Incredible cast. Absolutely phenomenal casting.
I must not the intended audience of this movie… or maybe everyone else is just saying they like this to sound smart?
When we left the theater some people laughed, some hugged their SO, others walked silently. We saw great filmmaking of an event we thought we knew but left with information we could not handle.
The storytelling was great, the directing too. The post bomb Act until the end of the hearing was slow.
Barbenheimer: Part 1 of 2
This is the kind of film I really don’t want to criticize, because we don’t get nearly enough other stuff like it. However, mr. Nolan has been in need of an intervention for a while now, and unfortunately all of the issues that have been plaguing his films since The Dark Knight Rises show up to some degree here. Visually it might just be his best film, and there’s some tremendous acting in here, particularly by Murphy and RDJ. However, it makes the common biopic mistake of treating its subject matter like a Wikipedia entry, thereby not focussing enough on character and perspective. As a whole, the film feels more like a long extended montage, I don’t think there are many scenes that go on for longer than 60 seconds. There’s a strong ‘and then this happened, and then this happened’ feel to it, which definitely keeps up the pace, but it refuses to stop and let an emotion or idea simmer for a while. There are moments where you get a look into Oppenheimer’s mind, but because the film wants to cover too much ground, it’s (like everything else) reduced to quick snippets. It’s the kind of approach that’d work for a 6 hour long miniseries where you can spend more time with the characters, not for a 3 hour film. I can already tell that I won’t retain much from this, in fact a lot of it is starting to blur together in my mind. There are also issues with some of the dialogue and exposition, such as moments where characters who are experts in their field talk in a way that feels dumbed down for the audience, or just straight up inauthentic. Einstein is given a couple of cheesy lines, college professors and students interact in a way that would never happen, Oppenheimer gives a lecture in what’s (according to the movie) supposed to be Dutch when it’s really German; you have to be way more careful with that when you’re making a serious drama. Finally, there are once again major issues with the sound mixing. I actually really loved the score, but occasionally it’s blaring at such a volume where it drowns out important dialogue in the mix. I’m lucky enough to have subtitles, but Nolan desperately needs to get his ears checked, or maybe he should’ve asked some advice from Benny Safdie since he’s pretty great with experimental sound mixing. My overall feelings are almost identical to the ones I had regarding Tenet; Nolan needs to rethink his approach to writing, editing and mixing. This film as a whole doesn’t work, but there are still more than a few admirable qualities to it.
Edit: I rewatched this at home to see whether my feeling would change. I still stand by what I wrote in July, though the sound mix seems to have been improved for the home media release. It sounds more balanced and I didn’t miss one line of dialogue this time around. I’m slightly raising my score because of that, but besides that I still think it’s unfocused, overedited, awkwardly staged and scripted etc.
5.5/10
This movie is legendary. someday it'll become a classic. I don't know why someone is complaing about why they didn't get to explore more of Oppenheimer's character, or what he was. I think that person needs to rewatch this movie. Scene are not snippets, It is complete and well integrated. Yes, they covered a lot ground. Could it have been a miniseries? of course! but saying that this movie fails to integrate different aspect, is completely false. Even character whom had small screen time, did perfect. I think everyone needs to hit theatre, so Hollywood makes more fucking movie like this. which delves deep in character and dark part of human chatacter. Not everything is Pink and happy. I think, you must watch it in theatre decide for yourself. I think I have spent all my penny well. Thank you Nolan.
Too much hype for an average movie
The trailer did nothing particularly to catch my interest. I was mostly seeing it because of the hype from others to see what it was about.
And watching the movie there still wasn’t anything particularly that caught my interest.
I never felt bored throughout it despite the length, and the acting + writing was good. But I never felt invested in the characters and story. I felt I could go out on a bathroom break at pretty much any point, come back, and not felt like I had missed anything essential.
I also felt like they couldn’t decide if they wanted to make a hero or a villain out of Oppenheimer. So they tried to do both. And through trying to do both, they failed to do either. This really became a point of uneasiness and disconnect in the final stanza of the movie.
As some have said, this was not what I expected. I expected a film that focused on the actual scientific undertaking and technological achievement as well as the psychological, emotional, and real world turmoil of creating man's worst invention. I expected to come out of this film impressed by the science, but also as horrified as Oppenheimer himself.
I thought this would be an actual biopic of Oppenheimer. I was curious to see what type of life he lived that would eventually lead him to the Manhattan project, its destructive aftermath, and his future work. And I expected to come out of this film with a better understanding of how they even built this crazy thing - which despite its obvious horrific application, is still a scientific marvel that only a small handful of countries have been able to reproduce even nearly 80 years later.
But instead, this stuff was glossed over to give us 3 hours of boring political dialogue outside the scope of anything that truly historically mattered. Oh, and they gave us occasional scenes about his sex life mixed in. Because of course, when it comes to the father of the atom bomb, the first thing people want to know about him is his sex life??
Remember, just because the film overwhelms viewers with intense, suspenseful music from beginning to end doesn't make the accompanying boring political squabble scenes any less boring. Just because it tells the story non-chronologically doesn't make the script more profound, it just makes it frustrating to watch. And just because it had the budget to fill even minor roles with A list actors doesn't mean it should have. Each time another big face popped up, it pulled me out of the film (which admittedly, was not hard to do since the film was so boring).
Ironically, the film multiple times hinted that certain aspects of the bomb and its story are actually important and should be seen by all. For example, they explicitly talked about the importance of actually seeing the bomb and its destruction to fully appreciate, and fear, its power. But then the film ignores its own insight and only shows us short clips of one test while completely ignoring its destruction. And Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred off screen! Seriously This film could have used 2023 movie making skills to re-instill fear of nuclear apocalypse (which given current international conflict, wouldn't be the worst thing right now). But it didn't even attempt to. Further, the film even acknowledges in its conclusion that the political drama was almost entirely unimportant compared to the bigger picture of the technology and its impact on the world. So why couldn't they make the film focused on that instead??
They should have just called the film "Straus vs Oppenheimer" since that's really what this film was about. They built a device that killed hundreds of thousands of people in a single strike, and which changed the world forever, yet the film portrays the political stakes of Oppenheimer losing his security clearance and Straus not being confirmed to a cabinet position as the bigger deal worth caring about (and worth a 3 hour runtime).
