"Now I Am Become Death, Destroyer Of Worlds." My Review Of Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer".

Writers: Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin

Director: Christopher Nolan

Full Title: Oppenheimer

Originally Released: July 21, 2023

Production Companies: Syncopy Inc., Atlas Entertainment

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Digital Cinema Projector

IFCO/BBFC/MPA (Cert. #): 15A/15/R (54143)

Length: 3h

10/10

Christopher Nolan is known for consistently putting out movies every couple of years that are, at worst, generally considered above average. Out of the 12 feature films he's directed, a whopping 8 are featured on IMDb's list of the top 250 films of all time. With the lowest of those being Batman Begins with 8.2/10 at #129, and the highest being The Dark Knight with 9/10 at #3. His feature films have an average of 8.2/10 on IMDb, which is great for one film never mind the average of every film a director has ever made. What I'm trying to say is that I had high expectations, yet "Oppenheimer" still managed to surpass them.

Spoilers ahead for "Oppenheimer" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". If you haven't watched either of them yet, I'd recommend that you do before reading ahead.

J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of many early 20th century scientists and, until recently, wasn't as well known by the general public as the likes of Einstein, Schrödinger, or Curie. Yet, he was one of the most important due to his role in the creation of the atomic bomb. While Christopher Nolan has brought the life of Oppenheimer back to the public's eye, like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alexander Hamilton, this wouldn't have happened without a biography inspiring him. In Oppenheimer's case, it was "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird, which is a good title for a biography, but not so much for a Christopher Nolan film. Rather than removing the subtitle and just calling it "American Prometheus", Nolan opted for just his surname. I feel that this was the right move as the shorter title juxtaposes the fact that it is the longest film ever made for IMAX, pushing projectors to their breaking points.

J. Robert Oppenheimer: "They won't fear it until they understand it. And they won't understand it until we use it. Theory can only take you so far."

This is a three hour long R rated historical biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, which isn't something you'd expect to make a significant amount of money. Once again proving that Christopher Nolan can get people to go to the cinema, it seems as though it will only take two weeks for "Oppenheimer" to become the highest grossing R rated film - and 10th overall - of the year worldwide (As I write this on the evening of Friday August 4th, the box office earnings for Thursday have not yet been released, but Oppenheimer is about $1.6 million behind John Wick Chapter 4 and has made over $5 million per day in the US alone so it would be highly unlikely for it to have made less than $1.6 million worldwide). I went to see it in the most expensive screen at my local cinema at about four o'clock in the afternoon and it was more than half full. Some of the people might only have gone because of the "Barbenheimer" memes, but no one was on their phones or talking at any point during the film. And in the silence after the Trinity test happened, nobody made a sound. Not even to eat. They might have gone as a joke, but they were enthralled by the film.

Kitty Oppenheimer: "The world is changing. Reforming. This is your moment."

As Ludwig Göransson is a composer who uses drums a lot, it came as a shock to me when I saw his name in the credits as the only percussion in the entire film is the stomping of feet from a crowd in Los Alamos. His minimalistic score is exactly the type of score that suits a film like this, which is the exact opposite of the scores he's known for using. I never noticed the music as it was just enough to stop the film from feeling unfinished and eerily quiet musically, but not enough to jump out in a first viewing. It reminds me of "The Social Network", as I never noticed the score the first time around but did on subsequent viewings.

J. Robert Oppenheimer: "Can't keep a good man down."

This film is intense and chilling, yet slow-paced at the same time. It starts off slow, with Oppenheimer's security clearance appeal hearing and some related flashbacks, before jumping to black and white for Lewis Strauss' Senate confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Commerce. As it gets closer to the Trinity test, the Strauss sections get shorter and less frequent until it is revealed that he is the one behind Oppenheimer's security clearance renewal getting denied for petty reasons. Robert Downey Jr. plays Strauss extremely well and I enjoyed his scenes, especially towards the end when he reveals his actions and intentions. The final scene between Oppenheimer and Einstein was used cleverly as it was teased throughout the film through Strauss' black and white perspective and it seemed that the reason Einstein ignored him was because of something mentioned by Oppenheimer about Strauss. The final reveal that it was something much more personal and chilling to Einstein, mixed with the final shot of Oppenheimer that was used extensively in marketing, made it especially effective.

J. Robert Oppenheimer: "Is anyone ever going to tell the truth about what's happening here?"

The sheer amount of cameos from big names, both actors and the scientists, was something that lends itself very well to the immersion of the film. The film features the likes of Kenneth Brannagh as Niels Bohr, Tom Conti as Albert Einstein, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg, and Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman. On top of the big name scientists, there were cameos from Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman, Dane DeHaan as Major General Kenneth Nichols, Rami Malek as David Hill, and Benny Safdie as Edward Teller. With such a star-studded cast list, it might have felt like a who's who of Hollywood in cameos just to promote the film. In "Oppenheimer" the cameos feel natural and like they belong in the film. That's something Christopher Nolan does well by reducing the script to only the necessary scenes before filming so that there aren't any deleted scenes and filming can be as quick as possible.

Isidor Rabi: "They need us for who we are, so be yourself... only better."

On top of the excellent performances by all the actors cameoing, the main cast also exceeded my high expectations. Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh were outstanding as Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves, Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, and Jean Tatlock, respectively, but the real star for me was Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Throughout the film, you see him as someone who occasionally butted heads with Oppenheimer but was always on good terms with him. It's not until the final 45 minutes that you see him orchestrating Oppenheimer's downfall. It's not revealed in a clichéd villain backstory monologue, but through an egotistic brag just before everything goes downhill and his insecurities are revealed

Lewis Strauss: "Amateurs chase the sun and get burned. Powers hides in the shadows."

While three hours seems like a long time for a film, I was left wanting more and felt that it was too short. That's what a biopic should do: leave you wanting to know more, while not ending too early. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody ending just after Live Aid with not much left for a sequel, but too much omitted for it to feel like a natural ending. However, as the book "American Prometheus" was the inspiration for this film, it's an option to learn more about the story of Oppenheimer.

Caption: "Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity."

In conclusion, I think that Oppenheimer is amazing and Christopher Nolan's magnum opus. Every part of the film felt necessary, including the three title cards during the credits. The pacing was great and, coupled with the effects, acting, and cinematography, left me sitting through the credits not in anticipation of a mid or end credit scene, but to process what I had just watched.