Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Robert J. Maxwell It's an above average TV miniseries about ANZACS -- Australian/New Zealand forces -- at Gallipoli and in France in World War I. More cheerful than tragic, it takes us through combat, a lot of banter, a romance, explorations of character, and a lot of conflicts of varying degrees of importance.In the earlier episodes we learn of the class distinctions between the aristocracy who mainly identify with Britain and those of the working class who think of themselves as Australians. The former are rather stiff, maintaining a veneer of European culture. The natives are a happy-go-lucky lot who pay little attention to social position.This isn't the place to get into it, but isolated colonial populations are in a tough position. The Australians developed a national identity, taking one route out of the conflict. The Massachusetts Bay Colony took another and turned on themselves, hanging crazed devil worshipers and whatnot. Maybe it has to do with "the founder effect" -- prisoners and dissidents in Botany Bay; blue-nosed Puritans in Boston. Sorry.National allegiances aside, there are even semi-serious regional differences among the men. There's Paul Hogan, the "banana bender" from tropical Queensland. Then there's the Cambridge-educated Andrew Clark from urban Melbourne who enlists as a private and rises to the rank of Captain.Also explored, deservedly, are the oppositions between the British officer class and the junior officers and men. Whew, what a mismanaged war that was! Here's how historian Liddell Hart describes Douglas Haig, the British Field Marshall who managed the war in France."(Haig) was a man of supreme egoism and utter lack of scruple – who, to his overweening ambition, sacrificed hundreds of thousands of men. A man who betrayed even his most devoted assistants as well as the Government which he served. A man who gained his ends by trickery of a kind that was not merely immoral but criminal." Ironically, in my opinion anyway, Noel Trevarthen, who plays Haig in the film, turns in the best performance as a complete blank who refers to KIAs as "wastage" and only hopes that after the ANZACS have been "bloodied" in the field, they may behave themselves in a more military fashion behind the lines.None of the other performances are duds though. They're all of professional character. But their roles are rather limited. Andrew Clark is the handsome hero who evolves from make-believe British to committed Australian who earns his spurs on the battlefield. And Paul Hogan's deadpan non-acting is a delight to behold.It's not a gory bloodbath, nothing like "Band of Brothers". And the lesser budget of the typical television series is revealed now and then -- minor mistakes in wardrobe, a landscape that with its chalk and dust looks more like Australia than the rufous loam of France. The horrors of the snowy winter at Galipoli are mostly skipped, though a scene in France has the men's breath steaming.In the end, you get to like the Ozzies. It's easy. They're serious and determined when the situation calls for it. When it doesn't, they're laid back, brash, and interested in sports, beer, and jokes -- people of action more than contemplation. I realize it's a stereotype but in my limited experiences with them in the Pacific, it all seems to fit. And, regardless of birthplace, they gave us such toothsome blonds as Olivia Newton-John, Naomi Watts, and Nicole Kidman. Good on them.

lucy-mcginn I also first saw this series on BBC afternoon TV in the '80's at the tender age of 10. I fell in love with it immediately. Already being a fan of the Paul Hogan show, I was delighted to see him in Anzacs. I tried and tried to find it available on anything but the awful 'edited' feature film. After years of searching I have located a website in Oz that has shipped it to me in the UK. Look up EZYDVD on the web and it should give you the address. It was a delight to watch it all from the start - and yes, it was just as brilliant as I remember it being! You can also get other Aussie films (The Shiralee being just one fab example) from here - as long as you have a multi-region DVD player. I would urge anyone to watch this series, it makes me laugh and cry out loud, even 20 years after I first saw it! Jon Blake plays such a good role in Flannegan, it's terrible that he was injured so badly and wasn't able to work again. All the other actors made each episode so real, it's really easy to get involved with the storyline and characters. I find it incredible that the Aussies never really recognised the role played by the "diggers" of WW1 in their own history, except to remember Gallipoli and what a disaster that was. This series should have gone someway to making people remember that it was indeed a World War and we should be grateful for all the help those "diggers" gave in winning the war! WATCH THIS SERIES!!!!!!!

SAChoover I thought it was quite a good series. I can't imagine how this could be reduced to a 2hr? tele-movie without losing just about everything good about it. I'm Australian, and this was produced for Aussies, no apologies for that. It's about time, rather than the usual good and bad Hollywood and to a lesser extent Brit efforts. If you don't know a Zac from a Brass Razoo, well we've had to put up with your slang and slight cultural differences for long enough. But I digress, this showed a part of history which has been long ignored, both here and overseas. In Australia we know full well the tale of Gallipoli, however the further efforts on the Western Front have largely been ignored. It's also good to see mention of the Home Front politics regarding conscription which severely divided the nation at the time and the Diggers response, which left it the only Allied fully volunteer Army in WW1. All in all I throughly enjoyed it, a good mix of believable characters, action, behind the lines antics and the Home Front drama, well worth seeing if you can get the original 5 part series.For reviewersSome of the previous commentators have said they wouldn't mind getting a copy of this. The only place I know that sells it is the Australian War Memorial. As you don't want URL's I won't include one however I'll leave it to you to phrase this part if you want to include it. Stuart Coates

Wes Burgoyne The best war movie or series (on a par with Saving Private Ryan) I have ever seen. This gives a true account of how I imagine the Australians were at war - the camaraderie, the bravery, the humour - just as I imagine it would have been. And, what a great Australian cast !!!To the lady who gave this a terrible rating - you wouldn't know a good movie if it bit you.