Review of Dunkirk (2017) by S C — 31 Jul 2017

What an experience. Highlights the horrors of war, contrasted with young men simply trying to do their jobs as soldiers, and civilians attempting to help the war effort wherever they could, even by putting their lives at stake.

We saw this in the IMAX theatre on 70mm film, and it was an incredible visual spectacle. The screen and picture was massive and detailed, and the sound was pulsing and piercing so much to the extent that nearly every gunshot was frighteningly loud, to great effect.

The performances of the actors was good, with their fears and insecurities on display, but often difficult to tell the soldiers apart from each other (maybe that was the director's intention, to show that they were all just interchangeable young men when thrown into battle).

The music and sound was intense and scary, with ticking clocks or watches interspersing the musical score, to give a sense of urgency.

Clocking in under 2 hours, it was a great use of time, as many films lately are over the 2 hour point, which is when I tend to get bored. This film had my attention constantly, with a few exceptions while we were viewing the cockpit of a fighter plane, but those sequences illustrated the patience required by the pilots to get those perfect shots to take down an enemy.

Such a great film, nice to see there are still good Second World War films to be made. Definitely see this in the theatre if you can!

Watched at Chinook in 70mm IMAX, with Sam, Andy, Clay, and Billy, July 23, 2017.