This was a chore to watch and I had to rewind it multiple times because I kept falling asleep. I finished the film not entertained nor did I even learn anything of value. I feel like I got robbed out of what should have been a deeply impactful film.
I was actually looking forward to watch this movie. Unfortunately I have to say I was rather disappointed when the movie came to an end.
One of the most impressive projects ever undertaken filled with scientifical challenges and performed under immense pressure.
That is what the movie should have been all about. Unfortunately it is not. Instead all the science, challenges and achievements are just glossed over and we are feed three long, boring, hours about political machinations and his sex life.
That is not what I was expecting and it is definitely not what I wanted to watch.
Trust Hollywood to turn science into a bloody soap-like drama.
Christopher Nolan is definitely not a person that should be tasked with making a science or history movie. His Dunkirk was underwhelming to say the least and Interstellar was both a poor movie and a joke when it came to science.
I guess I should have lowered my expectations when I saw they gave the movie to him.
I fail to understand why this movie was made. People who are actually interested, can just read the history or watch an actual documentary. This movie was filled with unnecessary personal drama, most of which is either incorrect or exaggerated. Oppenheimer never felt guilty of anything he did. He did feel sympathy for the innocent lives lost, and he was concerned about nuclear arms race. But he had no regrets till the day he died.
I was thoroughly impressed with how well-paced this was. I had been worried that it might feel overly long, but for the most part, it did not.
I had a few issues with the third act, but everything prior to (and including) the Trinity test was sublime.
The score had me think every 5 minute scene was building up to a life or death climax only to jump forward, or backward in time to focus on another pointless and exaggerated storyline. It hopped along from the US to Europe, back to the US, political parties, cheating spouses and having children with a hearing and bomb building sprinkled in between.
Instead of telling a coherent story it felt more like "hey... Look how many famous actors I can get in my movie."
Someone took my mom to see this in cinema. She hadn't been to see a movie in 40 years. I feel sorry she had to sit through this.
I don't know what he was speaking but it wasn't Dutch.
Re: Barbenheimer
I think it’s a really rare thing when releases are SO eagerly anticipated and then so wholeheartedly deliver. I enjoyed both of these movies immensely for wildly different reasons; Barbie is a fantastically feminist, candy-colored camp fantasy that delivers laughs and thoughts on existentialism and humanity; and Oppenheimer is a dramatically dense, fast-paced character study that delivers dread and thoughts on…existentialism and humanity. Funny how the two meet there.
Aside from the movies themselves, it has been YEARS since a movie theatre has felt so electric as when my husband and I saw Barbie on Thursday night. The outfits and “Hi, Barbie!” exclamations left and right fed directly into a delightfully enthusiastic audience - and then I didn’t hear a peep during my Oppenheimer screening this evening, which is a far cry from the typical Friday night audience.
This has been my favorite week at the movies in a very long time.
I'm in the minority but I didn't enjoy it. The focus of the story at times was not of interest. The story itself around the bomb and court case was interesting enough that it didn't need all of the time jumps. I'm assuming these were added to motivate tension or quicker pace which it didn't. Some weird scenes in there like the two character sitting naked and discussing things. Seemed like a cheap ploy to get bewbs on screen. Overall the actors performed fantastically and the real story was interesting, but it ran too long adding in some meaningless scenes and story tangents which created a bit of boredom.
A unique cinematic piece as the way the story of Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project was told was very interesting keeping the audience on the edge of their seats for the entire 3 hours making it properly long. The theatrics of the bomb making and interwinding it with a wild visual of Oppenheimer's brain, as his brilliance is incredible, is quite entertaining and interesting, but here wasn't as much of it as I would have hoped. The film emphasized a lot on the "trial" of Oppenheimer as he was accused of being a potential communist spy. This was fine but it made the storyline a bit hard to follow and a bit less exciting as the draw is the bomb making. Lastly, the emphasis on the pride of the US making history was an added bonus.
Definitely interesting time period(s) to cover and I came away having learned a lot more about it then I thought I was going to... But it also felt very drawn out.
I appreciated the way the story was told, back and forth through time but even I got lost at some points. There was one section that was blaringly obtuse as well. Around the time they were pushing hard on the Chevalier stuff and flying between conversations about it.
Early on in the film I was dreading the 3 hour run time but after a while it does successfully draw you in. Lots of familiar faces and great performances. But it also feels a bit wanky and trying to stretch for the Oscar rather than just telling a story.
Enjoyable overall but glad I chose Barbie for the opening weekend and this the week after.
The first act is over the top, almost unserious but it seriously picks up steam in the third act featuring the moment every moviegoer will wait for with bated breath (even though we all know it well). Arguably, however, the crux of the movie is in what comes after the deed is done. The political machinations of a warring, complicated world — and, as subtle as it may be, the hard fought battle for free speech and the free expression of ideas without fear of suppression, at least by the state machinery. We forget history too often, and Nolan’s version is entertaining while sufficiently historical.
8/10
Review based on fan screening.
This is a masterclass in how to portray subjectivity. I was absolutely immersed in this character and could feel the amazement, horror, and divided feelings that he was going through. The directing was phenomenal and deserves much praise.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Oppenheimer’:
Much of the film, particularly in the beginning, felt more like a montage than a movie. The scattered-ness of the scenes created a disconnect that made it difficult to absorb what exactly was going on.
Why the black and white? What purpose did that serve? I’ll probably find out at some point, but it’d be nice to know in real time.
I certainly didn’t expect Nolan to give us Oppenheimer for Dummies, but I really wish he would have. Performances were clearly impressive (I’m looking at you, Cillian), but they’re hard to fully appreciate when everyone is having rapid-fire conversations about fairly complex situations — and you’re too busy trying to keep up. This being my biggest qualm.
Nolan is a masterful filmmaker and aspects of Oppenheimer deserve tremendous praise. However, sometimes Nolans creativity with timelines can hinder storytelling. Oppenheimer is a example of this. I also find it strange that Nolan devoted so much time to politics when the scientific and psychological aspects of the story are much more interesting.
