First Reviews for Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk Are In

We had already seen that the early social media reactions to Christopher Nolan's latest opus, "Dunkirk," had been extremely positive, but today finally saw the lifting of the review embargo, giving us a much more detailed look at what critics have been saying thus far. If these reviews are any indication, it looks as though Nolan has another masterpiece on his hands. With 29 reviews up thus far, the film has a score of 97% (9/10) and has critics heaping quite a lot of praise upon it. Take a look at what's being said:

"This is visceral, big-budget filmmaking that can be called Art. It's also, hands down, the best motion picture of the year so far." - Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly (A)

"Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is a stone cold masterpiece. It's a stunningly immersive survival film told in 106 thrillingly realized minutes." - Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press

"Christopher Nolan's largely bloodless but profoundly harrowing war epic is the best film he's ever made." - David Ehrlich, indieWire (A)

"Dunkirk is an impressionist masterpiece." - Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

"Nolan's feat is undeniable: He's made an immersive war movie that celebrates the good of mankind while also making it clear that no victory is without sacrifice." - Brian Truitt, USA Today (3.5/4)

"Let other directors play with toy soldiers and computer effects. This is big-time, old-school filmmaking. Dunkirk isn't overdone. It's simply done epically." - Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News (4.5/5)

"July 17, 2017 Britain's great pyrrhic defeat or inverse victory of 1940 has been brought to the screen as a terrifying, shattering spectacle by Christopher Nolan." - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian (5/5)

"There have been countless films this summer that have engaged in endless spectacle but "Dunkirk" is the rare blockbuster that will leave a bruise." - Drew Taylor, The Playlist (A)

"Breathless and harrowing...the best picture of the summer." - Roger Moore, Movie Nation (4/4)

This was already perhaps my most anticipated film of the year, but now it's even more so. After the slight disappointment that was "Interstellar," I was very much hoping that Nolan would get back on track to deliver something monumental and memorable. As it turns out, this may be his first serious shot at Oscar gold come award season (it may shock some of you to learn that he's never been nominated for the Best Director Oscar before, an inexplicable mistake made several times by the Director's Branch of AMPAS). It is, after all, a big, epic war film, and the Motion Picture Academy tends to love those, especially when they're as well done as these reviews are saying. Like most people, I'm a big fan of Nolan's work, so we can only hope that the film lives up to the hype.

Luckily, the rest of us don't have too much longer to wait to see it for ourselves, as the film first opens in select IMAX theaters on July 19th, followed by the wide release on the 21st (with early Thursday night showings).

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.