M.L. Crabb's Blog: The Command Deck, page 7

Roadster

RoadsterBy MLC
A tribute to the Falcon Heavy launch on 6 February, 2018Cast:
Commander Thorne
First Officer Webb
Science Officer Ivan
Ensign Jacobs
The Imperial Kingston Starship Powell
The Roadster

With special guests:
Commander Erwin Johnson
Cosmonaut Dmitry Yelchin
Astronaut Peggy Mills

 *All cast members are fictional with the exception of The Roadster
*Main image of the Roadster is from Tesla Motors. 

Roadster
“Commander, I’m detecting an unidentified vessel ahead. Forty-three thousand, two hundred and five Karveks away."

Commander Thorne placed his palms against the flat panel in front of him. The readouts glowing inside of it indicated the IKS Powell’s course.  They were to explore the quiet solar system lurking around Shasta IV, the North Star.

“Hail them,” he said, holding his breath. Anticipation burned through his limbs, and his gut churned. The separatists never ventured past the blue moon of Vegra II, and the IKS Powell was fifty billion Karveks away, which left only one possibility.

“No response,” came Lieutenant Commander Webb’s reply.

“Scan it,” he ordered, leaning forward. “I want to be sure it’s not a separatist trap.”

“Aye, sir.”

He stared at his panel and waited for the images to appear. A quizzical notion swept hold of him as his face contorted into an expression of uncertainty. He ran his fingers over it to enlarge the images and display them on the giant view screen at the other end of the bridge.

“What is that thing?” Ensign Jacobs muttered. Thorne folded his arms across his chest.

“It’s not Talsian,” Webb murmured. Thorne drew a deep breath. There was no mistaking the alien artifact in front of them. The entire vessel felt otherworldly as though it had drifted from another plane of existence.

“Open all hailing frequencies,” he said. “There may be life as we don’t know it onboard.”

“Frequencies open, sir.”

“This is Commander Adrian Thorne of the Imperial Kingston Starship Powell. I come from the Talsian Empire of the Iridian solar system. We welcome you.” He waited and watched the eerie vessel drift against the vast blackness of space.

And waited.

“Lock on a tractor beam and bring it into the cargo bay.” He drew a deep breath. Something felt off about the entire thing. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he felt his gut nagging that there was more to the object. The colorless, alien shape meant nothing until they brought it aboard to inspect it. One would think they’d have developed better imagery technology by now. But then again, maybe they had; the Powell left Talsia five years ago.

“Aye, sir.”

He sucked in a deep breath before turning. He signaled his First to accompany him. Beads of sweat formed at his brow. Could this actually be some alien probe? A satellite?

We wondered if we were alone. 

Talsia is not the center of the universe. 

And that thought sent chills down his form. He rounded a corridor with his First in tow. Silence marked the air as the pair made their way to the cargo bay.

But wasn’t finding evidence of alien life the point of his mission?

So why then, was he scared shitless? Why did he suddenly feel so small and pathetic? He hoped Webb didn’t see the uneasiness in his stride or the slight quiver in his hands. Thorne stopped at a large airlock and pressed a command into the panel beside it. A hiss echoed through the door before a green light blinked above them.

“Here we go,” he whispered.

“What do you think it is?” Webb asked, his voice tense. The massive door slid open. Thorne felt it shake the floor, the motion vibrating through his boots and up his calves. He squared his shoulders and crossed the threshold. He lifted his head to gaze upon the alien vessel and stopped.

 “What the hell?” Webb stepped beside him and gaped at the thing. “Is that a cherry red convertible?”

“Yes.” Thorne moved forward to give the car a closer look. A life-sized figure sat in the driver’s seat, clad in an ancient spacesuit.

“There are words on the base. I don’t recognize the language.”

“I see them,” he muttered, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Tell Lieutenant Ivan to trace this thing’s journey back to its origin.” He continued walking around it.

“Aye, sir.” He heard Webb issue the order into his communicator. The last car to roam Talsia was a bulky monstrosity with two long tracks for tires. He remembered seeing images of it in the Ancestry Museum when he was ten. The hideous thing in the archives is over two thousand years old. 

 “Have Ivan run a hypothetical simulation: shoot this thing into space from Talsia with two-thousand-year old technology and compare it to the actual findings.”

“Aye, sir.”

He’d wait until the science officer finished her calculations before drawing conclusions. Thorne stopped in front of the convertible. It was a beautiful thing, much more sleek and vibrant than the ones in museums.

