It is Not Merely a Film; It's an Experience

Rating: 9/10 (13 August 2017)

This will win numerous awards for its technical production. A nomination for the composition, the cinematography, the editing, the sound, and the production design. Most likely, a nomination for Best Picture. Most certainly, a nomination for the directing and probably another for the writing. A guaranteed win for the sound mixing.
It is a spectacular technical feat done to its maximum potential with maximum effect, but nothing entirely special artistically. It is an aptly done film, completed to honor the events of Dunkirk, a goal that was achieved with room to spare. But I would not call it a spectacular feat of cinematic masterpiece. However, Nolan's experimentation in structure was unique and stellar and the film will become a classic for its potential as a blockbuster and artistic piece, its experimentation, its technical production, and its enjoyability.
The casting is perfect for the desired effect. Nobody steps up into the limelight enough to steal the show because Dunkirk was a miraculous feat for everyone as equals. Fionn Whitehead takes the "lead" as the young boy lost in a hopeless battle, grasping for every glimpse of light in the dark. His youth and naivety is perfect for the role. Rylance shines in his moments as the stubborn and patriotic citizen captain. Hardy demonstrates a fervent loyalty and patriotism in a role, relegated to only acting with his eyes and small gestures. Murphy displays a brilliantly restrained insanity that triggers small events of dire consequences. Together, they make up the several aspects of Dunkirk.
With timeline manipulation and structure experimentation of his previous films such as Memento (2000) and Inception (2010), Nolan finally puts his filmmaking talent to a significant film. Thus, he produces Dunkirk, a la Saving Private Ryan (1999), but Nolan's is far superior. Where Spielberg stressed the realism of the events of Normandy and got caught up in the battle, Nolan stresses the realism of the events of Dunkirk, but makes every minutiae count for something. The ticking score highlights the importance of time. The quick cutting emphasizes the quickness of the events and the ensuing chaos. The blistering sounds punctuate the silence, creating the sense as if you are there. Dunkirk is not merely a film, it is an experience. What James Cameron did in Avatar (2009) and Alejandro Iñárritu did in The Revenant (2015), Nolan does for the war genre with his camera.
Nolan weaves a narrative of land, sea, and sky, in the style of Magnolia (1999), but puts his own spin on it. However, what Nolan has in artistic taste and substance, he lacks in direct narrative. As I said, Dunkirk is not merely a film, it is an experience. But an experience lacks the substance of plot. Thus, there is nothing that makes Dunkirk extraordinary. Yet, it is one of the best war movies ever made. Because it is the Battle of Dunkirk.