‘Dunkirk’ reactions are in, and here’s what critics are saying

“Dunkirk” is easily one of the most anticipated films of the summer, and it’s easy to see why: It’s from the mind of visionary director Christopher Nolan and boasts a cast including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and, er, Harry Styles.

With just less than two weeks until its release, the only thing that really could have torpedoed its success was middling reviews. But it sounds as though “Dunkirk” has managed to hurdle over this obstacle: The first reactions to Nolan’s World War II epic have been universally positive.

Some critics have even gone as far as to call it a “master class” in filmmaking. That’s according to Erik Davis of Fandango, who heaped praise on the blockbuster, writing:

#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

Davis then also went on to call Christopher Nolan “one of the great filmmakers of our time.” Anna Klassen from Bustle also waxed lyrical about Nolan’s latest cinematic offering, revealing that it contains only a small amount of dialogue, but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. She wrote:

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

Steven Weintraub of Collider was just as unequivocal in his praise for Dunkirk, insisting that it really needs to be experienced in IMAX:

Dunkirk is edge of your seat filmmaking that’s fully realized in @IMAX. Can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it. See this in IMAX! pic.twitter.com/7F10lnBB5U

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 10, 2017

Stephen Whitty also praised the film, detailing how it blends “modern storytelling” with “classic filmmaking:”

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

Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend was seemingly the only early reviewer to find a perceptible flaw in “Dunkirk,” stating it “has zero distinctive personalities/characters.” But his remarks were still overwhelmingly positive:

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

Audiences don’t have too much longer to wait until they can form their own opinions on “Dunkirk:” It will be released on July 21.