“Why would anyone shoot a car into space?” Webb wondered, stepping beside him. He shook his blonde head. “So you have a solid space program, the ability to send rockets to other planets, and this is what you do with it?” He spread his arms out. “Shoot a cherry red convertible into space?”

Thorne erupted into laughter. He doubled over and fought hard to regain his composure by biting his lower lip. He moved and knelt down at the structure’s base. Placing his right hand onto it, he blinked a few tears away.

“Because why the hell not?” he chuckled. “Have every inch of this photographed and cataloged. We’re going to put it back where we found it.”

“We’re not bringing it back?”

“No,” he smiled, rising.

…
Ivan’s expression contorted into confusion as she held the tablet against her chest. Thorne tapped his desk with his index finger.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Were you unable to run the computations?”

“That’s just it, sir,” she breathed. “I did. I ran them ten times and had the computer run its own simulation. I got the same result each time.” She set the tablet down. “If our ancestors shot this into space, it would be nowhere near this system."

“It might have latched onto the gravity of one of these planets over here and ended up in an orbit. I see it has an elliptical orbit around this system’s sun.”

“No…sir…it wouldn’t be anywhere close to this sector. It would still be in the Deraus Belt.” Thorne’s eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened. He leaned forward.

“What?” he rasped. That was half the distance between their present location and Talsia.

“That’s not the shocking bit, sir,” she continued, her voice wavering. “This car, whatever it is, didn’t originate from Talsia.” She tapped the tablet. “When I kept running the simulations, the computer said it came from a local planet.” She slid it across the desk. “See?”

He studied the image on it, the orbit she had calculated, and ran his fingers over his chin. His heart raced. There was no way. The car, the figure inside of it—it all was human. He stood up and marched out of his ready room and onto the bridge.

“Take us deeper into this system,” he barked. “Maximum speed. Scan every single planet and search for ones suitable for life.” He turned to Ivan. Thorne folded his hands behind his back. All he could do was wait. Wait and give his crew a false sense of calm. No one else needed to know yet. Maybe it was all a fluke. Maybe some aliens found the car in the Deraus Belt and dumped it off in their system as a trophy.

“Scan every planet for life.”

“Sir!” Ensign Jacobs shrieked from his console. “The third planet from the sun! There are lifeforms!”

“Easy now,” he sat down in his chair and crossed his legs. “Slow us down and take us to their moon.”

“I’m reading a lot of satellite traffic.”

“On screen.”

“There is a crude, rudimentary space station in orbit around the planet. I’m reading a few life forms onboard.”

“We’ll hail them first.”

“No response.”

“Open a channel, all hailing frequencies.”

“Channel open.”

“I am Commander Adrian Thorne of the Imperial Kingston Starship Powell. I come from the Talsian Empire of the Iridian solar system. I greet you in the name of the Empire.” He waited, his heart thumping beneath his chest in a frenzy.

“This is Commander Erwin Johnson of the International Space Station.” Static ripped through the audio reply. Thorne held his breath and wondered how the translator had worked so fast. “Welcome to our solar system. Greetings from Earth.”

“Earth!?”

Everyone screamed it.

Everyone. Thorne included.

“Commander Johnson,” he said. “In the interest of peace and cooperation, please transmit an image of yourself, and we shall do the same.” He cleared his throat.

“We’d love to! With me is Cosmonaut Dmitry Yelchin from the Russian Federation and Astronaut Peggy Mills from the United States.”

Thorne nodded even though he knew they could not see him. Were they humans? Were they aliens who just happened upon this planet, and the translator made a mistake?

“I’m scanning the planet, and Sir, it is every bit of the mythological utopia Earth in our imperial songs. Warm weather, blue oceans, lush landscapes…”

“Talsia is a fine planet,” he said. “Are you suggesting treason, Ensign Jacobs?”

“N-n-no, sir! In the beginning, there was Talisa, and there was us. We conquered the rocky mountains and forged our Empire from-”

“Enough,” he stood up and stared at the view screen.

“They transmitted the image, sir,” Webb said.

“On screen.”

The bridge fell quiet. Everything seemed to slow to a standstill as though someone had frozen time itself. Smiling at them were three humans in matching jumpers, one female and two males.

“Starship Powell, have you received our transmission?”

No one moved.

“Transmission received. Please wait,” Thorne replied. He made a slicing motion with his hand. Webb closed the channel. “Ensign, recite the imperial lullaby.” He sat in his chair and glanced at his control panel.

