DUNKIRK

That the film is a technical marvel should come as no surprise with Nolan’s reputation, but where ‘Dunkirk’ confirms itself as his most impressive feat to date is in the depth and scope of its emotional impact. After showing us his soul in ‘Interstellar’, Nolan crafts ‘Dunkirk’ into a story of survival and heroism devoid of cheap sentiment. With the screenplay stripped back to the bone, our understanding of these ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances is writ across their faces, hardened by determination and blind fear. Words have no use in the film’s enormous canvas, and by showing us rather than telling us, it lets us into their experience and allows us to feel it with them. As the film throttles towards its extraordinary climax into its final minutes, I found myself overcome with emotion, breathing sharply as tears rolled down my cheeks.

As a testament to the men trapped on the beaches on Dunkirk in 1940 and those who rescued them, ‘Dunkirk’ is a powerful portrait of great heroism and a demonstration of how history can be depicted on screen in a dynamic and affecting manner. As a cinematic achievement, it’s one of the most extraordinary we’ve seen in many years, reminiscent of films like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. It represents the breadth of what cinema is capable of, and establishes Christopher Nolan as more than a great popular filmmaker, but as a great artist. It’s also one of the most nail-biting, breathless, edge-of-your-seat films you’re ever likely to see. Frankly, the whole thing is a goddamn marvel.

PICTURE & SOUND
Since much of ‘Dunkirk’ was shot with IMAX cameras, the 1080p transfer fluctuates between the film’s theatrical ratio of 2.20:1 and the fuller-screen 1.78:1. This has been the case with all of Nolan’s IMAX shot films, though because almost the entirety of the film was shot in the format, the ratio switch happens less often. The quality of the image is remarkable, incredibly sharp but maintaining the organic feel that comes with being shot on film. What struck me most was how rich the colours were, something I hadn’t noticed in the theatrical run. It’s one of the more noticeably striking transfers I’ve seen on Blu-ray in a while.

As with ‘Interstellar’, we’re only given a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track with the film, but it’s also top-notch. Sound is integral to building the world and telling the story in ‘Dunkirk’, especially because there’s little dialogue in the film, and this track packs a hell of a punch almost as assaulting as in the cinema.

A film like ‘Dunkirk’ inevitably loses something when not seen on the big screen, but as far as Blu-ray presentations go, this release goes a damn long way to replicating the experience. The film is also being released on 4K Blu-ray, which I imagine will be even more impressive.

SPECIAL FEATURES
All features are relegated to a second disc, consisting of sixteen featurettes covering the enormous challenges faced in the making of the film. The featurettes are broken up into five and can play in blocks in categories, ‘Creation’ (22:19), ‘Land’ (16:39), ‘Air’ (18:30), ‘Sea’ (36:57) and ‘Conclusion’ (15:19), but the main menu Play All function offers them as a single documentary, running at 1:49:46. Warner Bros should be commended for offering so many ways to play the featurettes in sequence, as not having these Play All options would have made the disc a frustrating experience.

The content in the featurettes is really terrific, covering in detail all aspects of the production. Much of my love for ‘Dunkirk’ was wondering how they pulled the film off in the first place, but discovering the secrets behind the film only increases your respect. All major members of the filmmaking team are featured, along with extensive behind-the-scenes footage. Nolan’s films don’t always have the best collection of special features, but the content created for ‘Dunkirk’ is a terrific companion to a remarkable film.