Review: Dunkirk Is An Exhilarating Experience In IMAX

Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is out this week and it's another ambitious film from the famed director.

Instead of following normal cinema conventions, the director opts to make a film that is a thrill ride from beginning to end as the action never stops.

It is also one of the most pulse pounding movies you will ever see in the IMAX format.

I have never seen a film in IMAX since The Dark Knight (2008) so I forgot how immersive it can be. The sound was really loud that it really felt like I was actually in the war itself.

Gunshots would echo throughout the entire room and sounds of bombs would literally shake my chair.

I was sitting really close to the speakers so the experience was really thrilling. The picture quality was also top notch as the majority of the film was shot using IMAX cameras.

As for the film itself, Dunkirk feels like a third act of a movie that plays throughout its entire duration. In more traditional movies, the start can be kind of slow as they will allow you to get to know the characters before the action starts.

Here in this movie, you are thrust into the action from the get-go and it's pulse pounding action until the end of it. The first gunshots I heard from the film really made me jump from my seat!

I also admire the fact that this film is not linear. You get a chance to see the film from three different perspectives - sea, land and air. Fionn Whitehead plays Tommy who is the main character we follow on the land. He's a young soldier that just wants to get to safety.

At sea the main person is Mr. Dawson played by Mark Rylance.

He's a man that wants to take his own boat to help the British forces to safety. Lastly, the Air Force also plays a crucial part in this movie and we follow Farrier played by Tom Hardy during this part.

All three acts eventually intertwine, although the editing can get a little confusing at times.

This isn't a huge flaw, but you do sometimes lose track on what is going on since some of the scenes take place at different parts of the day. By the end of the film, everything does wrap up though.

I was surprised that some people didn't like the film because it lacked proper "characters". I thought Tommy and Mr Dawson were two characters that were kind of fleshed out.

Some of the people they interact with get into conflicts with one another, but these two showed their heroic sides in a time of desperation.

I have to admit we never get to know much about Tom Hardy's Farrier which is kind of a bummer.

Anyone worried that Harry Styles might "ruin" the film don't have to worry either. The One Direction singer plays his part really well.

Some people may not even know it's him since he looks like pretty much every other soldier in the movie. His acting skills are fine here.

Alas, the lack of story in this film didn't bother me too much.

That's not to say I don't appreciate movies with no story, but I think it works for this film since it's based on an historical event anyway.

All we really need to know is how the soldiers went through this ordeal and how vicious war can be.

Hans Zimmer's score is also great, although it's not his best work.

Since this movie is full on action, we sadly don't get to hear many of this more melodic pieces. That said, the soundtrack fits the mood of the film perfectly since every scene is tense and scary.

In terms of how this ranks with Nolan's other films, I still prefer Interstellar and The Dark Knight. Those films had a better mix of action, suspense, story and drama.

Dunkirk is still great though as it has great visual and audio design. If you have an IMAX cinema near you, try and watch it there. IMAX is arguably the best way to watch this film to fully appreciate it.

Verdict: 4.5/5 stars

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