I'll start off by saying biopics aren't my go to, history wasn't my favorite subject in school. Oppenheimer isn't an exception. It without a doubt tells the story of an important piece of our history but as a movie it didn't keep me interested for very long. It goes for emotional but I didn't really feel much (except for the historical impact obviously). I wanted more ethical questions and less of the complex politics and law maneuvering.
It's way too long, a lot of it could have been cut out like Oppenheimer's character setup, the love interests and even (that's an unpopular opinion) the whole court room third act which was way too politically convoluted for me and straight out boring! If the movie had ended with the explosion this would have been a way better watch but unfortunately it overstayed it's welcome and lost it's steam. It's basically: buildup, payoff, buildup—.
A fabulous score with impressive sound in the theater but there's too much of it. The score was way too intense for what was showed on-screen a lot of the time and that's just distracting. There's also a few moments where I couldn't hear what was said because it's too loud. The dialogue is super fast-paced too so you can't miss a word or you're doomed not to understand what's going on.
Such a beautiful movie visually I like the WWII period aesthetics and clothes, the black & white scenes and the transition between different aspect ratios was used cleverly. The explosion scenes could have been longer but it looked amazing. The cast is stacked with stellar performances but Cillian Murphy really blew me away. A strong contender for the Oscars. Robert Downey Jr. for supporting role also.
it definitely needs a second rewatch is what i strongly think and need to say;
since the first second this movie started, the sound design was out of this world, and its one of the main things i loved about this movie
i felt like i couldn't clearly understand half the stuff Robert Downey Jr's character kept saying, and i feel like i missed out on a big part of the movie because of it, that's why i strongly feel like i need a second rewatch of the movie, then i'll truly know if i ended up loving, or Loving loving my first ever Christopher Nolan movie on the big screen;
when that explosion finally went off, it literally gave me a scare, they did an incredible job with the movie's sound design
it had some g o r g e o u s shots as well, especially the last one, where it slowly zooms on Oppenheimer's face;
the anticipation & suspense as they're slowly completing the Project, (with the subtle nuclei reactions SFX that is happening in the background) showing it getting assembled piece by piece.. having the countdown... then it finally going off... it truly immerses you into the experience, and leaves you speechless afterwards, and that, that is only the beginning of it all, because the aftermath, and what follows, is the true horrifying stuff, as Oppenheimer slowly realizes what these events and discoveries are truly leading to;
& the way Nolan depicts Oppenheimer's regret, and all the other emotions he's going through, visually and through sound design, was perfect
[Edit] THIS MOVIE IS 3 HOURS LONG???? THREE HOURS???? Dear god one hour felt like an ETERNITY in the theater.
Unfortunately walked out because I got overstimulated cause it was a lot louder than expected, and also really fucking boring.
Visually stunning movie. Absolutely gorgeous. The effects done in camera, the cinematography, the acting, everything is just so much fun to look at. Christopher Nolan knows how to make a damn good looking movie. Hats off to the team that made this thing.
But writing wise... damn, it underperformed.
Other commenters mentioned that this feels like a Wikipedia entry or a montage of 60 second clips, and damn they are right. The writing just did. not. hit. It was hard to follow any of Oppenheimer's personal life and to actually feel anything for him or any of the people in his life. I don't expect a movie to hold my hand. But I do expect pace to be managed well and to have a bit of breathing room to be able to process stuff. This did not give you the time to do it lmao.
Also the characters just... didn't interact in an engaging way. Less than 20 minutes into the movie I was already checking my watch to see how much more of this I had to sit through! I didn't know half of the characters' names, or half of their relationships to each other, or why they were even relevant. Like the best example of this is Oppy and Einstein's interactions. They have beef, but it's hard to understand why? There's like... two interactions before the one hour mark that total less than a minute of on-screen time together. Einstein gets a few words in there and it's just very very unclear why they hate each other, or how they met, or what any of their background is. It's confusing!
Also let's talk about Oppenheimer's motivations. As a literal communist, I should empathize with Oppy and understand where he's coming from. But I don't! Because he's a fucking idiot! When he's talking with other leftists, he mentions "Isn't ownership theft?" and the person in the communist party is like "It's property, actually" and he's like "Well sorry I read all three volumes of Capital in original German" and he's like... just a dick??? But also no fucking leftist who is going around having read all three volumes of Capital talks about that shit! That's just dumb! And the entirety of his leftist politics are portrayed in a way that make him look like an egotistical maniac with dumb politics! One minute he's starting a union and pro-labor, another minute he's dropping all of that in order to be a dog of the US government! There's obviously an enormous jump happening there. Like something very, very clearly and very, very majorly changed for Oppenheimer there, and the film spends a grand total of 30 seconds in a single scene having him transition from brilliant labor activist to US government dog.
Also there are time jumps! Lots of them! The choice to jump back and forth between the McCarthyist interrogations of Oppenheimer and the past do. not. make. sense. They are hard to follow, extraordinarily boring, and absolutely ruin any sort of pacing the movie might have! There are several points in this movie where Oppenheimer starts to be fleshed out a bit more as a character or starts to be given more space for us to see what he's really like. And then it's randomly cut off and flashed forward to these utterly irrelevant black-and-white interviews. Oppenheimer has a leftist past! Of course he does! The movie literally shows us that! And instead of just telling things in a regular narrative way, the movie splits things up confusingly for absolutely no good fucking reason, and ends up showing us and telling us the same information twice! That is shit writing! If you cut all of these scenes you would be missing nothing from the movie, and you'd have more time to actually tell us about the characters, instead of them feeling like one-dimensional caricatures.
I don't know any of Oppenheimer's history, and I left this not understanding any more of it! I left after an hour because it felt like two and a half because it was just this firehose of information. And Nolan didn't present it in a way that actually made a story! He just shat this all out on the screen (and it's a beautiful shit, don't get me wrong!!), and expected the audience to love it! His characters are one-dimensional, they aren't given the space, the motivations, or the background really for us to understand where they're coming from or why they do what they do. And that ends up with this being a visually stunning but really fucking boring movie that I just walked out of because I couldn't take it anymore lol.
