Dunkirk looks set to be THE blockbuster of 2017. It ticks all the boxes.

Directorial big-hitter? Christopher Nolan. Tick. All star cast? Will - deep breath - Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard and none other than Harry Styles suffice? Tick, tick, tick. Classic good v bad story? They’re literally Nazis. Tick. Plucky British spirit in the face of overwhelming odds? There’s a good dollop of that, now take your tick. Please tell me there’s explosions? One or two.

Tick.

In the age of retrospection we seem to be living in, can there be a better subject than the greatest generation fighting in the most epic of wars, in probably its most heroic moment of us v them? The footage shared by Nolan at CinemaCon 2017 certainly seems to have caused a storm. The Independent writes that he footage earned the largest ovation of the whole event. With tweets like these, you’d be mad to miss it:

After that footage, #Dunkirk just locked up Most Anticipated of the Year slot. #CinemaCon2017

— Gordon S. Miller (@ElBicho_CS) March 30, 2017

Have We Been Treated to a Dunkirk Trailer?

Thankfully, yes. There are three trailers out, as well as a load of shorter clips to tease and titillate you.

The first teaser trailer came out in August 2016 and offered scant detail of what was to come.

Dunkirk - Announcement

This short minute long clip sets out Christopher Nolan’s stall. And what a stall it is too. With directorial notches such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Interstellar to his belt you can’t really question his prowess. The only real film footage in the whole trailer really highlights the fish in barrel feel of Dunkirk. Surrounded on all sides the British troops were sat on the beaches of Dunkirk with the Luftwaffe raining all hell on them. The hopelessness and helplessness of it all is stunningly portrayed in this scene of hundreds of men ducking under incoming fire. This trailer gives little away but offers a flavor of the atmosphere to expect.

Dunkirk - Trailer 1

If the teaser offered a flavor, this trailer gives the viewer a good meaty bite of action. We’re treated to scenes of Nazi propaganda leaflets dropped on Dunkirk urging the British army to surrender. Lest we forget that at this point this was basically the whole British army, a surrender here would have changed the course of the war, and history as we know it. We’re then shown the British army literally sat on the beach, dangerously exposed from any nasties in the sky. But wait what’s that? Ah yes, that there is plucky British spirit. The spirit of the Blitz. You see it literally oozing out of Mark Rylance. Rows A through G will smell it, as he takes his clearly inadequate, little civilian vessel to the shores of France to save lives. Brits, eh!?

Dunkirk Official Main Trailer

“When 400,000 men couldn’t get home…”

Yes?

“...Home came… for them.”

Yeessss!

I’m being glib.

Let’s not forget that this truly is one of the most incredible civilian and military evacuations ever. 338,226 British, French and Belgian soldiers were evacuated to the UK in just eight days. This trailer really does it justice. The build-up of the little ships that made up the flotilla, ferrying soldiers from the shore to larger ships for evacuation. The little ships were made up “weekend sailors, not the bloody Navy.”

What to Expect From the Dunkirk Film?

Well if Nolan has his way, not a war film. No. Nolan had an interview with ABC where he stated that he did not want to make a Blockbuster war film. In fact he wants you to see it as, “a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film.” This was mainly around discussion on the age rating for the film, PG-13 (12A) in the UK. What that basically means is don’t expect lots of blood and gore. Nolan reckons that he needn’t concern himself “with the bloody aspects of combat, which have been so well done in so many films.”

What About the Dunkirk Cast?

Pretty good, eh?

You’ve got the whole spectrum in there. From classically trained, Shakespearean Kenneth Branagh to darling of Hollywood - and for that matter holder of comparable Shakespearean clout - Mark Rylance to our boy Harry.

Mr Styles is working his backside off to shed that boy band image that seems to linger like a bad smell. He’s been busy. Releasing albums full of bombast with songs about - let’s not beat around the, err, bush here - wanking, stage diving and starring in this a gritty war, sorry, suspense film. That really is a move away form his glossy teenibopper image of the past.

What is the Dunkirk Release Date?

Dunkirk is set for a cinematic release on July 27, 2017. Catch it in IMAX as well as special 70mm and 35mm special screenings.

Love a good war film that isn't really about war? Give our feature on War Machine a go for a satirical taste of the American occupation of Afghanistan.