Tense and engaging, but paper-thin and doesn't really do the scale of reality justice

Rating: Null/10 (22 December 2017)

I heard many good things about this film, and was looking forward to seeing it - although I had heard mostly things about the technical delivery rather than character, history, etc. From the start this is true, and I might as well get it out and say it - I don't think this film deserves to be as highly rated as it is. However, to say the positives about it; it is impressive in terms of how it is put together - if it is computer generated then I could not see it. Dog fights, huge crowd scenes, explosions, shots inside sinking ships - all of it is immersive and convincing in how it looks and sounds. As almost every scene is one of build-up or delivery, the film manages to have this engaging tenseness which is sustained through a consistent throbbing soundtrack. As a technical package, it is a great piece of construction.
More than that though, it is not. I echo the complaints that there are no characters to speak of - only some recognizable faces that we are therefore meant to connect to. This is understandable in such a big film, but it is not like the film did not include soapy character moments (such as the additional boy on the boat heading out), so it is not like it is above them; but when it tries they don't really work. In terms of engagement, it is just the soundtrack and the tension that did it for me - there is nothing to the heart of it. This doesn't just mean "tearful death scenes" but rather the film didn't deliver the scale of the Dunkirk rescue, the tragedy of the losses etc. By keeping it really focused and limited to a few planes and boats, Nolan is able to keep the film tight, but the price paid is that there is not an understanding of how big this was, nor a sense of pride and history by the end.
For what it does well, Dunkirk is worth watching. However it is surprising in how limited a lot of it is in terms of reaching the audience, engaging it with something more than surface, and ultimately moving us with the weight of history; it doesn't really do any of this.