I cannot stand seeing visually gorgeous movies produced by people who clearly have god-level talent that seem to have a complete and utter inability to get the basics of movie-making, story, correct! I have ADHD. For a lot of people, sitting through a boring movie is just boring. For me, it is exhausting. It is excruciating. I can't fidget in a movie theater, I can't move, I can't pause the movie and come back later when I'm feeling more focused. And so if a movie is boring, I just leave! And it is so fucking annoying to miss out on a chance to see a movie that is, outside of its story, fucking beautiful because its director and writer couldn't do the extremely basic job of making a movie that holds people's interest and communicates things in even a slightly clear way. God what a waste.
[8.0/10] There are two sequences in Oppenheimer that are a metonym for the rest of the film. Early on, a young J. Robert Oppenheimer is given a hard time by his teacher, essentially punishing him for his human struggles by denying him the chance to see a lecture from his hero. So Oppenheimer, filled with frustration and a chance bit of inspiration, fills his professor’s apple with an injection of cyanide. He does the deed coldly and methodically, attends the lecture, and doesn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed that he’s essentially committed an act of attempted murder on someone who made his life miserable.
But when he wakes up in the morning, he is wracked with guilt and stricken with an urgency to undo what he’s done. He rushes to steal back the apple before the worst consequences of his choices take hold, something made all the more desperate when it’s his hero, Neils Bohr, not his jerk teacher, who’s about to take a bite. Spurred by his regrets, he snatches it out of Bohr’s hand before it can do its damage.
It’s a microcosm for how to account for Oppenheimer’s behavior for the building of the first atomic bomb. For so much of the film, he is single-minded to the point of being myopic on achieving his goal. To him, the United States needs nuclear weapons, and they need them now, because the Nazis are building them. Hitler and his goons are threatening Oppenheimer’s fellow Jews, and if he can help stop them, use his physics to prevent the Third Reich from gaining the upper hand, he feels he has a responsibility to do so.
So he ignores his good friend and fellow Jewish physicist, Rabi, who tells Oppenheimer he doesn’t want to participate in something that would wreak death upon the world. He dismisses the growing contingent of his Los Alamos workforce concerned about the ethics of what they’re building. He brushes off his colleagues from Chicago who want him to tell the American leadership not to act. He is full of justifications and rationalizations.
There is something workmanlike, methodical about his goal to produce the atomic bomb. He gently raises the objections of his colleagues, but presents himself as a vessel for communicating the views of others rather than injecting his own opinions. He is a man with a job to do, deadlines to meet, villains to defeat. And even when Germany is defeated, he’s still under orders, still anxious to see his work come to fruition, practically pacing when the day of the bombings arrives.
Only then, at his moment of triumph, once the job is done, he feels naught but the blood on his hands, the rot in his souls, the feeling that had been tucked away into a dark corner until the job was complete. The most bravura sequence in the film sees him in the moment of his greatest triumph, being cheered on by his fellow scientists, reveling in their victory, whilst being haunted by the gravity of what he hath wrought.
The sound, the light, the visions of blighted flesh and communities turn to ash, overwhelm his senses and drown out the singing of his praises. His ra-ra speech seems awkward and uncomfortable -- lacking in genuine fervor from someone whose emotional reckoning with what he’s done hits on a delay, like the time-displaced sound wave from his own bomb. Only after he’s done it, does he feel it, and start to wish he could take it back.
It is the apple again, a piece of nature poisoned, only now amplified in magnitude beyond comprehension. And it is the peculiar psyche of this astonishing man, suddenly made to feel the weight of destruction and history, wondering what he’s unleashed upon the world.
Writer-director Christopher Nolan has the audience feel that weight too. Clocking in at over three hours, Oppenheimer plays appropriately epic, not just as the story of the creation of the atomic bomb, but encompassing the life of its father that serves as a prelude, the regretful aftermath that leads him beyond that seminal moment, and the public clashes that consumed his life afterward.
In that, Nolan and company hit a number of the standard biopic beats. The early portions breeze through relationships and foundational experiences that, while specific to Oppenheimer, will feel familiar to anyone who’s seen a cinematic accounting of a historical figure. Grand speeches are given. Famous faces are introduced with suitable fanfare. The names of notable people and places are dropped with the freighted, portentous importance of an MCU post-credit scene.
And yet, there is a greater artfulness to what Nolan and his collaborators set out to do that sets Oppenheimer above its standard prestige comparators. Some of that is the pure aesthetics. If ever there were an argument for big screen viewing, it is the film’s grand atomic test -- a wash of light, columns of all-consuming flame, the straightjacket of silence that envelops all gazing upon it, and the sonic boom that punctures the moment. Theatrical viewing is a boon, maybe even necessary, to feel the full strength of that awe.
At the same time, Nolan’s team goes for more impressionsitic sequences amid their otherwise stately production. The aforementioned victory celebration gone awry is an achievement in using the cinematic form to contrast the external mask with the internal state. The way the trappings of the nuclear explosion intrude on Oppenheimer’s interrogation proves a creative way to show how the bombings haunt him as he struggles to reconcile his past fervor with his present regret. And in a similar vein, the transposition of his ex, depicted in full passionate lovemaking as his infidelity is laid bare on the public record, foregrounds the guilt and the anger between him and his wife in visceral terms.
There’s also more formal creativity at play. Beyond the nonlinear presentation, that juxtaposes past and present in canny ways, Oppenheimer offers not one but two frame stories. One is fission, the recollections that turn out to be part of Oppenheimer’s adversarial hearing on the renewal of his security clearance. The other is fusion, with still more recountings channeled through the Senate confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s colleague and erstwhile admirer.
The tangle of the two gives the film leeway to play the contrast and compare game wherever necessary when it wants to put two meaningful moments side-by-side. It allows Nolan and his team to disorient the audience, lose them in the timeline to where the tumult of events washes over you. And it allows him to hide the ball, bringing the two storylines into jaw-dropping clarity right when it will have the greatest impact.
The choice to tell Oppenheimer’s story in color and Stauss’ part in black and white helps distinguish them so the viewer can keep some track. But it also helps code that we’re seeing these events through each’s differing perspective. That helps color their different takes on what happened, and shield the twist that Stauss is not one of Oppenheimer’s defenders suffering unfortunate guilt by association, but rather a bitter, resentful and conniving rival, prepared to throw Oppenheimer under the bus to feather his own nest.
Therein lies the grand turn and irony of the film. When Oppenheimer is willing to do the dirty work of powerful men without question, he is given everything he asks for. They build towns in the desert. They give him billions in resources. They push through his security clearance despite his occasional dalliances with communism and, worse yet for the times, with communists.
