For what it set out to do, I think Dunkirk is brilliant. The portrayal of the war and the soldiers trying to survive & reach home is done in a spectacular cinematic experience...with some great visuals, action & intensity, and accompanied by one the best musical scores of the year (by one of the greatest composers of all time). But as a film, I didn't particularly like it. There is a lack of character & emotional journey.
This is perhaps a film that I watch with more admiration rather than enjoyment. For what it set out to do, in terms of the portrayal of the battle of Dunkirk, it was done brilliantly. Few can do better than Christopher Nolan when it comes to directing action sequences like these. And some of the shots, especially those in the air with the spitfires, are just gorgeous. And the action is brought to life with great intensity.
The intensity is especially so prominent thanks to the musical score of my favourite composer of all time, Hans Zimmer. I don't know how he keeps creating these awesome score, but he definitely did it again this time. So, if there is one thing that I particularly enjoy in this film, it would be the score. There is one music titled 'Supermarine' which is spectacularly awesome. It will definitely be put on repeat in my Spotify for the next few days.
However, I actually don't like the film that much. I think this is no fault of anyone - not the director nor writer, and most certainly not the actors (who were brilliant) - but they set out to do a realistic portrayal of the battle, and not focus on the characters. As such, there is a lack of character development and therefore has no emotional journey that I could have gotten invested in.
For me, that is such a pity because I go to the movies for some good plot & characters where I can get invested in someone's emotional journey - otherwise, I could always simply watch a documentary. So it is just unfortunate that this film didn't put forth the characters, and for me personally, that makes the film feel a bit shallow.
Which is why, in the end, it was more admiration than enjoyment for me (except for the score, of course), and I do appreciate the great visuals, action & intensity...but as a film, it didn't stuck with me. I might still recommend some people to catch this film if only for the one-time cinematic experience, but I will warn them not to expect too much from it.
VERDICT: 55 / 100
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