Review: Dunkirk

War movies... never get old? 

Well, I can't account for that; however, at least this movie had a fresh take and did not aim for total emotional breakdown of the audience. In fact, very little was explored regarding the principle characters' backstories. It was war. Everybody had someone to get back to. We know that. 

In that sense, it was very in-the-moment and edge-of-the-seat. 

Christopher Nolan of course had a great soundtrack to go with that had the audience excited, and we got close enough to the characters to care a little, despite the low dialogue and little we knew of the characters besides what their actions spoke.

The cast performed well, and all consist of British actors you've probably seen before, and confirmed the theory that there are only around 30 British actors in the world. I was completely not expecting to see friendly neighborhood Harry Styles, and it caught me completely off guard, which perhaps raises the theory that there are only about 50 British people in the world total? Perhaps? Tom Hardy, though - I didn't even know he was British. Honestly my favorite guy in the movie. 

A little bit of Google-ing finds that there was a previous Dunkirk from 1958, which I have not and probably will not watch. Also a 2004 BBC TV series (gotta love BBC), which I also will not watch. So much for a comparison. The movie made reference to Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, and brings up the point that this movie had a lot of British patriotism (shocking) which also means that it probably cannot be as fully appreciated unless you feel a connection to World War II from a British perspective. But this also means the rosy view of the events that actually happened, be it the surrender of the french soldiers or the Ken doll rescuing soldiers in a red sweater on a boat (who are you and how single are you).

The movie, in a word, was artsy. Not everybody's cup of tea, but I definitely like it and think it's worth a watch. I did not watch it in IMAX 3D but the camerawork was great, and it was exciting, well-made. An iconic scene that represents what I mean is this somewhat long but nerve-wracking sequence a little after the movie starts as two principle characters attempt to catch a boat to cross the channel and leave Dunkirk (spoiler: it doesn't really work right off the bat. Kind of the point of the movie). There are several principle characters, and the plot shifts between timelines and points of view that all culminate to the climax of the film and paint a fuller picture of our Allied soldiers' story and the evacuation of Dunkirk. 

While the majority of the film is just one hurdle after the other, and paints a grim picture following any glint of hope that appears, the movie ends clearly and definitely on a hopeful note. Sure (spoiler), a certain character probably got captured and killed as a POW despite doing such a great job saving the others - damn did I root for him, but his scene on the beach was heartwarming and full of hope. What an actor. 

I don't want to say that World War movies are overdone, because it honestly wasn't that long ago, even if most of us are detached from it. But the emotion was still there. 

Now, for what I didn't like. The characters. Perhaps Nolan got caught up in great cinematic effects (never a bad thing), and neglected the connection the audience felt to the characters. I cared enough that the characters' actions and fates had me rooting for them, but the deaths (not a spoiler, it's a war movie) and getaways did not elicit more of a reaction than the occasional "lucky bastard" at Tommy. The movie, while it was a great one-time watch, did not draw a deep enough connection, enough for me to call it... well, forgettable. 

I wouldn't watch it again if I didn't have to. Mainly because there wasn't enough that I felt for it. And the attempts that were made to build our connections with characters sometimes felt forced, and involved more dialogue than perhaps necessary (nobody talked for most of the time; I think Harry Styles honestly had the most lines - for no real reason), and the sweetest moments involved us understanding and inferring their character through their actions.

Regardless, I enjoyed it. I think the movie is worth watching, especially if impressive camerawork excites you. Sure, this is no Interstellar, but I recommend it for at least one watch, even if only for the hype. If you adjust your expectations a little, it won't disappoint you (isn't that true for everything? Haha). 

- Ritika RC -