A good companion movie to Dunkirk

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2018)

During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman), who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on against incredible odds.
Our take: Watch it if you're into historical or political dramas, but watch Dunkirk if you're looking for an exciting, Oscar-Nominated film about WWII.
Post credit scene? No.
Interestingly, this year's Best Picture category contains two films that cover the same time in history. Actually, not just the same general period of time in history, but the months and days. Both Darkest Hour and Dunkirk follow the beginning of World War II, specifically the time around May of 1940.
However, the films cover two very separate aspects of the war. Unlike Dunkirk, this film does not contain a ton of action, it is definitely much more of a political drama. For that reason, this is not the average crowd-pleaser movie. But if you're a history buff, you can't miss this one. The script is tight, the narrative is gripping and at times the film is extraordinarily witty.
Oldman provides an Oscar-worthy performance in this film. He is completely unrecognizable as Churchill, and it's not just the prosthetics. From his mannerisms to his accent, he embodies Churchill better than anyone else has before. Even so, not enough can be said about how impressing and believable the prosthetics were in this movie.
Some may have issues with the female characters in the film. The truth is that Kristin Scott Thomas (as Clemmie Churchill) and Lily James (as Elizabeth Layton) are props in the film, with barely any backstory and are used just to serve the whims of men. As two female viewers, we did not have an issue with their portrayal. We came in knowing that this would be a biographical film about Churchill, and would feature a time when women did not have the rights they do today - we aren't expecting any more or any less.
Featuring... Ben Mendelsohn as probably the best King George VI we've ever seen. (Sorry Colin Firth.)
Also, a corgi brilliantly portraying the role of a Royal Corgi.
Darkest Hour picked up five nominations in addition to Best Picture: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gary Oldman, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Makeup. While it might not win Best Picture, we would be interested to see if anybody can take down Gary Oldman in his prime. And if Iron Lady (Meryl Streep's 2011 spin at British PM Margret Thatcher) can win best makeup, you better believe this can too.