"Saving Private Ryan it ain't"

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2018)

While browsing the reviews for this film I saw one reviewer sum up his dislike for the film with the phrase "Saving Private Ryan it ain't". Ironically this sums up exactly why I love the film and why I think it's such a fresh ad exciting war film.
SPR starts out with (ignoring the clawingly awful modern day sequences) with a terrific action sequence, then proceeds to destroy the momentum it so expertly built by outlining its convoluted and cringeworthy central mission and painstakingly develop every archetypal character.
Dunkirk on the other hand maintains a relentless and ruthless momentum and tension throughout, never pausing for breath and heightened by Hans Zimmers excellent soundtrack. Many have complained about the lack of traditional story or characters but this is precisely its strength, it banks on our inherent humanity to get us to root for the people in this awful situation and their struggles. The simplicity of the plot and characters allow the film to organically widen its scope to a large cast of characters and, combined with the inventive narrative structure, give a truly comprehensive and believable feel for the events of the evacuation.
Dunkirks shunning of the traditional and tired war movie tropes makes it feel fresh and exciting, truly a classic of the genre in the making, and leaves many of its contemporaries in the shade, Saving Private Ryan it ain't.