Review of Dunkirk (2017) by Tatsuhito K — 02 Dec 2017

Christopher Nolan is back to show us what a blockbuster should be and what cinema can do with this devastating and highly ambitious war film. "Dunkirk" is my favorite film of 2017 and one of the most immersive movie experiences I've ever had (saw it in IMAX 70mm and it looked incredible!!) From the technical standpoint, this is a masterfully made film with terrific action set-pieces, spectacular score by Hans Zimmer (one of his best), and immersive sound effects that put you right into the middle of chaos.

Everything you see and hear are so meticulously crafted that you never question whether something was digitally added or practically made. But the fact that his films are so expertly done doesn't really surprise us.

The important thing that you need to know is Nolan is a master of storytelling and with "Dunkirk", he uses all this technical wizardry to tell an important story of survival and hope. He cares about the story and characters as much as he cares about the craftsmanship; without the compelling story at heart, all these amazing technical achievements mean nothing.

I found myself engaged in the story the moment I saw the first scene and I deeply cared about its characters despite the fact there was not a lot of character development. The moments of triumph made me cheer, the moments of spectacle were properly spectacular, and the moments of tragedy hit me emotionally.

It is tense and white-knuckling all the way through. "Dunkirk" is an astonishing piece of work and one of the best war films ever made. I loved it.