“Aye sir,” Jacobs squeaked.

“Oh Empire, we awoke in the stars from our eternal drift.
The stone towers of Talsia gazed up at us.
We answered their plight.
Talsia, child of Earth.
Talsia, we molded and shaped you.
Talsia, who will one day be that blue planet in the heavens.
Eternal!
Eternal!
We hail thee!”

Thorne steepled his fingers together and closed his eyes. There were certain truths buried deep within myths, for there was always a sliver of reality hidden there. He drew a deep breath, his broad chest rising.

“Open the channel,” he ordered a moment later.

“Aye, Sir. Channel open.”

“Have your people colonized other worlds?” Thorne asked. He supposed the alien-humans would wonder why, of all things, he was asking about that.

“No. I'm afraid not. It's just us and our lonely little planet here!” came the cheerful reply.

“Have you ever sent ships on exploration missions?”

“We have a few probes- "

“Don’t lie to me.” He eyed his First. "Send them a live feed of the bridge. Now.”

He watched the screen and waited.

“You’re-you’re…human,” Johnson’s voice rasped.  “This is impossible.”

“I know this must be very strange to you, but we need to know the truth.”

“Yes. There was one manned expedition. It was supposed to go to Mars, but we lost contact with the shuttle as soon as it left the atmosphere.”

Thorne listened, his mind reeling with a thousand possibilities. “Ivan,” he said. “What are the odds that their lost ship was swallowed up by an anomaly and spit into our solar system?”

“It will take me a bit to run some calculations, Commander Johnson, do you have more information on the shuttle? Where it lifted off, payload, erm…what kind of technology you guys have? Oh, and um, did you guys shoot a, um, car into space?”

“The roadster,” Johnson’s voice drifted through the channel. “You guys passed it? Ha! Yes, it is ours." There was a pause. "I'll transmit the information about the Mars mission, but if you are thinking what I think you’re thinking, that doesn’t explain the fact that your technology is far superior to ours...and the fact that there was no Adrian Thorne on board.”

“There are anomalies out there that fold the fabric of space and time," Thorne cut in. "It is possible the shuttle was sent thousands of years back in time—your time—as it emerged on the other side of the fold.” Thorne smiled. It made sense, but would these people get it?

“Like an episode of Star Trek.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Thorne watched Ivan at her console as her slender hands worked the controls. Before she confirmed their predicament, and the altered beginning of the universe as the empire knew it, he had another pressing question.

“Commander,” he began. “Why did your people shoot a car into space?”

~FIN

Mystery Box: 5 Things I'd love to unbox

I’m a huge fan of the unboxing craze that’s all over the Internet right now. I love watching unboxing videos where the person's excitement radiates through the camera as you watch them open the package and take out all the paper and packaging materials to reveal the thing inside.

I suppose this is why theme box subscriptions like Loot Crate are so popular right now. We all enjoy that awesome moment of receiving a package in the mail and opening it. It’s like Christmas all over again.

These trends quickly evolved to the next craze: mystery boxes. Go on YouTube and search  ‘Mystery Box,’ and you’ll find a bunch of videos. People are buying up $1, $50, and $100 mystery boxes and posting videos of themselves opening them. Some of them are gems, while others...not so much. Oh, and a few are hoaxes, so keep your eye out for pranksters. 

Since I’m not the gambling type (though I do understand how fun the element of surprise is!), I decided to create my own version of this!



My Mystery Box
Five things in my dream box

1. Something from the set of Amazon’s the Man in the High Castle (yeah. This is a shocker. I mean it’s not like I ever mention the show, ha ha!).

Juliana’s necklace, Tagomi’s pin, something from the Smith house, one of Kido’s hats, a film reel—anything! 

2. An antique from the 40s

A relic from WWII, an old typewriter, a stapler (check this beauty out!)—Anything!

3. Cash

You can’t go wrong with some good old fashion cash

2 dollar bills, y'all!
4. A replica of one of Helen Smith’s dresses

I want her entire wardrobe

5. Art supplies

These days I’ve been flying through sketchbooks like crazy!

What five things would you find in your dream mystery box?

New Years Eve

 The future belongs to those who change it.


31 December 2017Reflections

On a personal level, this year has been good to me. I got to travel to places I’ve never been before, I got to see my sister on the West Coast, and I’ve managed to improve my art.

I know I mention Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle in every single post, but I want to give the creative minds behind it, the actors and actresses, and all of the people who work on the show credit. Without them, I’d have never branched out into unknown and untested artistic waters.

