I didn't mind it veering from the book - yes it does so in a way that "Hollywoodizes" the story in unfortunate ways (despite how successfully grim and uncompromising it is on the surface).

But preposterous, Hollywoodised films that are bastardisations of subtler work can still be fantastic on their own terms. Ultimately I just thought it didn't hold together well in its own right, overall.

It was fantastically shot, the soundtrack was great, the acting was excellent, and there really are some scenes for the ages. When the tanks first appear, and you don't need one line of dialogue to communicate how absolutely alien a threat they are, that can hold up to any horror sequence in any film. So there's no shortage of talent on this project.

But the movie frequently dragged and seemed interminable... and not in the trenches under artillery fire, which would have been appropriate. It felt like it didn't quite know how to structure or focus itself and the scenes with high command were very thin.

Both 1931 and 79 are much better films.