII was in the 1940's. Like who was the weapons advisor on this movie? Or did they not have one. All of this was within the first 60 mins complete trash of a movie if I could give it less then a 1 I would. I'm sure I could go on with how horrible this movie is but I'm all set. Simply the worst WWII movie I have ever seen and there have been some bad ones.

Not good at all.

[benjustice-28826 · 1/10 · 9 March 2023]

The acting is not good at all, the screenplay is not good at all, and it is very, very loosely based on any real WW2 events. Basically using the name Saipan, and actors who look Japanese, is about as close to 'historically accurate' as it gets.

I kept waiting for the dead people to start walking around, like some low-budget zombie movie or something.

I have somehow made it to the 45 minute mark, because I'm scrolling on fb and dropped the remote.

If you are in the middle of some home repairs and need a little break from watching paint dry, this is your movie! Otherwise, do not waste your time.

Like not everything have to be the best Of all Time Bruh

[lakomenzksmkzklemnskzmsm · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

The previous 2 reviews Seem To Expect The best Movie in The world With a Low budget and i also Hate how some Kid in The Trailer Comment section calling it bad Just because Its Not those typical Overhyped Trailers Like..First of yes The Movie is no historic Accurated 2nd Yes It does Not Have Best action sequences but Still its enjoyble, Its Not Good But Not Bad either...The Acting is Pretty Decent story is Okay(But History Accuratedly its Horrible) However The dialogue are kinda motivated....some of the actors had been Worked On some Big Titles so There performance is also Decent as i said.

In the end 6.5/10.

Zero stars, zero stars

[umparama · 17 December 2023]

Perhaps one of the worst war movies ever made. It's a complete waste of your time.

Deeply inauthentic in every way, it's an insult to the brave fighting men and women who gave their lives on Saipan.

To end it with some authentic footage only deepens the insult.

Terrible costuming? Check.

Ludicrous action? Check.

Japanese soldiers who attack seemingly without plan or the good sense not to run enmass into withering machine gun fire instead of chucking a couple grenades in the door and ending this mess? Check.

Ability to survive multiple debilitating wounds and keep on fighting? Check.

Thomson submachine guns with endless ammo? Check.

Gaping plot holes? Check.

Don't bother checking it out. It's garbage.

Some of the acting is over-the-top, but all of the actors seem to be truly earnest to give this true story honor.

[trinaboice · 6/10 · 26 October 2023]

IN A NUTSHELL: A Surgeon defends a hospital from invading enemy forces in the Battle of Saipan during World War II.

The film was written and directed by Brandon Slagle.

THINGS I LIKED: The cast includes plenty of handsome, manly men: Casper Van Dien, Jeff Fahey, Louis Mandylor, Josh Riley, Randall J. Bacon, Eoin O'Brien, and more.

It's always interesting to learn more about the battles that occurred during World War II. There were so many battles raging across the globe. I saw a documentary about this battle many years ago. This movie is a reenactment of the events.

There is plenty of action.

We don't often get to see the role military nurses played in battles, but this movie includes several women.

Ultimately, the movie is sad to watch because so many lives were lost over such a tiny piece of land. Saipan is a small island, yet was crucial to claim in the Pacific theater of World War II. The movie reveals many skirmishes during the time period.

The soldiers joke around during the few quieter moments of the movie to illustrate the incredible bond of brotherhood they feel for one another. My oldest son is currently in the military and has spoken about how powerful that bond is.

We see actual footage of the war in Saipan. Devastating.

I'm definitely not an expert on this battle but it appears that they have tried to make it as accurate as possible.

I liked the medical aspect of this movie rather than just focusing on infantry soldiers. My nephew is a medical doctor who actually went to Saipan for an international internship during medical school. He said it was fascinating to be there and shared some stories with me about the people. Unfortunately, Covid quarantines forced him to evacuate the island and return home. He would love to have been able to stay there longer.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some of the acting is over-the-top, but all of the actors seem to be truly earnest to give this true story honor.

The movie looks like it had a fairly small budget.

There is almost too much action that we become a little numb to it all by the end.

The set pieces look like set pieces.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity, F-bombs Strong violence Bloody images and dead bodies Guns, machine artillery, tanks, and other weapons are used Lots of destruction Very high dead-body count.

!

Terrible movie

[mm-75687 · 2/10 · 28 August 2023]

This movie had one redeeming quality. That was the major that was so handy with a knife. He piled up quite a few dead Japanese soldiers, which was cool. But other than that this movie was about the quality of a college student film. It continues to amaze me that some movies on Amazon actually get made. You have to wonder why anyone would invest money in something like this. And wow how far has Jeff Fahey fallen to end up starring in this garbage. Didn't he used to be a well respected actor? It would appear that anyone can get a movie made these days. People with money to invest must be desperate.

I only made if 15 minutes in...

[Taco_Sanchez · 1/10 · 19 December 2023]

That's 15 minutes of my life I will never get back. I'm going to spend 5 more minutes though, warning people...this movie is awful.

If you are considering this movie and think it might be ok because you recognize a couple of the actors names please don't be fooled....this movie is awful.

You may watch the first scene, and think...yeah, ok isn't that convenient that the Japanese ran out of bullets at the same time as the Americans, so they all decided to fight hand-to-hand or with knives....maybe if I just suspend disbelief a little this movie won't be awful?

But then you see the lead character hitting a punching bag, which of course, he his so hard it comes off its moorings because...well, obviously he's a bad mother .....hush you mouth! Then our hero goes in to see one of those infamous WW2 "hippie generals"....you might start to question, is this movie going to be awful?

And then you'll see our hero's "bedside manner" on full display in the OR, as he settles down a wounded soldier by casually chatting him up about his hometown cuisine while another doctor saws his arm off without any anesthesia...and you'll know at that point, like I did, the movie is awful.

Just in case I didn't make myself clear, this movie is awful. Don't waste your time.

Horribly inaccurate

[akikos2000 · 3/10 · 13 January 2024]

I was not able to bear more than 15 minutes of this. I could already tell this was revisionist history, with little regard for the truth. I am just glad I didn't have to pay for this. I have walked out on many movies that I found to be insulting, disrespectful, inaccurate, or just propaganda. I would have walked out on this one too. I do give credit to the actors for trying to make it through a bad script, you will see what I mean within the first 15 minutes. The men that fought in WW2 deserve to have their sacrifice and accomplishments presented in at least some degree of accuracy. This is a script that sould not have made it into production.

A must see for any action fan!

[sonnymahal · 9/10 · 5 December 2022]

This is a really good film! Move over Rambo because Casper Van Dien and Louis Mandylor tear it up in this movie! The action sequences are amazing and the fighting choreography is on point. I really believe writer/director Brandon Slagle has a bright future ahead of him and certainly look forward to watching any upcoming movies he has coming out. Whoever did the casting on this movie really did a good job with putting together a solid team of actors that carry the movie well. Another aspect of the movie I really enjoyed was the music score which went really well in complimenting the scenes. This is a must watch for any action fan so check it out!

Terrible focus

[aptamagni · 27 April 2024]

After writing my senior thesis on Saipan it is surprising to me that they decided to make a movie victimizing the Americans. The battle was a failure to fight for survival by the Japanese. What they're trying to cover is a large push back order by general Saito. About 4,000 men were gathered and told to give their lives in a suicidal charge. This charge was ordered knowing that the Japanese had no hope. The soldiers charged with sticks and rocks and whatever they had left. The wounded were killed. The movie is completely baffling. Should focus on the Japanese POV if it wanted to serve history.