But when his conscience reemerges and he is a hindrance, not a help, to the cause of nuclear weaponry, men like Strauss turn that same infrastructure against him. He is dragged down by those jealous and scornful of his refusal to keep helping. He is written off by the President who championed him. He is torn asunder by forces greater than himself that, as none other than Einstein warns him, are ready to minimize and punish him once he’s no longer useful. And worse yet, Oppenheimer wants it; he thinks he deserves it.
There is something elemental, even Shakespearean in that. And yet, the grandest flaw of the film is that you do not always feel it.
Oppenheimer has its pitfalls. The film is remarkably brisk for a three-hour runtime, but you can sometimes feel Nolan trying to cram anything and everything into his feature, whether it’s truly essential or not, because it fascinates him. At moments, particularly after the big turn, we don’t need to be so deep in the weeds. Likewise, the script indulges in some of the corniest biopic tropes, from a Senate staffer casually dropping the name JFK, to the same staffer delivering a Sorkinesque speech about doing the right thing and matters bigger than one politician’s aspirations.
But the biggest of them is that despite Oppenheimer centering itself on one man’s growing guilt, questioning, and eventual self-flagellation, it often feels cold, lacking in feelling. Perhaps that’s appropriate for one anchored on scientists who are irregular around the margins, but who can be clinical in their work. The thing about Nolan’s filmography is that he’s often better at crafting characters who feel like avatars for big ideas than he is at developing them as three-dimensional people.
The same affliction permeates this movie, with the sweep of history and provocative notions about responsibility, myopia, urgency, and regret keenly felt, but the emotions of its central players, so key to the film, not always coming through with as much visceral clarity.
And yet, if there’s something that helps cover for that, it’s the downright relentless pace of the film. Part of how Oppenheimer makes the time fly by is the fact that it never stops. Clock the dialogue scenes. There’s barely a moment between retorts. There is a continual chugging in the film, conveying the urgent need to complete this task and the restlessness in Oppenheimer’s thoughts and history that led to it. The same goes for the score, which pounds, rich with sonic beauty and the ticking of geiger counters, making the broad jump across years culminating in the bomb’s deployment feel like one grand movement.
Until it stops. Two-thirds of the way through the film, the pace suddenly slackens. The score drops away. Freed from the irresistible pull of the mission for once, both Oppenheimer and the audience are given a chance to stop and reflect, and it’s then that the gravity of what’s been done truly starts to sink in. The way Nolan uses the pacing of his film to drive its central change of heart is masterful.
Because then it picks up again. Between the machinations of Stauss in his committee hearing, and the futile maneuvering of Oppenheimer and his allies before the body sent to rob him of his security clearance, and with it, his credibility, the rhythm kicks up anew, selling the controlled chaos that ensues to match the controlled chaos that preceded it. But in between is that quiet moment of clarity.
The rub of Oppenheimer is that the eponymous protagonist wants his punishment, no matter how unjust the source of it, because he wants to atone for his sins. He believes that, contrary to the warnings that the chance to destroy the world is near zero, he’s set off the chain reaction that will invite the apocalypse. He hopes this will be his penance, his chance to pay for his sins.
Because that’s the other sequence that serves as the metonym for Oppenheimer. Once he told his tempestuous lover, Jean Tatlock, that he would always answer. Then, when his life took a different turn, with a wife and children, he told her he couldn’t anymore. And in the absence of his intervention, she killed herself, her worst demons spiraling out toward destruction.
That is the reason Oppenheimer acts so swiftly and so gravely in trying to put a stop to this hell he has unleashed upon the world. Because he knows, in ways personal and devastating, what happens when he sits by and doesn’t intervene to stop the worst from happening, to blame yourself for the blood that’s spilt when you could have stepped in but instead shut yourself off. He has felt that loss, and in his post-Hiroshima activism, he feels it once more.
What if you didn’t get to the apple in time? What if you couldn’t stop what you’d started? What if the best and worst of your nature caught up to you at once? For a troubled world, much as for a troubled friend, J. Robert Oppenheimer fears that it’s already too late.
Give Cillian a fucking Oscar already. Its so good, so powerful. It explodes in your face, a movie meant to be seen on a big screen! The movie of the year
This film gave me somewhat of an existential crisis afterwards. It's very hard to explain a film that hit you hard on a personal level. But what I will say is that the film scared me just to think about the world that we live in today. The movie takes you through so much content throughout the 3 hour runtime and is able to cram it all in without feeling like too much information is being shoved down your throat. The third act was my personal favorite because of the intense scenes and the sudden change of the film. The soundtrack is obviously top notch and the cinematography is absolutely outstanding. The performances by Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr felt very emotional. By far Robert Downey Jr's best performance. All of the other performances were great as well and it was cool to see actors that you don't normally see in films anymore (Devon Bostick, Matthew Modine, Josh Peck, etc.). I had a great time with this one but one complain I do have is about the amount of nude scenes, which often felt like they didn't need to be there. Overall, it was a joy to see on the big screen.
After Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet, this is the first time coming out of a Nolan movie, not feeling amazed.
I expected a very different movie, maybe I avoided the trailers too much or they gave the wrong impression, but I was expecting a movie about the creation of the bomb and the emotional impact it made.
It would have a been a perfect ending to me, if it ended after the bombs dropped and the war ended. But then the movie continues for about an hour longer and it just didn't keep me interested all that much.
There were also a lot of unnecessary loud scenes that made me feel stressed in a way.
I didn't really care about the spy, if that's what happened then this is a great movie for history buffs but it made it feel like that was the most important thing in the movie and not the bomb itself.
Einstein felt like an MCU cameo and mentioning JFK made me expect a "JFK WILL RETURN" after the credits.
I still give it 4 stars cuz it's beautifully shot, seeing it in IMAX was amazing, the soundtrack is great, acting is good as ever and the story is interesting but it's overshadowed by the final hour that I couldn't really connect with.
While watching "Oppenheimer," I wondered several times whether the entire subject may not be better suited for an HBO prestige miniseries. With a three-hour runtime, the film is definitely too long for my taste, and especially in the first two hours, some scenes certainly could have been cut. However, some strong visual moments and an incredibly compelling final act made the movie-going experience an exciting one for me in the end.
