TENSE, TENSE, and uh... TENSE! Christopher Nolan has surprised me once again. Seeing that this is one of his lower rated works, I wasn't sure how I'd like it. However...
This is probably the MOST tense, anxiety-inducing war movie I have ever seen, hands down. The score by Hans Zimmer adds to the overall helpless feeling you'll get. The inconceivable-ness of 400,000 human beings ACTUALLY having experienced that, unbelievable.
Instead of character development, we are thrown straight into the action and see countless young soldiers doing everything in their power to just survive, and I think that suits this movie better. I was not watching just the stories of the "main" characters...
I was witnessing the miracle of Dunkirk.