Review of Dunkirk (2017) by Simon B — 21 Aug 2017

Utterly disappointing. The main obstacle with this film is the noise. It's so impossibly loud that you find yourself not concentrating on the film, but trying to cope with being waterboarded with sound.

Obviously Nolan was trying to create a stressful experience that recreates the tension and stress experienced by the brave soldiers during the evacuation, but it simply did not work. No matter what was happening on the screen, be it an action seen, calmly pulling away from England in a boat or leisurely strolling along the beach, the music was the same.

And by same I mean spine shattering base, and constant thumping and screeching. It doesn't let up for one second. At one point I thought I had been kidnapped by the South Koreans and was being exposed to a very sophisticated form of torture.

I found myself unable to immerse myself in the film, and even if I did there was a complete lack of story or character development. It was just 1hr 45mins of watching men doing things without really talking whilst being screamed at with sound.

I left before the end and got a refund.