Oppenheimer – A True Cinematic Achievement

Oppenheimer is the newest highly anticipated film from director Christopher Nolan and his first film with Universal Pictures after his public split from Warner Bros. The film is a biopic based on the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and primary focuses on his role in the development in the atomic bomb during World War II along with key events in his life that happened both before and after the bomb’s creation. The film stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role and features one of the largest ensemble casts of the year including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon. Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and Kenneth Branagh to name a few. The film is a total knockout that has more than exceed the sky-high expectations most audiences had set for it.

It’s no secret that Nolan is one of the best and most consistent working directors of all time, and without sounding hyperbolic, this may be his finest and best film to date. It delivers an enthralling, captivating, and gripping character study/biopic that’s very dialogue heavy, dense, and requires audiences to pay attention to every single detail and line of dialogue being spoken, but it never once becomes too hard to follow or convoluted over the course of its 3-hour runtime that flies by at a great pace and never drags or becomes anything less than completely fascinating. Nolan completely immerses audiences in this story and hooks them from frame one until the very last. The structure is very unique and jumps around from different type periods throughout, but it only adds to the brilliance on display and makes for the perfect way to tell this story.

Like every single one of Nolan’s previous films, Oppenheimer is a staggering technical achievement and likely contains the best sound, score, editing, production design, and cinematography anyone will see all year. This will likely sweep most of the technical categories at next years award ceremonies, and Ludwig Göransson’s score is nothing short or remarkable. The imagery is visually stunning to look at especially the images and visions passing through Oppenheimer’s head especially considering that apparently no CGI was used.

The entire Trinity Test sequence features some of the best filmmaking of Nolan’s entire career and the sound design especially in IMAX is sure to make audiences feel like they are standing alongside the scientists. It very much plays out like a horror film at times due to the constant looming sense of dread that can be felt throughout and certain sequences that build tension and suspense better than most recent horror thrillers. It is also a devastating and haunting film but not to the point where it becomes unbearable or too much for one viewing. Nolan presents this story as is and lets audiences make up their own mind about its lead character and the real-life events that take place. He never once fully takes a side, but presents all the facts and information. This makes everything on screen all the more thought provoking and engaging.

Saying Oppenheimer has a stacked cast would be quite honestly putting it lightly. Whether they have a lot to do or are only given a few lines, they all rise to the task and leave an impression. Oppenheimer himself is without a doubt the toughest and most demanding role of Murphy’s career, but he was certainly up to that challenge, giving his best performance to date. He’s absolutely brilliant as he spoke volumes through his facial expressions, body movements, and bright blue eyes alone, conveying everything going on in his head from the initial excitement and responsibility in his role in The Manhattan Project to the horrors that came after. While he had lead roles before, Murphy is outstanding and hopefully his performance can score him his first Oscar nomination as he simply commands the screen and is present in nearly every single scene.

Meanwhile, the supporting cast are all fantastic as well. It’s just very cool seeing such a wide-ranging group of actors pop up in big and small roles. Blunt, Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh are fantastic as always with Blunt and Pugh each appearing in scenes that will stick with audiences long after the credits roll. These scenes will also have many questioning how anyone could call the film cold or emotionless. It’d be impossible and completely exhausting to mention every single member of the supporting cast but the ones who stood out the most were Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz, Rami Malek, Alden Ehrenreich, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, and Dane DeHaan. But, outside of Murphy’s brilliant portrayal of Oppenheimer, Downey Jr. easily gives the best performance in the film as Lewis Strauss, reminding us how excellent of an actor he be outside of the blockbusters he’s appeared in for the past 15-years. While he’s given far less screentime than Murphy, his performance will be the one that most will be thinking about more than anyone and may very well be his Oscar moment.

There aren’t really any major issues with Oppenheimer but there’s no denying it is a massive film with many moving pieces and because of that, some characters may not get the development they needed or were expected to have. There’s so much information being thrown around that it would be virtually impossible to pick it up all on one viewing as well. Outside of that, it is nearly a perfect movie.

A lot are already proclaiming this as Nolan’s magnum opus, and while it’s tough to agree with that on just one viewing, especially considering the countless amazing films he’s already directed though it wouldn’t be a surprise that when Nolan’s career is all said and done, this is looked back on as his best film. This is an experience unlike any other that’s truly what the IMAX format was invented for. Nolan has put his all into this like he does every one of his films, and created an unforgettable, powerful, and breathtaking epic that audiences nowadays rarely see made anymore and one that will be talked about for years to come.

We need more dramas for adults made on this scale. Go see it, as it is arguably the best film of the year.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/