Only the Brave

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Mate P Only the Brave is flawed, but amazing. The characters are well-written and layered. These layers get peeled off by dialogues and physical acting. I love how this movie doesn't really have antagonists (except for the fire). The characters have to overcome their inner demons. The themes of responsibility and family surround this film. I've seen people say that the dialogues are terrible, but I disagree with that. There are some cheesy or unnatural lines, but overall I was very satisfied with the writing. I'm five movies (+ one short film) in and I'm still in awe of Joseph Kosinski. I love Claudio Miranda's cinematography in all of the films I've seen from him and I can see how he got more and more precise in his style. The editing on the other hand is mixed. Some transitions are gorgeous, but the pacing in the first two thirds is too slow. This film is a slow burn and in the end it does pay off, but I still wish it was a little tighter. I don't usually talk about makeup, but it was hard for me to distinguish our protagonists from one another. I know they wanted to make them look like the people they're based on, but I wish it was clearer who's who. The visual effects are amazing, I know they combined CGI with practical and I can only guess which is which. The cast is great and the acting performances are spectacular. The standout for me is Jennifer Connelly. SPOILERS from here: I knew where this was going, because I was stupid enough to watch videos of Joseph Kosinski's career. Despite the ending not being surprising, it was still a gut punch. They slowly build up these characters and then kill 19 of them. This is sad on it's own, but it actually happened. It's been a while since I was this emotional because of a movie or a show. Jennifer Connelly's performance at the end, perfect. May the 19 firefighters Rest In Peace! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/01/25 Full Review Joseph Celebrates heroes. honors real life. Over all only for the brave. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/20/25 Full Review William S Treats it's source material with respect. An engaging, moving, and enjoyable film Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/25 Full Review Douglas P. Incredible character development in slight of the development of only 2 on the crew. Marine mindset behind this production. Still… it’s hard to leave this crew 30yards from the safe zone. In reality they were more lost than it depicts Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/23/25 Full Review Aileen D The movie is quite affecting. It captured the danger, the camaraderie of the men doing a tough, often backbreaking job, some of their back stories, and the quiet (sometimes furious) heroism of the women who knew what their men faced every day. Sure there were tropes - I just learned what that meant recently - but this story can’t help but lend itself to them. I thought the movie did a fine job of celebrating real heroes. Its title says it all. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/22/25 Full Review Jonathan K Affecting and powerful, particularly in its portrayal of loss and grief, with some genuinely strong performances. And the fire scenes were some standout CGI. Story-wise, the action part of the ending felt a bit like it sprinted past me. Maybe that was intentional, capturing how quickly things can spiral, but with so much else packed into the earlier parts of the fire fighting, it came off rushed. I didn’t even realize we'd arrived at the big moment until it was already upon me. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Only the Brave

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