Dunkirk

One of the most intense cinematic experiences in recent times. If you’re unsure about what to see in the movie theater, immediately choose Dunkirk and go. On a big screen with surround sound, it’s an experience that will leave you recovering for a long time. Yes, sound is one of the film’s most gripping aspects. The opening gunshots nearly knocked me out of my seat because Nolan didn’t hold back on the volume and cranked it to the max. It’s the same for other scenes, especially during the airplane raids, where you feel like the flying mechanical bird just soared above your head. I’m extremely grateful for such a realistic portrayal. Since I’m already talking about sound, I must also mention the music. Zimmer delivers once again and essentially never stops throughout the film. Expect goosebumps that won’t leave you for the entire runtime. The renewed collaboration with Hoytema paid off, and trust me, you won’t see such stunning cinematography in films for a long time. The three storylines can boast their uniqueness. The part on the mole is chilling, as the soldiers never know when the enemy might attack from the sky. The sea segment is gripping, as you have absolutely no idea whether a submarine might target you. And the air moments are dominated by the fear of being shot down into the cold water or running out of fuel. All parts of the story gradually come together like a mosaic, culminating in a perfect convergence at the end. Nolan deserves applause for using minimal CGI. Whether it’s the battles at sea or in the air, you enjoy everything because of the authenticity and realism. Today, it’s rare to find a director who prioritizes practical effects over CGI animations. It’s true that the individual characters aren’t deeply developed, and you don’t form much of a connection with them, but that’s the point here (the only character I really connected with was Tom Hardy as the Spitfire pilot). The main intent is to depict hopelessness and fear, which deepen as the film progresses, along with strong emotions emanating from every moment. All the actors delivered masterful performances, even when they didn’t have much screen time (Branagh’s emotional play shining through his eyes as the civilian English boats arrive says it all). Nolan is a pure genius who knows how to impact the audience. It was foolish of me to doubt the combination of Nolan and a war film before watching it. Now I know he’s capable of directing any genre, and doing it with remarkable skill. I give it 93%. (16.08.2017)

Christopher Nolan has made an immensely powerful film that may be about war, but it is first and foremost about people. About how strong they are, how weak they are, how they can come together, and also about how they can kick each other down. The film isn't great because it has great fight scenes, but because it captures the human fate and pain of war in an incredibly realistic way. (25.07.2017)

A depersonalized war epic in which instead of powerful and emotionally wrenching human stories or heroism, Nolan presents a wartime hell in an anonymous, detached guise. Indeed, it is quite difficult to fixate on any one character, as the narrative honestly follows the "rescue" as a whole and, with few exceptions, essentially gives no character room to make individual sacrifices for the benefit of all. Dunkirk's strength lies primarily in its detached, impersonal, bold approach and Zimmer's hellishly evocative soundtrack, which I can't imagine the sound of some scenes without hearing. In IMAX it was incredibly good; home viewing cut almost a quarter of the original experience. But in the war movie category, it's stunningly original and innovative. (20.11.2018)

Christopher Nolan is a big name and a guarantee of the highest quality, and I always expect his movies to be brilliant, and IMAX lived up to the standard, but I also expect something extra that will completely blow my mind. Dunkirk is a great and honestly-made war movie, but emotionally cold; and for the first time in my life, I felt like I just wasn’t on the same wavelength with Nolan. I believe and hope that the next time I watch it I will experience stronger emotions, but I'm afraid I’d rather choose a different movie by Nolan instead. Any Nolan movie. (23.07.2017)