This weekend people crowded into movie theaters to see Dunkirk, the new film that captures the emotion and danger of the famous Second World War battle.

The movie follows soldiers trapped in France as the German army advances, and the desperate struggle to evacuate more than 300,000 men back to England that saw 68,000 soldiers killed or captured.

For most people, Dunkirk is just an entertaining look back at history, but for a very small number of movie-goers it's a trip back in time, and an experience to relive memories from long ago.

97-year-old Ken Sturdy is part of that very select group. He was a 20-year-old Royal Navy signal man in 1940, and helped to shuttle soldiers back to England during the week-long battle.

Last weekend, Sturdy got the chance to see Dunkirk at his local movie theater, where many of the other audience members thanked him for his service.

While the film is a hit worldwide and has already earned more than $50 million, Sturdy's opinion counts for a lot, and movie fans were surprised by his reaction to the film.

Hear sturdy's thoughts about the film on the next page!

There were concerns that director Christopher Nolan, the man behind huge summer blockbusters like The Dark Knight, was the wrong person to make Dunkirk, but Sturdy has no complaints.

"I never thought I would see that again. It was just like I was there again," he told Global News. While he says the film didn't have much dialogue, he adds "it didn't need any of the dialogue because it told the story visually and it was so real."

But sadly, watching the movie also brought back many painful memories for Sturdy. "I had the privilege of seeing that film tonight and I am saddened by it because of what happened on that beach," he explained.

"I was 20 when that happened, but watching the movie, I could see my old friends again and a lot of them died later in the war. I went on convoys after that in the North Atlantic. I had lost so many of my buddies. One of my mates was taken prisoner. He wasn't killed on the beach.  They marched him up to Poland. And he spent five years in a German prisoner camp."

Sturdy recommends the film to younger audiences, but says they shouldn't just treat this real story like any other piece of entertainment. "Think about it. And when you become adults, keep thinking."

Share this veteran's message with someone you know!