(Minor Spoilers) I almost wish this movie would be without dialogue, it is an aesthetically incredible film.

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2017)

I will start this by saying that Dunkirk is a bit of a different war film for me, because it doesn't focus on having a tight, cohesive narrative and clear protagonists which in most cases increase the emotional impact it has on the viewer. It instead establishes a basic premise: It is WW2, the Allied forces are surrounded by the Nazis and we watch them as they are evacuated near Dunkirk. This premise and so the beginning of the movie also let us know that TIME is the most important aspect of this film, and we are reminded of this fact in nearly every scene by not only the circumstances (a sinking ship, chances are you could die) but also by the brilliant soundtrack which resembles a clock ticking until the very end. Time is of the essence. Time decides if you die or live.
So now that the baseline is established, the viewer is simply thrown in there to see how people deal with this situation which makes the film feel very real and honest. Throughout the film we follow 3 separate, loose plot lines (See, air , land) and watch how they try to survive. It becomes clear that even though these 3 lines tackle the war from very different angles, they cant really escape the war and it affects everyone, whether it may be being in close danger or fearing the danger could be close one day if you don't act now. Everything happening in the immediate foreground is always overshadowed by the key elements of the movie: The lack of time and the need to survive. I guess Nolan described it best when he said its more of a thriller than a war film, because creating tension is the main objective here and the music, acting, directing and cinematography support and emphasize this incredibly well.
Overall i would almost wish for Dunkirk to be without dialogue because aesthetically, visually and musically it is just magnificent. The sound is amazing, the lighting and the effects are gorgeous. Hans Zimmer finds the right timing for every tiny instrument, ,let it be loud and overwhelming or quiet and empathetic. Zimmer controls Dunkirk in his very own way. As the film draws to a close the disruption between loud and silent moments increases, this is superbly supported by the cinematography and directing which change the focus according to the events unfolding. The switching between narrow and wide scoping becomes more rapid. What adds the most to the suspense i would say is that the switching between the 3 plot lines becomes more and more rapid as well, until we finally see that they are not as separate as they were before.
In my opinion the criticism that it doesn't have a story, main character and no emotional impact doesn't really hold up because not only is that not needed in this film, it also isn't the goal of Dunkirk. This film is very observing, from micro to macro and back to micro. Sure, it delves into the psychological impact of war and the violence it creates, but it doesn't linger. It just pants a picture.
As far as negatives go, i think there is some unfounded pathos and stupid dialogue in there that kinda weakens the observing nature of the film, but it certainly is nothing major. The acting is good but nothing special, which it doesn't have to be anyway. I think this could objectively be Nolans best film to date because it doesn't really give you a lot of room for emotional or story related criticism. Instead the scenes are very structured and you can pinpoint to exact moments if you talk about it. After the premise is established, everything happening makes sense. Everything these character do makes sense, nearly everything say say makes sense. The reason why Dunkirk works so well and keeps you on edge might be its short run-time which also makes sense if you look at the artistic decisions behind it. Now i can just thank and congratulate Nolan and everyone involved with Dunkirk for creating such a great movie.