Sunday, July 29, 2018
Dunkirk 2017 Review
Dunkirk 2017 Review
Dunkirk Review
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan
Producers: Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, and Mark Rylance
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Cinematographer: Hoyte van Hoytema
Editor: Lee Smith
Production Company: Syncopy Inc.
Part I: Introduction
I was pretty excited to see what Chris Nolan could be able to offer with his latest film. I was excited, but yet I didnt want to be too optimistic because I didnt want to like this film just because Nolan directed it. I approached this movie pretending I didnt know Nolan directed it and just watched the movie as if it was from someone else. So, is it good? Fortunately, I think it still is a solid movie.
Part II: Plot Synopsis
Dunkirk follows a non-linear plot structure with three major plotlines (one on land, one in the air, and one on the sea). Set during WWII, Germany is aggressively advancing towards France, which leaves British and French troops stuck in the beach of Dunkirk with the German air force slowly picking them off. The Allied forces must survive and evacuate from Dunkirk to return home safely.
Part III: Direction & Style
DirectionI think many will say that Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors working today, and I agree with that statement. Nolan is a master at directing intense drama and making you feel the intensity of the situation. And he excels at that here. Dunkirk is pretty much 2 hours of intense moments of these troops trying to escape from Dunkirk. Nolan just knows how to get people to sit at the edge of their seats and make you feel so tense.
Style
Yeah, this movie pretty much has that same Nolan style which is having that intense feeling that you can recognize. Its so good.
Part IV: Visual Presentation
Cinematography & FramingThe cinematography done by Hoyte van Hoytema is absolutely breathtaking. The framing is really well-done. The composition in these shots work really well and its a really good-looking movie, despite the fact that it has a bland color palette. But, the color palette works here because of the setting. Other than the color palette, the cinematography is great, probably the best Ive seen from a Nolan movie.
Acting
The acting is great. Fionn Whitehead was good as the main character of one of the main plotlines. Mark Rylance was great. All of the other supporting roles were good.
Editing
The editing is not perfect, but it was fine to me. There was a really big editing error I spotted at the end of the movie. Im not going to spoil it, but if you see the movie, youll notice it. Its at the very end of the movie. I dont know if it was intentional or if it was an error on the editors part. And how the film is structured plot-wise may put some people off from how the film is edited and paced, which I will talk about later in the Pacing section.
Visual Effects
The visuals effects are well-done. Its not CGI-heavy. Yes, there was probably some CGI used for some minor details, but pretty much over 90% of the film was practical effects. I know Christopher Nolan as a director. He likes to have as little CGI as possible in his movies. And it pays off here. The visual effects for explosions and action sequences look good.
Part V: Sound Design and Musical Composition
Sound Design
Sound design is excellent here. Usually, I dont really pay that much attention to sound design, but I tried my best to try to listen for key audio details. The sound design is very good. And the film kinda relies a lot on sound to maintain intensity, especially for certain sequences. And it works.
Score
The score from Hans Zimmer is amazing as usual. I loved how he synthesized a ticking pocket watch as apart of the soundtrack. Aside from that, the score he composed really plays a huge role in adding to the intense nature of the film. I think I will be listening to some of this soundtrack some more in the future.
Part VI: Screenwriting & Character Composition
Screenwriting
The script is very good and Nolan did a fine job constructing a solid script. The film follows through a non-linear plot structure. It consists of three major plotlines (The Mole, The Sea, and The Air), and each of them were solidly written. I liked its themes that were presented through each plotline. I didnt like how one of them ended, but for the most part, each plotline was handled pretty well.
Character Composition
Character composition, in my opinion, is the weakest part of the film. Thats not to say any of the characters were poorly written. They were fine, but there are no characters in the film that arent that memorable really. To be honest, I didnt even know any of the main characters names. To be fair, maybe thats my fault, but theres still wasnt much to these characters. But, at the same time, thats understandable because the film has to follow historical context. So, its not all that bad when you think about it like that. Its just the lack of character depth may turn some people off.
Pacing
I think the pacing is what will turn some people off from the movie because the film is not consistently paced, mostly due to the fact that it follows a non-linear plot structure. And thats fine. The somewhat uneven pacing didnt bother me, but I have a feeling that it might bother some people who prefer the traditional plot pacing.
Part VII: Verdict & Conclusion
Dunkirk is a very good movie. If youre a fan of Nolan and you want to see it, youre going to have a wonderful experience. If you want to see it to learn the story of Dunkirk, I think this movie is good for that too (except its not entirely accurate 100%). This movie is either for Nolan fans who enjoy Nolans direction of very intense drama or older people who likely know of the story.
Score: A-
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