A jarring spectacle about human survival. Nolan delivers once again. IMAX viewers beware

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2017)

If you're a fan of Christopher Nolan what more do you need to know? The man is a great director and he knows how to shoot a movie. Dunkirk is definitely one of his most experimental films in years and I just loved it. He crafted a different kind of war movie that doesn't so much focus on the combat aspect or gore of war, but rather the fear and isolation one feels in these awful situations. It's claustrophobic, it's uncomfortable and the use of IMAX cameras immerse you into the film unlike anything I've seen in years. That can be a huge factor in deciding whether or not you see the movie especially in IMAX. One of my fellow viewers was disturbed by the sound effects alone that she couldn't get through the whole thing. She was freaked out by how loud and real the gunfire sounded. It will make you feel anxious and unsafe so you have to know what your limits are watching war films. There's not even any blood and gore it's just loud, suspenseful, and non stop claustrophobic scenes the entire movie. Everything is done as practical and real as it can possibly be, and I never thought it looked fake. From the scenes involving water or dog fights it was all very authentic. We have many other films that show how brutal the combat was in WW2 like Saving Private Ryan, but that wasn't the point here. You don't focus on specific characters as this is a story about survival and just humanity in the darkest of times. There's actually little to no dialogue as the movie is carried by it's spectacle and Hanz Zimmer's music which is outstanding once again. One thing I appreciated about the film was showing how these men on the beach were all young and inexperienced. It's brutally honest about how the mentality was every man for himself. Reviews are saying it's odd for Nolan to portray soldiers from his country in such a negative way, but I've talked to many friends who have WW2 vets in their families and they said that's completely accurate especially in a movie like this. Dunkirk was one of the biggest miracles in Britain's military history and some say it was a game changer in the war for we never would have helped them conquer the evil if Britain had surrendered. Everything used here was effective and for that, it's so far my favorite movie of 2017.