Amazing Action Sequences but...

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2017)

Now before we begin I must state that as a combat veteran I hold war movies to a higher degree of scrutiny than most other movie categories. This is primarily because I know the distinct differences between the reality of war and a fictional world. So I will be reviewing based off my own personal experiences as well as a general movie viewer.
The action in Dunkirk was a pure delight to view as most scenes were accurate to real life. It was amazing to see a bomb go off and flames not shoot out all dramatically. Usually movies tend to go the unrealistic and flashy way of flames and fireballs, rather than the accurate version where dirt and debris get kicked up in a storm of shrapnel and death. This added element of realism left me with being immersed in with the battle scenes.
There was also a particular scene I utterly enjoyed where the sounds of troops were drowned out by the roaring engines of planes. This left me smiling as It was a moment few directors latch onto the realism that maybe, just maybe, a giant roaring plane would drown out the noises of the battlefield, which was true to life and reflected how devoted the director was to creating the semblance of a real battle.
Now aside from the actual battle scenes I must comment on the movies score. The score stood out and was quite overbearing. Just when I was immersed into the movie the score would be significantly louder than the events transpiring upon the screen. This happened so often that I got more than a little annoyed. It reminded me of the thumping and beating that happened in Jumanji when the board was calling upon people...except it was at terrible moments and constant throughout.
The main dilemma that significantly dropped my score of Dunkirk was the characters. There was never a moment where I connected with a character and so their life had no significance. Even the portrayal of the few characters there were left me with a bitter taste as I wasn't invested or caring whether they lived or died. It can be bust summed up as white guy #1, white guy #2, and white guy #3. All characters felt like disposable extras, which were copied and pasted from a generic mold of plain and boring people. To elaborate, in Saving Private Ryan you got to hear the backstories of individuals, their jokes and teasing between each other and as that movie progressed each loss was heartfelt. In Dunkirk when someone dies you barely bat an eyelash of concern.
Overall, this movies action was second to none and was riveting and thrilling. Yet, the lack of character development and the overbearing score left me unattached and oftentimes more than a little annoyed. I wanted to see the characters open up and tell their stories. Instead we got emotionless zombies without empathy attempting to survive every obstacle thrown their way. Due to all the aforementioned reasons I rate Dunkirk a solid 6/10. Signing off.