I’d have never met some wonderful people whom I now consider friends.

I’d have never gotten into making black and white photo aesthetics.

So thank you.

Thank you a million times over!

A few highlights from 2017:


What will 2018 bring?

I know it will bring more travel (I have an awesome job!), more artistic endeavors, and new experiences (that goes without saying).

My goal for 2018 is to finally—once and for all—to crack out of my shy Internet-self shell! I’m not a Marvel character with a quick, witty quip for every occasion. I’m not the most hyper active conversationalist, especially on the fast-paced platform that is Twitter (home of High Castle happenings).

The challenge for me will be jumping into a conversation my way. In years past, I’ve tried to be that hot-shot comic book character with an instant, witty answer for everything, but it never worked for me because I either thought of nothing or posted something bizarre. [ lol ]

So here’s to 2018 cracking my shell and figuring out how to dive in!

My other 2018 goals are
1. Taking my art to new levels
2. Getting my novel, Sisters, polished and ready to publish
3. Creating more black and white photo aesthetics

Top quote is from (you guessed it) The Man in the High Castle. 

Project Grandpa

I hope you enjoyed my High Castle fan tale, The Prathra Project Files—It was a rare opportunity for fun! I don’t know if I’ll be able to come up with something like that again. A lot of work was involved in creating that, but it was all a labor of love. I cannot wait to see what Season 3 has in store for us.

★ ★ ★ ★
The Man in the High Castle rekindled my interest in WWII.

My paternal grandfather (a good man and a shining example of the Greatest Generation) joined the Navy during WWII and served aboard a ship in the Pacific. On a whim one haunting night in October, I googled his ship. I saved the few black and white photos of it I could find (including a wonderful shot of the crew) and had them printed.

On Veteran's Day, I hung a framed dedication to him in the living room. After I stepped back and gazed at his black and white face, I decided I wanted to learn more about his time during WWII. My aunts say he never spoke about the war.

What started out as curiosity has become an extensive research project.

I’m going to post it here. There is some fascinating stuff out there! Information on his ship was hard to find, believe me. Scouring through old Navy reunion sites and 90s era web pages is a lot of work, but I can almost paint a picture of what my grandfather went through and of some of the things he saw now.

If my paper (yes, I’m willingly writing a paper, and no I am not in school right now!) is long enough, I might make a hard copy of it to give to relatives and to have as a keepsake.

The Prathra Project Files: A High Castle Fan Tale

Don't forget to read the disclaimer at the end!
The year was 1962, Kennedy was president, and the Cubin Missile Crisis was just around the corner. Deep within the darkest corner of the CIA’s science and technology division, The Prathra Project was in full swing.

Deputy Director Klemm was about to cut the project from the budget and end it entirely when he saw something that rocked him to the very core.

Enter File 02365

On the frigid morning of 3 February, 1962, Klemm received an emergency call regarding the Prathra Project.

He felt a sense of annoyance as he headed down the stairwell that would take him into the basement level of redacted. He had always kept a wary eye on wild, conspiracy-theory ridden experiments like this one.

So long as the higher ups insisted on studying ridiculous notions like telepathy, alternate dimensions, and alien life, Klemm had no choice but to keep the projects running—unless, of course, there was a sudden need to reallocate funds elsewhere.

He walked along the narrow hallway, his dress shoes echoing off the hard floor like raindrops on a tin roof. Klemm stopped at the last door on the left, punched in the code, and opened the door.


The hum of electrical equipment warmed the room. A scientist in a white lab coat ushered him through another door, hardly giving him a chance to inspect the instruments and calculations scrawled on the blackboard to his left.

The next chamber felt Spartan and oddly so, for the only piece of furniture there was a metal chair. A man sat in it, pressing an ice bag against the left side of his face. A silver necklace swayed in his other hand.


“It’s real,” the man rasped. “There are other worlds.” Klemm held his breath and waited for the crazy half-witted explanation. Was this really worth skipping breakfast for?

“I saw it. I know I recognized him. He served with me in Korea. I’d know John’s face anywhere.” The man lowered the ice pack and stared into Klemm’s eyes. The necklace slipped from his pale fingertips, landing to the barren floor with a soft clink. “You-you were there too.”

“Is he on anything?” Klemm sighed, shooting the scientist a scowl.

“No sir. We-we have proof.” His lab coat whipped behind him as he scurried out of the room. Klemm folded his arms across his chest.

