Short Summary is an original series in which I write brief reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, books, and more. Spoiler alert, just in case!

In my opinion, some of the best movies ever made are set during World War II. Most of those movies are extremely emotional and violent. They center around one character or a group of characters that you become invested in, and you hope beyond hope that these people come out of the war alive. Saving Private Ryan continues to be the finest example.

Dunkirk, on the other hand, isn’t your typical World War II movie, and this is both to its benefit and its detriment. On a technical level, Dunkirk is very well done. The boats and planes are all real and functional, and they’re filmed in practical ways. The explosions and gunfire feel so real… I’m almost certain that no CGI was used for them, but if it was, then a lot of credit goes to the visual and sound effects teams. Speaking of sound design, Hans Zimmer’s score doesn’t even really seem like music. Yet he utilizes a ticking clock to chilling effect.

Dunkirk is rated PG-13, so it doesn’t have the same liberties as R-rated war movies. Don’t expect to see huge amounts of blood or limbs being blown off. But this movie still shows the harrowing effects of war in a much subtler way. Men, women and children still die unnecessarily, not even at the hand of the enemy. Survival isn’t pretty. Dunkirk focuses on the desperation of war instead of the violence, which is interesting and unique.

My biggest problem with this film is that there isn’t a main character. There are several characters that we follow through the action, and the characterization they get comes from what they do, not what they say. I actually like this aspect a lot. There isn’t much dialogue at all, and Dunkirk certainly embraces the saying “Show, don’t tell.” However, I wish that there was one character or a few of them that we learn enough about to get behind and root for. When the fate of each character is revealed, it’s difficult to feel any impact because we know nothing about these characters.

Overall, Christopher Nolan has made a career from defying the standard methods and tropes of certain genres. He infuses these genres with his own style, and he makes the war movie genre his own with Dunkirk. He handles time in his signature way, which is something his fans are definitely used to, yet many movie goers aren’t, so that could be a bit disconcerting.

For me, Dunkirk isn’t Nolan’s best movie. It’s not the greatest war movie of all time. It’s worth seeing in general, though, and absolutely in IMAX. I can’t even remember the last time I was in an IMAX theater, but my goodness, this movie was pure spectacle on that screen!