Dunkirk: First Reactions to Chris Nolan's War Movie Just Went Online

Kofi Outlaw

11/08/2017 03:34 pm EST

Christopher Nolan made a name for himself by redefining the superhero movie genre with The Dark Knight Trilogy, and creating mind-bending and eye-catching sci-fi thrillers like Inception and Interstellar - however, his latest film, Dunkirk is a major departure for the acclaimed director.

As you can see in the synopses below, Dunkirk tells the story of one of WWII's most brutal conflicts, which Nolan has structured as an intense psychological thriller. Whenever a director breaks from his/her usual mold, it's always a risk; will Nolan fans embrace this new path the filmmaker is embarking on (historical drama)? Or is Dunkirk going to be the first big flop of Nolan's career?

Now that the first Dunkirk reactions are online (posted by press who've seen the film), we are getting our first idea of the answer to the question above.

SYNOPSIS: Dunkirk follows the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada, and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France, between May 26- June 04, 1940, during Battle of France in World War II.

The Big Hype

Steve "Frosty" Weintraub at Collider has the following glowing praise to share about Nolan's war Movie:

Silent But Thrilling

Anna Klassen of Bustle points to how Dunkirk uses sound and music over dialogue in order to create it's thrilling atmosphere:

Character Flaws

Christopher Nolan catches flack fro being a cerebral director who sometimes lacks heart - a sentiment that boils down to a lot of the characters in his films (see: Interstellar). While Dunkirk is receiving a lot of praise, Eric Eisenberg of Cinemablend still sees some character flaws:

Crowd Splitter

Entertainment personality Alicia Malone thinks that Dunkirk will split viewer - especially those who aren't really prepared for the movie's "silent film" approach:

Hardy Power

Entertainment reporter Kara Warner has similar praise as others for Dunkirk, with one notable distinction: putting the spotlight on Nolan's new go-to man, Tom Hardy, who is said to have barely any spoken lines of dialogue in the film:

Photo Credit: Warner Bros Entertainment / Melinda Sue Gordon

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