It’s arguably the most anticipated movie weekend of the year with the double releases of Oppenheimer and Barbie. One is an intellectual tension-filled character piece, while the other being pure cotton candy (while also being an introspective character piece). Based on your movie tastes, one of these movies will prove to be a palate cleanser.
Christopher Nolan returns with his 12th directorial effort, Oppenheimer, based on the novel “American Prometheus.” J Robert Oppenheimer is such an interesting figure in the world’s history and the subject matter around him must be handled with the proper amount of nuance and purpose.
This three-hour film tells his story in a few different, but monumental eras. The first act sets up, in a non-chronological (very Nolan-esque) way, Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) early studies and interactions with prominent scientists of their time, up to the senate hearings for an aspiring government figure in Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.). The full story contains three very distinct acts, with the second hour being dedicated to the creation of the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This is a telling about the man and those he surrounded himself with, rather than only being about the bomb, which many moviegoers might expect. It dives into his curiosity about the universe, his drive to innovate and compete with the smartest minds in the world, and the ghosts that haunt him because of his creation. Few other filmmakers could show us a proper birds eye view of someone that seemed detached enough from humanity, but seemingly had a destiny for scientific pursuits and eventual destruction.
Cillian Murphy has always carried within him an underlying intensity and he feels perfectly manicured to show the complex range of Oppenheimer. His performance is perfection. While we may, as an audience, never quite root for his victories, the writing and acting manages to make you see why he does what he does.
The cast is literally stacked with dozens of character actors. I was stunned by the level of caliber of people that were part of this movie, even if they only ever have one line. There are literal Academy Award winners that have only five lines of dialogue. Thankfully, the recognizable faces don’t take away from the experience because these actors are giving it their all to play critical figures in our history. There’s not a flaw in the cast, but the standouts are Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, and Alden Ehrenreich. Truthfully, I could just list every cast member, because they’re all exceptional.
Many reviews will give heed to talk of future Oscar nominations, and each nomination will be deserved. Yet, Nolan doesn’t make movies for Oscar votes. This is a unique movie that will decisively be seen as one of the most impressive and celebrated biopics ever made. That fact doesn’t mean that everyone will watch this and be entertained. Being a three hour film that revolves around dialogue will drive many people away. Yet, the story it tells and the way it’s told is absolutely compelling.
Outside of the structure and acting, the most noticeable element is the visual design that surrounds the experience. Ludwig Göransson scores this movie and manipulates the emotions of each scene. The music, in very noticeable ways, puts the audience into the brain of Oppenheimer. This is also done by removing the sound and score entirely in some of the film’s bigger moments. I generally get annoyed by a director’s subversion of expectations, but this crew subverts us in the most creative ways. There may not be the big payoffs we hope for at times, but that’s kind of the point. We shouldn’t want certain things to take place, and the film has the ability to act as our collective conscience.
There is one scene that leads into the third act that is one of Nolan’s best. Without getting into spoilers, Oppenheimer is in front of a crowd, but the scene doesn’t play out as reality would dictate. It’s an absolutely harrowing moment that gave me chills and terrified me more than most horror films.
If there’s a flaw, it’s that there are some scenes added that are pushing for the R rating. This is a heady and heavy movie, whose content deserves that mature audiences see it. But in order to get that rating, there are a few nude scenes that guarantee that it won’t be PG-13. Though one moment is meant to make the audience feel just as uncomfortable as the characters in the scene.
Oppenheimer isn’t my favorite Nolan movie, but in its way, it’s perfect. The crew and cast are completely devoted to telling a nuanced story about the man that voluntarily AND involuntarily became death. Whereas most Nolan movies require multiple viewings to understand a story, this film demands a second viewing to appreciate the level of talent and craftsmanship on screen. I have been tempted to add a minus initially, but this film deserves an A.
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