A Different Kind Of Masterpiece. Nolan Refuses To Follow Suit Again

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2017)

Just like Interstellar, there is no doubt that this is a flawed film but the films that truly cement their place as classics in cinema are the imperfect ones. To truly create a masterpiece that changes cinema, you have to be bold. You have to be different. Nolan does just that yet again and I forgive flaws for ambition yet again.
The main complaint for this film that everyone seems to have is the main reason I loved it so much as many others did. War is brutal. Not because of the blood and guts as doctors see that in hospitals every day. It's brutal because when you're out there, alone, no one cares about you. You are just one soldier in a huge war. If (and most likely when) you die, you're forgotten in an instant. There isn't a heroic death or amazing last words or witty dialogue and a good few laughs before you die because the world just turns to black suddenly. That's the clear message that Nolan is putting forwards in this masterwork of art. The film itself is a metaphor to show how insignificant the one man is compared to the 400,000. Despite there being VERY little dialogue, I was constantly on the edge of my seat sat up very straight and clutching to the arm rests. This is because I didn't care about any particular, I cared about everyone. All 400,000 were on the line and I feared for every one of them. That is the true genius with this film. That is why Nolan is definitely on the level of Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. He has shown that the war genre can be completely revolutionised and any old tropes can be completely eliminated.
Aside from the genius in the overall message of the film, the film itself is beautifully filmed and I would argue it is Christopher Nolan's best work as a director easily (even if it isn't his best film). I have never literally felt breath taken by a scene because it's just a figure of speech but I was genuinely barely breathing and not moving at all during some awe inspiring shots, particularly the ones involving spitfires scanning the horizon and ships tipping over. Barely any films have shots this ambitious, relentless, and incredible to behold.
The score was also unbelievable and revolutionary. Hans Zimmer's experimental work with Interstellar where he used noises rather than music pieces has definitely payed off at this point. I would argue the score is even better in this film. Every clock tick, horn and ominous strings instrument in the background added to the intensity of all scenes. Furthermore, it takes a genius to know when you need to be silent and the score is almost silent when it needs to be. I have never heard a more well placed and paced score or sound design in any other film.
Lastly, IMAX undoubtedly makes the experience infinitely better. Despite the screen being twice the size and having a higher quality, it's the sound that takes the stage here. The surround sound gives you goosebumps. You feel every bullet, artillery strike, bomb and explosion in this film when watching it in IMAX.
Overall, there is no doubt that the lack of characters and individual emotion is a flaw that I can't ignore which means this is far from a perfect film (hence the 9 score) yet I got closet to crying than 90% of films I have watched. One of the only films that hit me emotionally on this level is Interstellar but the fact that this film gave me "the feels" just as much is amazing. I won't spoil the actual moment itself but people who have already watched it will know what I'm talking about. The patriotic moment in question that occurs towards the end of the film was just incredible and nearly had me in tears mainly due to the very talented cast and their minor, subtle yet powerful roles.
This film isn't perfect but it's one of a kind and has given me an experience that I will probably never forget for the rest of my life. If I'm rich in future, I'm buying an IMAX theatre to install at home just so I can watch Nolan films like this because no other war film or any film for that matter will give you an experience anything like this.
9.5/10