First and foremost, Dunkirk is PG-13 movie. There's almost no blood, sweat and real war horrors in it. What we're basically seeing is a sort of a documentary. Dunkirk's primary goal is making you aware of in how difficult situation British and French soldiers were.

That means that there's little dialogue in the movie. No personal story is embedded in it. But what is really strange is that there is not so much action neither. Action is distributed throughout the movie and always comes as a climax to previous developments. That's why you can hear silent but noticeable "tika-taka" sound throughout almost the entire movie.

Secondly, Dunkirk is a very tense and loud experience. Story itself never rushes but steadily grows until it bursts. I believe emphasizing that effect is the reason why Nolan decided to tell the story in a non-linear fashion from three different perspectives; that way he can constantly keep you on the edge of your seat. If that weren't so, Dunkirk would frankly be a boring movie.

All in all, if you're tired of violence, superficiality and too much talking but love tense story-line, Dunkrik is spot on. As for the war movie veterans: you may find it a bit unconvincing. It's still worth giving it a shot.