OPPENHEIMER REVIEW:

THEY WOULDN’T FEAR IT, UNTIL THEY UNDERSTAND IT AND THEY WON’T UNDERSTAND IT UNTIL THEY USED IT. 

This movie has unexpected plot twists, some funny moments and ultimately is an extraordinary film that people must watch. 

Oppenheimer is an intricate period piece, playing out in intertwine timelines. It’s seen through Oppenheimer’s first-person perspective. The version of Oppenheimer that we see on screen at any given time is an indication of which timeline is happening at that moment.  

The film was based on the book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer”. The book is so dense and there is so much history to it, but Nolan has woven it all into this, like every frame of the movie is so multi layered, rich and packed. 

Director Christopher Nolan shot the whole film on an IMAX 70mm film which is not surprising as he used this technique when filming Tenet. Oppenheimer is not just a valuable historically document, but it is so artistically expressed. Each shot is beautiful and the combination of the black and white in-between the colour was phenomenal. One scene that stood out was the atomic bomb explosion test. The interesting fact was that the filmmaking crew didn’t use any CGI which added authenticity to the Manhattan projects successful detonation. 

Another intriguing scene that Nolan realised along with his editors was when Oppenheimer was having an episode/panic attack when the potential devastation that his invention could inflict upon the world. The foreground has Cillian Murphy in close up and the background shakes as if an atomic wave was passing through his surroundings. This was a great way to highlight his anguish and inner turmoil. 

Kitty Oppenheimer (Emily Blunt) is the long-suffering wife of Oppy. It seemed that in the first hour her role was underwritten but as the story progressed, she added depth to the narrative. Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) in a largely unsympathetic role made her character’s relationship with the physicist and Oppy himself all too human. Even though there were many cameo roles for well-known faces this was not a distraction to the compelling narrative. 

The casting for this show was on point. 

Robert Downey Jr said in the Entertainment Weekly roundtable ‘it almost transcends this sense of we are making each other better because of competition. It was almost you were participating in and watching three generations of actors that have all come in and say hey there is a bar and let’s make a show’ which was an interesting thought. 

Following from that point Robert Downey Jr is right. The three generation of actors worked in perfect harmony to enhance this spectacular production. 

I didn’t really know much about Oppenheimer, but watching it blindly was a great surprise. 

For me this Christopher Nolan film is by far the best movie that he has directed. The fact that he has written and produced it as well showcases his multifaceted talent. 

Truly a brilliant film that people have to see on the biggest screens and hopefully gets to be nominated at the Oscars.