Derrick-ly a comedy

Rating: 3/10 (6 March 2020)

Nolan has conjured a remarkable comedy film in the style of Monty Python mixed with Dad's Army etc. A homage not so much to 1940's Britain and the Dunkirk evacuation as to British absurd and satirical comedies of the 1950's through 70's.
I think that the writing needed improvement as the actual number of times that I laughed was only the once but I did grin and chuckle a few times.
Water is wet. Planes fly in the sky. Ships float until they fill with water. Oil is black and slick. Beaches have sand. Bullets hurt people. Little ships have a shallower draft and can float in shallower water than larger heavier ships with greater displacement.
Also, Spitfires have extremely large magazines for ammunition. And the glide characteristics of a glider instead of a front heavy pison engined powered aircraft.
I do agree with Kenneth Branagh's naval officer characters estimation that it's all "frustrating".
Although I would add that it is intermittently funny too.
"drop his load" was a good evaluation of an imminent aerial attack. Except that it was a straffing run. It was also one of the funnier lines. Very Python. Taking the mock of British reserve and British slang simultaneously.
'Dunkirks' sound design and musical score were oddly reminiscent of horror films or possibly the sci fi/horror sub-genre in examples like 'Sunshine' by another British director Danny Boyle.
Practical special effects were astonishingly lacking in impact. Literally impact. Apart from small arms fire, nothing heavier like bombs and shells actually impacted in a torturous moment of kinetic energy. They just blew up where and when they were preset to. Very unsporting of the almost incognito German attackers.
Editing. I think that there must be a multitude of 'Dunkirks' on the editors floor. So many cuts.
I rate a 3/10 because I suspect that Nolan arranged to have as much original material as possible on screen in the films, particularly 'the little ships' of the "miracle of Dunkirk".
Beyond the overworked editing and a certain amount of mirthful, posh "I say" accents being proffered sometimes I can't think of any other facet of the film that I would gauge meriting more stars or a recommendation for anyone to watch unless you are a fan of mid twentieth century British parody/satirical/absurdist comedy.