I didnt like the Thin Red Line the first time around, but the next few times I learned to enjoy it.
The basis of the movie is this: The main character keeps questioning why he has to fight a war, especially in the serenity and peacefulness of a tropical jungle. What kind of god/creator would make men fight each other like this?
The main character doesn't want to fight, he just wants to enjoy life. But he ends up in the thick of it and dies.