Two weeks out from release, the first reactions to Dunkirk are beginning to trickle onto the interwebs, and they all heap praise on Christopher Nolan’s “intense, heart-pounding” WWII epic.
Warner Bros. officially lifted the social embargo this afternoon, thereby opening the floodgates to a string of glowing, spoiler-free Tweets from some of the industry’s leading critics, who managed to catch an early screening of Nolan’s latest (and potentially greatest?) creative venture.
If you’ve somehow not seen any marketing material hitherto, here’s a refresher: Dunkirk centers on the historic evacuation of 1940, when 400,000 Allied troops were left stranded on the beaches of northern France. Surrounded by enemy forces, Nolan’s wartime epic unfolds on three fronts: land, air, and sea, and the filmmaker has spoken in the past about how Dunkirk‘s triptych storytelling template informs the experience. Visually speaking, the movie heralds a creative reunion with Interstellar cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, while Nolan’s right-hand man, Hans Zimmer, is the brains behind the film’s haunting soundtrack, which is already beginning to filter onto YouTube.
All of this and more is name-dropped down below, and there’s even praise for Harry Styles’ performance as Alex. It’s no secret that Christopher Nolan drew flak (and that’s criticism, not anti-aircraft fire) for his decision to cast the former One Direction star, but Nolan recently pointed to his unyielding faith in Heath Ledger as an example of trusting his instincts. And at least based on these reactions, the director has done it again.
#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
30 seconds in, Nolan once again delivers a spectacular edge-of-your-seat opening sequence. And then it just keeps upping the tension
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) July 10, 2017
From direction to editing to cinematography to score, w/ #Dunkirk Christopher Nolan proves he is one of the great filmmakers of our time
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) 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
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
Yes, DUNKIRK relies heavily on sound of an increasingly fast ticking clock to build suspense. It may be a cheap trick, but it's effective AF
— Anna Klassen (@AnnaJKlassen) July 10, 2017
And for those asking: Harry Styles does well in DUNKIRK, was pleasantly surprised.
— 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 packs a wallop but VERY different Nolan movie. Def see on IMAX. Tom Hardy has 10 lines & is amazing. Harry Styles can act people!!! pic.twitter.com/uyG6rR0NV1
— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) July 10, 2017
Can't wait to review "Dunkirk,' a mix of modern storytelling (interwoven timeframes), classic filmmaking (real Spitfire dogfights) #Dunkirk
— Stephen Whitty (@StephenWhitty) July 10, 2017
At the forefront of the film’s cast is Fionn Whitehead as a young British soldier caught up in the maelstrom. He’ll be joined by Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh (Murder on the Orient Express), Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy.
Dunkirk deploys into theaters on July 21st, and if these knee-jerk reactions don’t convince you to see Nolan’s latest in IMAX, or even one of those 125 theaters screening the blockbuster in 70MM, nothing will.
