A wasted opportunity

Rating: 2/10 (10 August 2017)

We had been waiting with anticipation to see this film. It had received mixed reviews but we kept open minds. I'm afraid the bad reviews are correct, the film is wasted opportunities. There is a far better Dunkirk made in 1958 starring John Mills and Richard Attenborough which stands head and shoulders above this latest attempt. Or the BBC 2004 TV film starring Timothy Dalton and Benjamin Cumberbatch which explains how the rescue was planned and implemented. Both had more realism and drama and made you understand the incredible feat that Dunkirk was.
The Dunkirk story is as much about the little ships but little was made of these, they just started across the channel with much of the film taken up by one of them. There should have been nearly 2000 vessels of all sizes involved in the rescue but all we saw were a handful at best. Similarly the RAF flew nearly 5000 missions over Dunkirk, not the three or four planes shown. The weather in 1940 was also inclement over France for nearly a week which prevented the Luftwaffe from taking off. The film shows a beautiful blue sky.
On the French beaches, there wasn't enough actors or CGI to make it look like hundreds of thousands of men waiting for rescue, more like a couple of hundred at best. The French soldiers were indicated by half a dozen actors and there was no Indian or other Colonial troops represented, just queues of caucasians. Meanwhile Branagh stands woodenly, gurning at something for most of the film. Rylance might as well have been the BFG as there was no difference in his acting.
The worst part was Tom Hardy as a Spitfire pilot (probably more accurate to have given him a Hurricane which out numbered Spitfires and were tasked with attacking bombers). The end of his role was just unbelievably silly. As was scenes of downed aircraft floating as if they were made of wood and polystyrene.
I would like to see a Peter Jackson version of Dunkirk. Nolan's 2017 attempt is a weak script and weak directing, both of which are his responsibility.