Amazing visuals, lacks character development

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2017)

This movie tells the true story about the battle of Dunkirk - a small town in France taken over by the Nazis and the British soldiers had to be evacuated. The only problem is - the navy is too far away to help and the Nazis are moving in for the kill. So a civilian fleet of ships launches to rescue them.
The movie takes place from the POV of three main characters - a pilot, a civilian boat captain, and a solider. There are other supporting characters such as a commanding officer and a shell shocked rescue.
The German soldiers are basically never seen - but when they attack the scenes are really harrowing. Nolan does an amazing job with the battle scenes and the epic score that holds the suspense together. But the story never really explores any of the character's enough to have a huge emotional reaction to their success or failures to succeed.
I do not know of Nolan did this on purpose - or if there is a lot of backstory left out that will be in a Director's Cut. While I did enjoy the filmmaking I did not exactly bond with the character's and it held the project back for me.