by Madeline Best
“The Monuments Men”, based on the true story of a World War II platoon composed of art historians and museum curators sent to find and return stolen artwork taken by the Nazi’s under FDR’s direction, lived up to the high expectations it had before entering theaters. The movie, both starring and directed by George Clooney, also features other highly respected actors such as Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Hugh Bonneville. The movie begins with the formation of the Monuments Men, an unlikely group of men put together by Clooney’s character who lack military training but are knowledgeable in art and art history. The mission of the platoon is to discover the thousands of pieces of stolen art taken by Nazis and hid throughout Europe before they are destroyed. The movie, which acted as more of a summary only scratching the surface of this true story, was fast-paced keeping the viewer’s attention the entire time. With bits of dry humor thrown in as well, the movie kept a balance of suspenseful action while allowing you to laugh a little throughout. Overall, I highly enjoyed this movie and recommend it to anyone interested in history, art, or just want to see an awesome movie.