There is little to criticize besides the somewhat bloated plot. For example, the female roles are written far too thinly, as is typical for director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan, and they are hardly existent at all. Just take a look at the Wiki entry for the film; there are currently 50 actors listed, with only five of them being female. In my view, the fact that it is historical material can only partially account for this. And if you have only a few actresses, then at least the characters of Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt should get something more to do.
The performances themselves, however, are almost all very strong. Cillian Murphy is, unsurprisingly, a convincing leading man. Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. also put in strong performances. Only in one scene with President Harry S. Truman, who is played by a notable actor I won't spoil, did I have massive problems acting-wise. Looking at the script, meanwhile, I would say that Nolan doesn't exactly get too deep. You shouldn't expect an analytical character study of Robert Oppenheimer. Furthermore, it is rather obvious who Nolan believes to be "the good guys" and "the bad guys." But I don't want to criticize that too much, as it makes the movie more accessible to a larger audience.
Ultimately, I can't give this movie anything other than a strong recommendation, if only because of the thrilling last hour. Those who have no problems with Nolan's style will certainly enjoy "Oppenheimer". However, I would also very much like to see a miniseries about the "father of the atomic bomb".
This is and will be the most overrated move in history. I'm straight to the point, it boring AF.
I'll echo another reviewer here - we need proper grown up films and I don't want to criticise one that is just that.
But for me, as a whole entity. Meh.
Murphy's acting was fine, not outstanding. Emily Blunt didn't hit the mark. RDJ was solid. The rest did well with what they had I suppose.
I didn't like the pacing and I wasn't a fan of how it sought to tell us it knew more than the viewer does.
Let me paraphrase that... Nolan works best when he nods at perhaps knowing more about characters than we do (does Bruce Wayne survive? Does the spinning top keep spinning?) and fails when he underestimates the viewer and preaches that he is superior (tenet, oppenheimer).
3 hours for all this. Not worth it.
Great political thriller that doesn't stop to bore you with details how the atomic bomb works.
If you watched Barbie (as in Barbenheimer) just before, you will likely immediately notice how much of a sausage party this movie is.
Considering that it is mostly a historical piece, it's justified imho.
I didn't like to see Florence Pugh reduced to do wired nude scenes at all.
Site note: I have to give the makers props for casting a German as Heisenberg. However, it felt a bit weird as Schweighöfer does not exactly have the image as an intellectual in Germany. The whole theater laughed when he came up.
I personally found this movie sooooo boring. The concept is interesting and all but I just don’t see how can anyone keep up with the way the film was made. It kept cutting into different timelines throughout the entire movie which really confused me and it made the experience even more boring. If you’re into watching guys just talk and talk and talk nonstop for 3 hours with some background music in the back, then this is the movie for you.
Nolan's ability to create such sharp tension and suspense in a film that is mostly dialogue-driven is impressive.
I feel like a lot of movies, especially this one, could be improved if directors would put themselves in the audience's shoes rather than just making whatever bloated, overwrought film that they envisioned from the start. I imagined that the film was going to be more about Oppenheimer and the making of the bomb itself, his personal struggles with it, etc, and the movie did get into that, but then it went into a whole giant secondary storyline about Oppenheimer's supposed Communist ties and whether he was actually loyal to the United States. Nolan needed an editor because I thought it was just too much ground to try to cover in a single film, and it was a real challenge from a viewer's standpoint to stay engaged for the duration. Of course, it seems like the content of the movie was just too straight forward for Nolan's liking, so he had to give us all this choppy storytelling, cutting from scene to scene and timeline to timeline, which made the film hard to follow and gave it a disjointed feeling. Sometimes directors are their own worst enemies in that way. I loved the cinematography. I will say that while the almost silent, surreal scene just after the test bomb went off, was a really nice touch, when the audio came back in full force, and we heard the bomb go off, it scared the shit out of me. I'm glad I went and ponied up the money to see it in the theater, but it was long. and Nolan and Co. tried to fit too much into the film. The highlights for me acting wise were Robert Downey Jr, Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman as Truman.
This film could have so easily veered toward gratuitous violence, but it never once does. It lets the actors', mainly Cillian's, expressions convey all the horror. The final scene had me fighting back tears over the weight of it.
very nice cinematography ; it really felt that you where there ; loved the ending (not the stories end but what he said to Einstein)
didn't always love the time jumps (4 timelines in one...)
My first impression of Oppenheimer, after watching it yesterday, is identical to the review by Trakt user Jordy[1] here. This turned out to be one of the most over-hyped movies of 2023.
It's 3 hours long. So, the probability of me rewatching this to check if I missed something is slim to none. Personally, I think glorifying Oppenheimer as the "father" of the Nuclear Bomb is debatable. It's not like the guy actually designed and built the bomb all by himself. The Manhattan Project had other highly qualified people working on the bomb. Simply put, J. Robert Oppenheimer isn't Alan Turing, and this movie pales in comparison to The Imitation Game (which I've watched multiple times over the years). :wink:
The movie is very lengthy. It covers a lot into 181 minutes and loses the ground many times. I watched the movie in theatre and saw people leaving before the movie ends. It is more like a documentary. I would recommend to see this movie in parts not in one go.
Once I was done watching this, part of me was surprised about the high average rating, but as I read comments from viewers who gave it 8/10 stating they found the movie boring or underwhelming, understanding ensued. At some point in his career, Nolan must have hit the jackpot with mainstream audiences, such that they—thinking he can do no wrong—will view any of his work through rose-tinted glasses, compelling them to hand out a higher grade than one matching their perceived entertainment value. His 2000s titles feel like passion projects, and although Inception is the only one I'd call myself a fan of, most indeed deserve high praise. Something happened later, the Marvelization movement I suspect, and authenticity went out the window to be replaced by pandering.
It's funny to contemplate that a three hour movie feels rushed, yet this did. As others have mentioned, it is a messy burst of snippets allowing little time to connect with the characters, or draw any emotion. By the end I still didn't have the main character pegged down, and this Oppie even comes off as unpleasant, which I'm sure was not the intent. While RDJ was delivering his lines I found myself thinking "good job man, you really nailed that! Show them you're not just Iron Man", almost applauding. You know you're getting bored with the narrative when your focus starts to shift on an actor's performance.
