Oppenheimer

This weekend, Oppenheimer, the newest film by Christopher Nolan and part 1 of Barbenhiemer weekend releases into theater. Oppenheimer follows world-renowned physicist, Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer as he develops the Atomic Bomb. The movie explores his career before the bomb as well as the impact on his life afterward. This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers so I was very excited to see this film.

As expected, Christopher Nolan did not disappoint. He knows how to create a compelling and exciting story that keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end. This film is a fascinating character study of the man, Oppenheimer. It dives into so much more than just the atomic bomb which is what makes this film so fascinating. We get to see his relationships, his family life, his friendships as well as many of his political views and how they impact him later in life. The movie also gives a great study on the impact of the Atomic bomb and how Oppenheimer reacts to it. The movie also dives into the politics behind the atomic bomb, whether the US should use the bomb, and the ethical debate behind it. As with most Christopher Nolan films, this film has an amazing star-studded cast. The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Matt Dameon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr, and so many others. So many of these cast members give such great performances. Cillian Murphy does a great job as Oppenheimer. He manages to portray confidence while also giving a layered performance with the consequences of the bomb. The standout performance is Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss, RDJ is essentially the second lead in this film as the film shifts between Oppenheimer's story and the one centering around Strauss. RDJ gives such a great performance and really distances himself from Tony Stark. The best part of the movie is the atomic bomb aspect. The whole development leading up to the test is just so exciting. Even though everyone knows what happens, the movie still manages to make the audience feel the suspense on whether the A-Bomb test will work. The way the tension builds keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also really enjoyed all the science and math aspects of the film. I found all the explanations as well as the appearances of famous physicists really fascinating. I also felt that the editing and transitions between stories in the first and second acts were very smooth. There were no hard cuts. Scenes just moved seamlessly from one to the next. Finally, I felt that the score did a great job of building the film up. The way it is written, and the music makes you feel like the film is constantly building and it just makes the payoff of the A-bomb test even more effective.

There are a few issues I had with the film. I felt that the film was a bit episodic. There are three very clear acts in the film to the point where the movie almost feels like a 3 episode mini-series. I also felt that some of the subplots were a bit underdeveloped. There was a subplot between Oppenheimer and his brother that didn't really get resolved but played a somewhat major role at the beginning of the film. There were a few relationship subplots that were like this. Finally, I am not sure the movie needed to be 3 hours long. You can definitely start to feel the length in the 3 acts of the film. I think it could've been tightened up by about 15 minutes and been a much better film.

Overall, this is a very well-made and exciting film that proves once again that Christopher Nolan does not miss. There are a few minor issues with the film but in the end, it is still one of the best films of the year.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A Recommendation: This is a must see film.