“I’ve been there three times,” the man in the chair whispered. A grotesque bruise along his jaw glared at him through the dim lighting of the room. “This is the first time I saw him…and you.” He shuddered and placed the ice against his face again.

Klemm began to pace. “And who am I in this other world of yours?”

“You’re-we lost the war.”

“It was a stalemate.”

“No. Not that war.” He shook his head. “World War Two. We lost.” Klemm drew a deep breath and continued pacing.

“John is alive in it. He’s an Obergruppenführer of the SS.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” Klemm muttered. Not that it mattered. There were dozens of pulp magazines with trashy Nazi stories out there right now. It was the latest fad. As far as he was concerned, this guy had been injected with something and was suffering from delusions.

“You are an SS Major.”

Klemm snorted.

“We have photos of Smith,” the scientist appeared in the doorway, holding a film canister in one hand and an SS officer’s cap in the other. “But most importantly, we’ve managed to film it.”





Chills dripped down Klemm’s spine. They wouldn’t lie about evidence like that, and it didn’t get much more Damning than a film.
“I want everything there is to know about this John Smith.” He strode across the room and took the canister from the man’s outstretched hand. “I want fingerprints.”



** I am not affiliated with Amazon nor the CIA. I am just a fan, and this is a work of fiction. I hope you enjoyed it! Please read the disclaimer below! ** 


Take a peak at the closeups of Klemm's memorandum and John's file! Click on them to view full size.

A Fresh New Look

As you can see, things look different around here. I decided to test the waters and update The Command Deck's look to something more modern and trendy. I'm not going to lie, this is going to take a lot of getting used to!

The familiar, decades-old trend of putting everything in the middle and a ton of stuff on the sidebars is giving way to a minimalist feel. There is an unconscious part of me who still stuck in the late 90s with its notepad html geo-cities sites, 8-bit animated gifs, and god awful midi players.

Here's to something new and unexplored (for me at least)!

What do you think? Love it? Want me to go back to the old layout? Let me know!

High Castle at NYCC!

The Man in the High Castle cast members were at NYCC to discuss Season 3. Oh, and the best part? An exclusive early look!

A huge thanks to @nerdophiles for live tweeting the panel!


The official sneak peak!


Talk about a thriller! Here are my thoughts & theories, some T&T:

Smith’s Revealing Facial Expressions

Season 2 left us with Smith preventing a nuclear war and getting access to Hitler’s vault of films.

In the clip above, he is clearly troubled before the doctor even begins his spiel about the traveler on the table.

My initial guess is that Smith watched some of the films, saw a different version of himself or something equally disturbing, and was suddenly called to the lab. The doctor only confirmed what looked like a world-shattering suspicion for him. Look at the way he moves and rubs the back of his head. Smith, who is always in control and always has a plan within a plan, is distressed.

Another factor that most certainly has a play in Smith’s temperament is Thomas's fateful decision at the end of Season 2. I can't imagine what he thought when he returned home and discovered his son had decided to be euthanized. It had to be life shattering.

 And then to have your entire reality as you know it broken like that with clear evidence that, yes, the films are real and that there are different versions of you running around in alternate worlds…

When the doctor says they are working on mechanical ways to travel between worlds, the camera zooms in on Smith’s face. I get the distinct feeling he is thinking about Thomas and making mental plans to steal a Thomas from another world as soon as they figure out how.

The Multiverse

The doctor calls the other worlds “the multiverse” and reveals that they’ve been trying to find a way to cross into other worlds. I have no theories on how the writers will incorporate “the multiverse” into the story now, but since they’ve done such an awesome job at keeping this show unique, I am confident that it will be good and not your run of the mill sci-fi cliché.

Season 3 to be released in 2018

Nooooo! All I can hope is that it’s not released when I have to travel (my work’s travel season starts in 2018). I will not have time to watch it when I’m away. I am hoping they release it between trips or after travel season. *crosses fingers*

Avoiding spoilers when you are not a binge watcher is rough as it is, but add I-literally-cannot-watch-it to the 10 days (1 ep a night) it will take me to watch the show? *cries*

Whenever they release it, here’s to looking forward to what Season 3 has in store for us! 

Call for Beta Readers!

I’m looking for 1 or 2 beta readers for Sisters. I can pay you in art!


Here’s the scoop!

What is a Beta Reader?
A beta reader is someone who reads a novel before it is published and provides feedback to the author (Did they enjoy it? Was it a good book? Were there any plot holes or inconsistencies?).