Many reviews point out there are too many characters and I can only concur. Some are briefly introduced out of nowhere, then briefly reappear a while later and you're like "wait who's that guy again?". And Florence Pugh's boobs—why? Gratuitous nudity isn't something I associated with Nolan, and just further highlights the pandering approach he's been reduced to.
As someone interested in quantum physics, I thought I could at least derive some enjoyment out of that and maybe learn something. Unfortunately, that aspect of the movie was glossed over and dumbed down, to avoid patronizing viewers I suspect.
It’s more about politics than building the big one
Nolan continues to mess around with time, refusing to tell a story chronologically. I really enjoyed the emotions he captured from that era and the acting of Cillian Murphy was :fire:, especially how he spoke. His cadence seems so deliberately crafted to reflect that time and character.
7/10
Yes, it's a good movie, it's well directed and the performances are great. But it's not the kind of Nolan movie I want to see and it can get boring if you don't know the subject or the real story.
The scene where he had to give the speech after the Hiroshima bombings was a masterpiece. The whole movie ngl
This well made film strikes most of the right notes but I would have appreciated more depth of Oppenheimer's character.
This movie Ain't for everyone
It's a movie that's carried away by its monstrously remarkable historical context, and as a film, Nolan's beautiful technical production. However, it fails to create a biopic that makes you connect with what's going on, and even manages to spoil the pace of the movie with a lot of filler. It's unbelievable that the guy could deliver such a lazy script for such an impactful and interesting subject as the use and danger of the nuclear bomb. A waste of potential.
There it is. My 3rd viewing of arguably one of the most mesmerizing technical achievements in cinema ever. I'm gonna up my rating from a 9 to 10 because it totally deserves every bit of praise it gets. I have read many reviews pointing out the flaws of the movie, while I don't really deny most of them you can't but get pissed at the comments saying how boring the movie is because no movie has ever had me glued to the screen for three straight hours like Oppenheimer has.
I don't have anything new to add that haven't already been said before so I'm gonna cut this review short by appreciating Nolan for this masterpiece and the totally deserving Oscars for the actors, directors and the crew.
I didn't like this very much. Too disjointed. Mixing scenes from different times where they have their own specific feelings and emotions doesn't work. Overall no sense of wonder, bad use of effects and many other things.
No, sorry, not the movie to become a classic. Way tooooo complicated, with 4? 5? different timelines, each one full of information that the viewer had to understand, put in order and remember. It was very beautiful to watch, but it looked more than a montage exercise and less like a drama movie. But Cillian Murphy was amazing, incredible, totally worths every award he is a candidate. Also the cast is top, even those who came for a scene or two.
it’s complicated to properly rate this movie but i just find myself taken out of the movie watching experience by the poorly written female characters and the question of what the purpose of making this film was?
The visuals were great and the score was incredible, no notes, and obviously the acting was top tier (but with a cast like that you’re taking no chances) but something about the victimization of Oppenheimer angle taken at the end just rubs me wrong:woman_shrugging_tone1:
Overall a good film, but you have to pay close attention to really understand it and sometimes the story seems a bit confusing and is only really explained at the end. This made it difficult for me to understand it right from the beginning and to be able to follow it consistently
Another amazing movie to add to Christopher Nolan's excellent movie portfolio, 3 hours flew by like it was nothing! Exceptionally paced, beautifully acted (by everyone involved but especially Cillian Murphy) the editing, and the soundtrack how fantastic! What can i say? it's as to be expected by now from his previous track record that this is another movie well worth your time. Elevated by the amazing tech behind IMAX.
so it was good . not great. some real good acting that really kept the storyline going. so much male ego and feelings for my liking. I liked how the movie truly covered all of his accomplishments and finished the story with a conclusion that I never new existed.
Managed to keep my attention for most of the 3 hours running time. I did get distracted by the stellar cast lining up to be in this film.
Both the leads were amazing in their own way, but I would give the award to Robert Downey Jr. He was mostly unrecognisable in the role.
The sound mix deserves a special mention for helping a biopic film feel like a blockbuster.
With Oppenheimer, his first biopic, writer/director Christopher Nolan once again proves he’s up to the challenge of balancing a difficult subject matter with a very tricky character piece. The slow, careful process of scientific discovery is rarely friendly to film, and shy, socially-awkward introverts do not often make for compelling leads, but in this case Nolan juggles both and steps away smelling like roses. As he’d already done on more than one occasion, in decidedly different flavors.
Here we track the career of a famed theoretical physicist, thrust into the limelight as the so-called “father of the atom bomb” during the crush of World War 2 and then dismissed by an ungrateful government after he’d outlived his usefulness and started asking difficult follow-up questions. Oppenheimer’s frustrated early career, meteoric rise to fame and equally rapid fall from grace are depicted almost simultaneously, in a rush of confused, overlapped memories. This style of all-at-once storytelling, in which foreshadowing coexists with its own outcome, is reminiscent of the time-blurred motifs we’ve already seen in Tenet, Inception and Dunkirk. Here it serves as a compelling way to digest a lot of information in a very short amount of time, especially when paired with a head-spinning series of metaphorical visual effects and an entrancing musical score. I’ve read the book this film was based upon, a daunting 800-page tome, and after the first hour I felt like I’d just read most of it all over again. This time with a little extra dramatic pizazz.
It’s an impressive display of top-notch filmmaking, proficiently depicting a historical scenario in which everyone already knows the ending and climaxing with a tense, powerful visualization of the Trinity tests which first loosed the power of violent nuclear fission upon the world. I loved every moment, but then, I was already deeply invested in the subject and had done some homework. My wife, far less prepared, was also far less enchanted. I think this may be more of a knock on Oppenheimer the man than Oppenheimer the film. A complicated, often misguided individual who, for all his brilliance within the hidden world of molecular physics, was inherently flawed and broken in a human sense. Nolan makes no apology for this, baring the person (and his many blemishes) to the screen with no filter, and the results aren’t always pretty.
Perhaps a bit too long, especially in the painfully bitter, sixty-minute postscript, but I’m not sure where I’d want to see a cut. Certainly not a feel-good audience pleaser, Nolan’s latest is an exhausting experience, but also rich, thoughtful and rewarding.
