Christopher Nolan’s newest movie, Dunkirk, is just weeks away from opening, and based on early reactions, it’s sure to please the director’s large fanbase.
One of the most notable themes that have come out of the early reactions is just how little dialogue Nolan uses in the film. According to tweets from critics, Dunkirk isn’t about one specific soldier, but about the efforts of many and the lack of dialogue is used to focus on the visuals occurring on screen.
Dunkirk follows the intense battle between German soldiers and Allied troops that lasted 10 days between May 26 and June 4, 1940. The battle led to the evacuation of more than 330,000 allied troops.
A singular constant between all of the reviews was, naturally, how good Nolan’s cinematography is. This is the field where Nolan shines, as seen through Interstellar, Inception and the various Dark Knight movies.
DUNKIRK is fantastic. Truly thrilling from first to last second. A heartbreaking, heart-pounding, nail-biting offering. Nolan fans, rejoice.
— Anna Klassen (@AnnaJKlassen) July 10, 2017
DUNKIRK relies on v little dialogue, but is entirely impactful. We all know what happened on that beach, but Nolan's take is worth visiting.
— Anna Klassen (@AnnaJKlassen) July 10, 2017
DUNKIRK: intense! 3 intercutting stories on 3 time frames. Almost a silent film, w/ incredible score. May be divisive. I LOVED. See 70mm! pic.twitter.com/E6Xga21Skm
— Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) July 10, 2017
#Dunkirk is chaotic, relentless, thrilling & one of the most captivating movies you will see this year. A master class in craft. What a ride pic.twitter.com/7PUxG71KKZ
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) July 10, 2017
Dunkirk is edge of your seat filmmaking that’s fully realized in @IMAX. Can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it. See this in IMAX! pic.twitter.com/7F10lnBB5U
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 10, 2017
Also ‘Dunkirk’ is another brilliant collaboration between Nolan & @HansZimmer. The way he mixes in a ticking clock with score is nail biting pic.twitter.com/3lRSs3upPI
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 10, 2017
Dunkirk is thrilling, beautiful & a must in 70mm IMAX - but it's also hard to ignore that it has zero distinctive personalities/characters.
— (((Eric Eisenberg))) (@eeisenberg) July 10, 2017
Nolan has spoken before about how Dunkirk is different from anything he’s worked on previously, and it looks like one of the biggest departures people will be divided on is the lack of dialogue in the movie.
Still, the result is overwhelmingly positive, but of course this is just the first round of early reactions. Much could change between now and when review embargoes lift. When it comes to choosing what type of screen to watch it on, however, the consensus seems to be that it’s worth seeking out a 70mm IMAX experience if a theater near you is accommodating it.
Dunkirk will be released on July 21.