Overtalked, underacted, no story to tell and curiosal.

Rating: 3/10 (9 May 2018)

A history hobbyist, and war movie addict, I was long waiting an opportunity to see this one.. And when I finally did, my eyes were gradually opening wider and wider, but from scepticism rather than amazement.
Not only does this movie not live up to any comparison with "Saving Private Ryan", it is inferior to any contemporary movie I can think of. Which is a shame, because Dunkirk story offers really great potential, which in this case was almost totally missed.
The story is childlishly flat and contains so many inconsequences, that one may think all the characters are dumb. In fact, the whole of Expeditionary Corps soldiers behave and even move exactly like zombies (at times I could not help feeling I am watching the victims of it's just another virus pandemy story).
The battlefield shown is just lousy (no artillery, hardly any military action actually happens on land or sea; yes we are hearing the officers talking "Germans are pressing on the lines" but we don't actually _see_ it. All that is just in the talks. No smell of gunpowder anywhere. Nor do we see any German presence (other than a few Luftwaffe aircraft overhead).
A few smoke columns over horizon does not suffice to make the epic bettlefield scene feel realistic. And where did all that abandoned equipment go to? I saw a fair amount of documentaries about operation "Dynamo" (which by the way, was never mentioned in the movie - maybe too classified ;) ) and the beach looked, felt and almost smelled - totally unlike this one.
No dynamics whatsoever.
Air fight scenes are a bit better, but just a little bit. Where are Hurricanes? What about air battle formations? And anti-aircraft artillery? Has it been introduced after 1940? Why there are no overcast and adverse weather effect shown in the movie? Again, weather is mentioned in a talk, but not really present. All feels like a very crappy TV shows, not a proper movie.
Struggle at sea is no lifebuoy for the movie either. Again, nothing feels real. The warships are there, but not manoevering, and, worse still, they never fire at enemy aircraft (I do not think the whole Royal Navy made a single shot in the entire movie - except for smallarms fire). this is ridiculous, given the really low level bombardment made by the single He-111 shown.
The crews seem at leisure, so look the evacuated soldiers. They wave hands at small ships and generally take up spectators', not participants' posture.
What's supposed to become the spine of the plot - the private small boat venture across the Channel, is disputably the only bright spot in the whole story, but even that might offer more twists, more action and -regret to mention that one- better acting, not to mention seafaring realities.
Finally, the most ridiculously scene of the evening: the arrival of private boats in Dunkirk. Totally unreal, all boats arrive together (although only one was seen during most of the Channel crossing), all feeling of threat is gone, battle suddenly seems over, commanders are smiling, all Navy sailors become spectators clapping hands.. again, naïvety and ridicule. Suddenly nobody seems to recall that there's still a journey home to be made, and for many a ship, not just one! And the movie ends here.
Is that how the movie director envisioned Dunkirk evacuation, really? Come on!
The idea of a Spitfire out of fuel, leaping across the sky jet-speed, its propeller stuck, shooting down Bf-109, doing more flying and then, after a few minutes, finally descending for a perfect beach landing (who knows why over German lines - why not do it next to "the Pier"?) I leave with no more comments. One has to see it oneself to believe how lousy that was.
I can not recommend, though.
I am adding one star for Kenneth Branagh acting (although the character seemed tendencious and too much Russian-style state-sponsored movie hero.
Summing up.. one of the worst war movies made since .... 1940 ? ;-)