Gods and Generals (2023) Movie Review

Jared Ross reviews Gods and Generals by Ronald F Maxwell.

[@jacksontaylor290]

Great analysis! That said, I think the BOOK should get as much criticism! It set the stage for the screenplay. Honestly Jeff Shaara is such a bad author. Much like Brian Herbert he has used his father’s incredible reputation to make a quick buck. One question, what mic and camera do you use? I’m thinking of starting my own KZbin Channel.

[@ImJaredRoss]

I’m glad you brought up the book because I was wondering if the book was like this at all? And I’ve just been using the base microphone from my iPhone to record video and sound. I’d like to eventually move on to something better for sound or at least buy a mic, but using the iPhone to record is just very convenient and easy for me. Only problem is the iPhone’s base will pick up anything from cars passing by to sirens. Thank you for asking!

[@bradcouch457]

Huh? The screenplay wasn't even 90% close to the book it was based on. The book gave equal time to each of it's four main characters Lee, Jackson, Chamberlain, and Hancock while the movie was just basically a Stonewall Jackson biopic. Jeff Shaara was also disappointed because most of the chapters and characters in his book didn't make it into the movie's screenplay. Did you read the same book I read? And how exactly is Shaara a bad author in your opinion? He's not just into for money, he likes what he does and he said that writing Gods and Generals helped him to discover a hidden talent he never knew he had. I highly recommend you read his Korean War novel The Frozen Hours. The way it tells the story of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir makes you feel like your out there in the snow freezing with them.

[@jacksontaylor290]

@@bradcouch457 I don’t want to come off as fired up, I want to keep this discussion civil. Have you read Gone for Soldiers? That one was not his best work. I thought his book on the Korean War was better, but I still think Gods and Generals and especially Gone for Soldiers are quite subpar. Gone for Soldiers is the most one sided telling of the Mexican American War you can find and his portrayal of Santa Ana in particular was laughable.

[@bradcouch457]

@@jacksontaylor290 I liked Gone for Soldiers but I do agree that unlike his other novels it was a bit one-sided. He could've focused some of the chapters on other Mexican soldiers besides Santa Anna and explored their patriotism and reasons for defending their homeland against the invading U.S. forces. As for Santa Anna he was well known as an egotistical tyrant and was disliked not just by Americans but also by several of his own people. However I agree that Shaara did go overboard with Santa Anna's egotism and made him look like a Mexican Hitler.

[@jacksontaylor290]

@@bradcouch457 This is might be just me, but I’m not a huge fan of his writing style. I feel like writing 1st person perspective on such historical figures is a bit much. I think it worked for his Korean War novel because the history is more recent and he probably was able to actually interview the folks he wrote, unlike his other books.