Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan's next film

feck I loved this film. I also really enjoyed how different the film was to a conventional war film. Normally you get that comrade feeling throughout the film (like in Saving Private Ryan) but it was refreshing to see it through the eyes of people who had been split apart from that safety net and were instead fighting it alone. I know some people will be irritated by the timeline or lack of character development but I couldn't give a toss. I'd rather not have the usual boring hammy character development of usual war films. The fact that no German was even shown until the very end of the film tells you how different it is, it's more of a disaster film than a war film I guess.

Also, i've read Noodles criticism with the Spitfire taking out the plane at the end. It's worth pointing out that the plane was dive bombing in a straight line and would therefore be much easier to line up and take down, the other examples we saw were different. Dogfighting (obviously harder) and taking out a bomber (this is more difficult as he was taking fire from the rear gunner but also because he was trying to line up a precise shot).
 
I saw it today at IMAX and thought it was a truly great piece of cinema. The approach of cutting between characters and chronology was perfectly suited to convey the general chaos and confusion of the aftermath of a shattering military defeat and highly unlikely escape. In fact, given we all know what was the end result of Dunkirk, it was the only way to create the necessary dramatic tension and provide at least a fraction of the uncertainty experienced by the participants.
 
I'm firmly in the camp of those who feel it's a great movie. I really hadn't read much of the release stuff or listened to many reviews beyond the headlines, so I wasn't sure what those 1 week, 1 day, 1 hour titles represented as they flashed up on screeen, until I watched the story play out. To me it's a brilliant weaving of timelines.

The film needs those breathers from the nightmare of the beach, the mole and the escaping forces. It finds them in the relative quiet of the boat and the solitary flight of the fighter pilot. I even appreciated those expository moments we get where we head down to the senior commander out on the mole, where we get our explanations of what the thinking is back amongst the high command and the politicians. It gave me time to pause and regroup.

So what if some scenes are implausible, we need them because we need the little triumphs, the chance to smile and even, if you're so inclined, the time to shed a tear or two. I did, as the little boats appeared by the beach and the commander tells us that it's "home", or as the captain of the little boat did his speech about why they had to keep going, and indeed as the fighter plane glided down onto the beach, firing as it fell.

I saw it in an IMAX and I think that helped. You're in the confusion at times, rather than just looking at it, you're conscious of looking to the edge of the screen to try to see the next danger. On a TV screen the sensation may well be different. The confusion may just be a mess with too many characters and not enough connection. But that might be the difference between made for a big screen and made for TV. Somebody (a scriptwriter actually) once told me that a TV series star is someone you want to invite into your house every week, and it may be that this film doesn't really have that kind of character. For me, it didn't need it.
 
Just saw it in IMAX. Visually and soundwise it was stunning.
I felt drawn into the various stories and even though I knew from history what transpired, Nolan made it look like touch and go right up to near the end.
was left wondering though why the raf pilot at the end didn't land nearer to the british soldiers on the beach
 
There wasn't really much wrong with this movie. Yes there was no in depth characterisation but the physical peril everyone was in made me wince and get quite concerned for them fairly regularly. Pretty scary stuff. The timeline shenanigans worked well. It was another mega budget art movie. I also found it pretty emotional when the guy on the boat is asked if someone is gonna be ok and he says 'yeah he'll be fine'.

The sound of the Luftwaffe planes when they attacked was pretty scary too. A lot of it made me feel like I was in danger myself even though the certificate is fairly low and there's very little gore. Some fine performances throughout especially Branagh and what he expressed though his face. Yeah, a great movie.
 
djdhrubs said:
The sound of the Luftwaffe planes when they attacked was pretty scary too. A lot of it made me feel like I was in danger myself even though the certificate is fairly low and there's very little gore.
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The screams from the attacking german planes was simply awesome. I can't imagine what is was like to witness that in person.
I thought they were stukas but in the film I think they said they were ME 109s.
 
utdalltheway said:
The screams from the attacking german planes was simply awesome. I can't imagine what is was like to witness that in person.
I thought they were stukas but in the film I think they said they were ME 109s.
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That was fecking incredible. They really were that loud afaik, must have been terrifying.
 
RedSky said:
That was fecking incredible. They really were that loud afaik, must have been terrifying.
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Best part of the sound affects for me. Worth the price of admission alone.

Btw, they're charging $21 for Imax here. What's it in other places?
 
utdalltheway said:
Best part of the sound affects for me. Worth the price of admission alone.

Btw, they're charging $21 for Imax here. What's it in other places?
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Paid £17 for Imax Waterloo which is the biggest screen in the UK.
 
Saw this last night.

Gotta say - I thought it was pretty terrible.
Visually great, sound effects in the cinema are awesome, wouldn't watch it again and don't personally see what the fuss is about.
 
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