Oppenheimer (2023) Review
Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan is a spectacular movie about the man who created the atomic bomb but here is the thing it is not just about that because in all reality that isn’t what the movie is portraying but the moral and ambiguous answer that Robert J Oppenheimer had to answer and that was if the the atomic bomb was worth creating.
And here's what, the movie answers the question because Robert did not regret the decision to create the most dangerous weapon to human kind but it is the question that the movie asks you, and that is would you create the bomb if you were in his position.
But that is not where the movie ends, not only does it want you to ponder that impossible question because it was impossible during that time where Oppenhimer had no distinct answer whether it was right to drop the bomb all he undersood was that the nazi’s were 2 years ahead of the USA so he had no choice.
So this was the real question during this movie and that was, was there a true winner here. After the bombing of Hiroshima it was understood that there was no need to drop the bomb on japan. A nation ready to surrender but it was done anyway and Robert felt some kind of burden but not enough of regret more than this could happen more and more to the point it becomes a common weapon to every nation.
And this is what Chris Nolan displays in such a visceral and intense way where you feel every decision made during the Manhattan project that you yourself become one and in part of the many scientists who joined in this arms race for nuclear superiority.
Decisions that would eat you up from the inside are shown in the movie to be passed by because it had to be for the greater good, and though the people didn't believe in that they must move forward because of the imminent threat of a border that had nazi’s crossing.
Oppenhiemer is about that decision that many had to face during and after the war. Do you continue for the humanity of America or do you stop for the humanity of oneself.
A bright young energetic student of physics that could not learn what he needed to in America so left to the another part of the world and he eyes kept seeing what many could not and his mind kept conjuring what many could not to the point that the he would not allow this information to just sit in his head he must teach the information he learnt and understood to the others and this lead him to a new path in life.
A life of communism, love, and betrayal but not to the nation he loved, a nation that after the war took him aside to defend his own right, aright that he basically gave to the americans but instead left to wither in the dark and grey clouds that of an atomic bomb that helped the american win and now looms over him as he shelters from the hate that has derived from his success.
From those that wish him a swift downfall to those who only want him side stepped only to shake his hand at the very end.
This film by Chris Nolan is fascinating in its story about the most influential man in the world but shows me that the director claimed for Batman and Inception, a director hated for his space spectacular when it came out to now loved by everyone, a director that had his previous movie lambasted for the lack of character and story yet still captures the imagination of the people had created a movie that is not only relevant to when its character was alive but to the worn torn world we live in.
A performance by Cillian Murphy, so sorry I mean Robert Downey Junior, no I mean Emily Blunt, excuse me I mean Florence Pugh.
A cast so phenomenal that the cast full of the best in the industry bows down to one performer and that is J Robert Oppenhimer Cillian Murphy who not only exudes the clever persona to take every scene but carries a gravitas that his cleverness is looked at as a serious weapon that should be respected from all around him because he, the actor of Cillian Murphy is the heartbeat that makes sure this movie does not collapse in the weight of the story.
Because he knows he is the story so if he fails then the rest will crumble around him. A piece of history that Cilian was made for and story that only Nolan could put on the big screen in the major of a major studio blockbuster the audience would be excited for.
But Cillian Murphy needed the support around him if this performance was ever going to reach the heights it has. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman and the list continues and becomes the best casting I have ever witnessed.
These performers, artists and legendary craftspeople sacrificed the limelight and gave Cillian the support he needed to be the best version of Oppnehimer. We see the trust all these actors have for one another and because of that they all perform at the highest calibre. Not one performance was average or bad because they all, no matter how much or little screen time they had, made sure that it was a performance of their life.
And the performance I think about is that of Florence Pugh who was not on screen for much but the way she pulls you in by her strong performance for such little screen time was exceptional. Also, I cannot ignore Jason Clarke’s intimidating role with a presence on screen that you just love to hate the character.
But this is not a perfect movie, there are issues. A common Nolan issue is dialogue being lost in the sound design. I watched this movie at an IMAX screening at the Science Museum. Top of the notch screen and speakers so that was not the problem. Early on the film it was difficult to understand, maybe it was the accents that got me lost but with Nolan’s track record I believe it to be his sound mixing which can be frustrating as Oppenheimer is a heavy speaking film. A lot of scenes of people debating and discussing so not to hear some of that was a shame.
Robert Downey Jr’s character of Sheriff, though important in the life of Robert Oppenheimer, got lost throughout the film and felt underwhelmed by his part of the story. He plays the film’s villain but his motive to hate Oppenheimer was weak. To feel like he was outshined by him was not much of a motivation that led him to this hate campaign against Oppenhiemer.
Because of that, the last third slows down as the motivation unravels. It's not as interesting as I wanted it to be.
I’ve seen and read other complaints that the lack of atomic bombs or not showing the A-bomb dropping was a let down which I do not agree with because this film isn’t really about the creation of the A-Bomb. It’s the story of the man behind that deadly weapon and his battle over the future he has created. Oppenheimer never regretted the creation of the bomb, but the fear was what doors this creation could open and do we as a human race want to walk through those doors. His battle with himself and the government in slowing down the creation of more deadly weapons such as the Hydrogen Bomb.
It is that fear that once they continue to develop more and more, then when does it stop. And that fear was perfectly executed in the ending scenes of this movie. The impending doom that what he has created and what now he is trying to stop has already started and cannot halt anymore.
That weapons of mass destruction will be the future of this world and we will suffer because of that.
That feeling of anxiety and trepidation and also that excitement of future discoveries is perfectly summed up by Ludwig Goransson’s incredibly powerful score. Cillian Murphy is the main star but he shares that with Ludwig’s music which essentially plays from the first frame and is non-stop bar on a couple of occasions, one including the detonation of the test bomb. But his score helped this movie's pace and kept me fully engaged in what was happening. Truly the best score we will hear this year.
Overall Christoper Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a harrowing marvel of a film that follows the man who created the A-Bomb and through Nolan’s nonlinear delivery we get to see the full scope of Robert Oppenheimer's life through the highs, lows, and vulnerability that was shown throughout his life.
An achievement that makes going to cinema worth it and told by a filmmaker not afraid to keep pushing this artfrom.
Oppenheimer deserves an 8.6 out of 10.
