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Film Review: Oppenheimer

Updated: Nov 20, 2023

Welcome back to the blog readers. If I have not told you yet, Oppenheimer was my most anticipated film of the year, and I was not holding back with my excitement for the film. It all started early last year when the cast list got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. Then the trailers came out and upped the excitement level to a point I never could have imagined. How was the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer going to be told? And what surprises were in store for us? Could this film live up to my unnaturally high expectations? Stick around to find out.


Oppenheimer was written and directed by Christopher Nolan and based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The film stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, along with a very large supporting cast that includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr.. The full cast list is below because I do not feel like putting 40 names here. The film chronicles Oppenheimer's life, from his upbringings at Cambridge to his time at Los Alamos, and his security hearing in 1954, as well as the confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss in 1959.


 

Did I tell you that Oppenheimer was my most anticipated film of the year? Just wanted to make sure. Every piece of footage I saw from previews made me more excited for what I predicted would be a cinematic event (if only that could be the case for Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, in which the more of it I saw, the less I wanted to see it). So was the film able to at least meet my ridiculously high expectations? Well, let's just say that I do admit that I placed those expectations very high. Maybe it was dumb, maybe it was not. But I have to say that all of those expectations were exceeded. I was completely floored by what I witnessed. I cannot find a bad thing to say about this film, even after sitting on it overnight. My initial thoughts are that Oppenheimer is up there with Argo (2012) for one of my favorite films of all time. No, I am not kidding.


Let's get one thing out of the way. Cillian Murphy has never been an actor to be fully in the spotlight. But he absolutely brings the fire for his performance as the "father of the atomic bomb." I was hypnotized whenever he was on screen, and I cannot believe how he was able to melt into the role. He brought such a presence, such a force to the role that I truly believed that I was watching actual footage of J. Robert Oppenheimer. I felt his fear through just his eye motions, through his body movements, and I was absolutely captivated throughout. This is my favorite performance of the year so far, and one that will undoubtedly get Cillian Murphy an Oscar nomination.


Robert Downey Jr. is best known for playing Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in Oppenheimer, he plays the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (or the AEC), Lewis Strauss. At first we don't really understand what Strauss's Senate confirmation hearing was doing in the film, but you understand exactly what is happening, and you will be left shocked when the big reveal happens about 2 and a half hours into the film. Robert Downey Jr. plays Strauss with such a bravado and a charisma that he seems almost likable. When that aforementioned reveal happens, Downey flips a switch and gives what turns into a career-defining tour-de-force filled with rage and anger that will get him an Oscar nomination as well. Just you wait.


Just a word on the rest of the cast, or else I will be here all day. Emily Blunt is a powerhouse as Katherine Oppenheimer. Matt Damon finally gets to act tough (and it works, damnit) as Leslie Groves. Josh Hartnett plays well off Oppenheimer as Ernest Lawrence. Dane DeHaan plays more of an antagonistic character that his Green Goblin as Kenneth Nichols. Jason Clarke proves he is a phenomenal actor as Roger Robb. Alden Ehrenreich brings some levity and lightheartedness as an unnamed aide to Strauss. David Dastmalchian finally goes bad (and absolutely kills it) as William Borden. And finally, Tom Conti brings the heart and soul to the film as legendary scientist Albert Einstein. I could definitely see this group get a Best Cast Performance at the SAG Awards.


I cannot leave without commending the sound design of the film. I know this was a Nolan film and they always (allegedly) have their sound issues, but everything was ramped up for this film. In certain scenes, I could feel the rumbling in my chest, I could hear every last miniscule piece of sound, and it was all so mouthwateringly glorious. And the sound for THAT scene. Holy shit man, I don't know who is getting credit for the sound design, but you might as well just mail their ass(es) the Oscar now.


And speaking of sound, I absolutely have to give a round of applause to Ludwig Göransson for cooking up what I believe to be the frontrunner for Best Original Score. I am not kidding you when I say this score is my absolute favorite of the year. It is equal parts haunting, beautiful, and at times it can be reflective. Göransson, who is known for doing the scores for the two Black Panther films and the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, has absolutely leveled up with this score, and he rests my case as one of my favorite composers going right now.


I have to talk about THAT scene. I alluded to it earlier but now I need to talk about it in detail. If you have seen the film, you know what I am referring to. There was about a 20-25 minute buildup to the scene, and I have to tell you that I was tense the entire way through. No film I have seen in a while was able to literally make me hang off the edge of my feet with my mouth quivering and my leg shaking. Nolan is one of the masters at creating tension; that was the entirety of The Dark Knight Rises (2012). The scene is one of the most powerful scenes I have seen this year, and in a while, and I am so glad we were able to experience this.


You may have noticed that I really have not been diving too deep into the cinematography of the films this year. I have to be honest and say that I first of all do not notice the cinematography, and I feel as if I am not qualified enough to talk about it. However, with this film, I absolutely noticed it. The most obvious thing I noticed (and knew heading into the film) was that the film is shot in both black and white and color. The black and white represents things that were rooted in fact, or objectivity. The color represents things that were rooted in subjectivity. I commend that choice because it is almost like we get warring perspectives. Obviously we were not in the room with Oppenheimer and we could not confirm that the conversations we saw in the film were entirely accurate, so that mandates the decision to switch upon command. Also I noticed some cinematic choices that really amazed me, one of which being how things surrounding Oppenheimer shake when he gets anxious. It is just so brilliant.


I also wanted to commend the script by Nolan. This is definitely the most advanced script that he has written, and it shows. I put it on the level of the MCU series Secret Invasion, which has brilliant writing as well. The script takes risks I could not foresee, and all of those risks pay off. I hung on every word everyone said, and I was able to grasp the important topics. This film is definitely a shoehorn for Best Adapted Screenplay, and right now it is my pick to win the award.


One of the biggest points of the film is the worry of various characters that their creating the bomb will destroy the world. Obviously this was a real concern that those people had, and it is a point that is hammered home throughout the film. In the beginning, Lewis Strauss somewhat eavesdrops in on a conversation between J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein, and we later learn Strauss believed they were talking about him. In reality, they were talking about what this invention would mean for the future of humanity. This is a very real scenario, especially now that every viable country has nuclear weapons. In a way, Oppenheimer was right about that chain reaction. The world is on a hair trigger right now, and even the smallest tug can lead to the end of humanity. It truly is a shame that he died knowing the world could possibly end, and it is all on him.


In conclusion, Oppenheimer blew me away with mesmerizing performances, sensational visuals, and an earth-shattering score, all leading to one of the greatest films I have ever seen. I know that this was a long review, but it was damn worth it. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next one.

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