They do not do any editing or any technical work!

They read it as though they were someone who bought the book.

What I am Looking for
One or two mature, trustworthy people to beta read the novel who will provide feedback within a decent turnaround time (1 – 2 months).

If you’d like to get a feel for Sisters, I have the first few chapters on Wattpad.

I’ll be honest: the chapters get darker and darker, and I don’t know if I should continue posting them publicly without someone reading through the entire novel first (for now I’m putting the rest of the chapters on private).

Sisters Stats

131 Word pages Not every page is a full page of text64,400 wordsI'll email it to you as a PDF (unless you prefer another format)
What’s in it for you!
Your choice of a customized digital drawing, a 9in by 7in colored pencil illustration, or peg doll!

I’ll cover the shipping costs if you pick the illustration or peg doll.

How to Contact Me
Message me on Facebook, Instagram, Wattpad, Twitter, or post a comment below.

Eclipse Mania!

Who got to enjoy the Great American Eclipse of 2017 yesterday?


I didn’t live in an area of totality, but we got a good 80 percent coverage, and it was awesome. It looked like a crescent moon when it was at its max. I felt the air get slightly cooler and dimmer, which was neat. It was an Instagram filter sort of dim. I can only imagine what my relatives in states with totality saw!

Here are some pics I snapped. You can see prism eclipse reflections in some of them. Look between the trees, and look in the pink area (yes, I was wearing eclipse glasses as you can see in a rare photo of yours truly!).

***
Doll yourself up with one of my peg dolls! I am now offering customized peg dolls!

Visit www.mlcrabb.com/pegdolls.html for more details.

DunKirk: Best Movie of 2017

I feel spoiled by these amazing films and shows coming out in recent years. We’ve got Mad Max: Fury Road, The Man in the High Castle, and now Dunkirk.


Honestly, I feel like it is MY time (as far as movies and shows go). I feel as though these works were written just for me! Well, I know they weren’t, but it feels that way!

I was lucky enough to see Dunkirk in an IMAX theatre, and let me tell you this: I was blown away. If there is an IMAX theatre near you, I recommend seeing it there. It’s worth the extra cost. The massive screen and sound system throw you into the film; if there is a match made in heaven, it is Dunkirk and IMAX.

We all know how the Battle of Dunkirk ends, but there are little nuances in the film that warrant a Spoilers Alert. Scroll past the image to read my review!


The movie follows three different sets of characters/places, The Mole, The Sea, and The Air. They take place at different times, but by the end of the movie, everything weaves itself together like a beautiful tapestry.

The background score was one of the best I’ve heard. It played right into the film, your emotions, and radiated a sense of urgency the entire time. It fit the stories like a leather glove (okay, so that was cliché, but it was the glove or sit here for ten minutes thinking of another metaphor).

While all three sets were wonderfully done, for brevity’s sake, I’m going to focus on The Mole. 

You are thrown into The Mole with a young British private whose primary goal is to survive. The adventure starts immediately! He comes across another private (Gibson). The pair become unspoken battle buddies and do everything they can to survive while, somehow, doing the right thing the entire time.

The beauty of this is that no dialogue passes between them, for it is not needed (but there is a reason which I’ll touch on in a moment). Like the other soldiers, they want to survive. They aren’t cliché superheroes with raging biceps and capes; they are ordinary young men stranded under enemy fire. As a veteran, I found their scenes to be spot on.

The survival adventure begins to reach its crescendo when the pair join a group of soldiers and climb into a ship that had drifted to the beach. The soldiers hope that the tide will come in and carry it out to sea.

The ship is dangerously near enemy lines. The enemy does not see the group of British soldiers take refuge in the ship and start using it for target practice.

Tension rises.

The tide starts coming in.

Someone is shot trying to plug the holes.

He screams.

The enemy now knows that there are men aboard, so they begin firing on the ship with purpose. Tempers inside begin to flare, and it is then one of the soldiers notices that Gibson has never uttered an actual word.

The scene that follows sums up the perfection and beauty of the film. Gibson is not British. He is a French soldier trying to survive and escape just like the rest of them. When he realized only the British had a way off, he posed as one.

You don’t care about what he did. You want him and the others to survive and get back home.

Dunkirk is a masterpiece that ranks either first or second in my all-time favorite movies (I can’t decide if I like it better than Mad Max: Fury Road or not).  It is a must see.

I give Dunkirk 5/5 stars.