“I believe we did.”
Final review of 2023
Out of all the movies I saw in 2023, this movie has not left my mind since leaving the cinema auditorium when I watched it back in July.
After giving it a long thought and consideration, this might be Christopher Nolan's best movie. It’s not an easy watch with the subject matter and pacing, but that didn’t stop it from being a massive hit with critics, audiences, and, surprisingly, the box office. This three-hour-long talky movie managed to beat out every single blockbuster this summer. I have never seen anything like it. I worked at my cinema on the opening day of this movie and Barbie, and I have never seen it so packed since Avengers: Endgame. Everybody dressed up for the double feature event of the summer. The atmosphere was electric, and everyone was happy. It was a good day.
Oppenheimer is fantastic! It is a three-hour-long historical drama that is dialogue-heavy, which may sound off-putting, but I found it all engaging. People have best described it as a mixture of Oliver Stone's JFK and David Fincher's The Social Network.
It won't be for everyone, and that's all right.
I have to say, this is the best I have seen from Cillian Murphy, whose expressive face can convey so much fear and painful regret. His eyes are his most powerful tool as an actor, and Director Christopher Nolan knows this. It is one of my favourite performances from 2023, and nothing that I have seen has topped it. I try not to care about the Oscars because I don’t like to be disappointed, but I hope he gets nominated and wins. He has my vote.
However, it’s not only Cillian who deserves the credit, as the entire cast did a brilliant job despite their small screen time.
This is also the best I have seen from Robert Downey Jr. in a long time, as he delivered a superb performance. He plays Lewis Strauss, a narcissistic cry-baby whose facades he puts on slowly crumbs as the film progresses. He delivers an utterly fantastic monologue midway through the film about ego, loss of power, and fury. He has played Iron Man/Tony Stark for so long that you forget what an actor Downey can be. Same with Cillian, I hope he gets nominated and wins.
It's a huge cast, and there wasn't a single bad or mediocre performance in sight. Everybody showed up to work and gave it their all.
Emily Blunt is terrific as Kitty Oppenheimer. The Testimony scene is one of the best scenes in the film, where she stops being the victim housewife, collects herself, and commands the room. But another scene that doesn’t get mentioned is when Oppenheimer and Kitty meet for the first, then ride together on horses, and have a special connection. It was a sweet and memorable scene.
The rest of the supporting cast - Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, Rami Malek, and Alden Ehrenreich were all stellar. Also, this might be random, but Jason Clarke reminds me of Gene Hackman. It’s just a thought I had.
A special mention to Gary Oldman as Harry Truman, Tom Conti as Albert Einstein, and Casey Affleck as Colonel Pash, who made an impression on me in the little time we had them. Oldman is excellent at playing sinister and cold subtly, where we see President Truman drop the act and tell the hard truth about his role as President and what his decisions can do to them, mentally and emotionally. It was a chilling and eye-opening scene. Conti is phenomenal in his six minutes of screen time, where the bond between Oppey and Albert is adorable and heartbreaking. I say heartbreaking because we see the horror and disappointment on Einsten’s face from the outcome. But Casey Affleck made me feel so uncomfortable, as he had a dangerous air in his scene. He brilliantly plays a ruthless and remorseless Cold War intelligence agent. He gives the vibe of “if you are lying, you’re dead.”
It’s mind-blowing (to me) how massive a cast can be, and nobody was wasted or forgettable. It’s one of the best ensemble cast for any movie ever.
The score by Ludwig Göransson is so powerful to listen to. The sheer weight of this theme that it almost brought a tear to my eye. I had goosebumps all over my body when ‘Can You Hear the Music’ and ‘Destroyer Of Worlds’ started playing. It’s the perfect score to listen to if you are studying. Ludwig Göransson is one of the best composers working today.
The Trinity (nuclear test) scene is one of my favourite scenes of the year, with masterclass directing and pacing. The build-up to it, the dread, and the anticipation of the bang was an otherworldly experience. My hands were sweaty, and I was leaning so far back into my seat; it was so tense. I never felt that in my 24 years of life. And the silence in the room was defying until the bang eventually caught up.
Or how about the gymnasium scene after the Trinity Test? It might be the most impressive scene in Nolan’s filmography. It’s a horrific scene where you feel the horror that Oppenheimer is experiencing, knowing what he had done. It scared me more than any horror movie tried to do. Everything from the haunting visuals, the sound work, the editing, and Cillian's acting made the scene effective.
And the ending, the best ending to a movie this year. It ends on a chilling and terrifying note that is relevant today. The last frame is unforgettable.
Director Christopher Nolan is one of the best filmmakers working today. The story is not told as a conventional biopic but rather as a fragmented one, often circling the timeline of events. Nolan delivers a meaningful and riveting visual feast with rich characters and dialogue.
Everything on the technical side is an achievement. The visual effects and cinematography were stunning and inspiring for any upcoming filmmakers to learn from. The makeup and hair team also deserves a shout-out, especially towards the end, with some convincing old-age makeup.
Beautiful direction, acting, writing, and score. The best of the best!
Overall rating: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
I hope you all had a great 2023, and I will see you in 2024! Take care!
There’s no doubt that the idea of an atomic bomb feels vile and immoral, but there is also no denying that its existence (and thus, the stalemate of mutual destruction the world finds itself in now) has brought peace to our time like nothing else could have. One might call it a necessary evil or say “the ends justify the means.” Of course, that will only apply as long as these bombs don’t fall into the wrong hands; hands that could ensue a chain reaction resulting in the end of the world…
All in all, this was a beautiful and compelling movie with stellar acting. This movie has certainly shown me that Oppenheimer was not only a true genius, but also a good person with the best intentions and perfectly human emotions and feelings
I don't see what the big stink is about this movie. its OK
the big bang theory's worst episode
The movie lets you believe the atomic bomb is the worst invention, but in the past months, they bombed Palestine with more bombs in kiloton (KT) power than the A-bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki together. Again, with the cooperation of the same two parties that invented and used the A-bomb. So the worst thing in this world is not the bombs themselves but the parties that control the power with their undemocratic World Government.
This was an ok movie. For some I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I also think it could have been much shorter.
"Oppenheimer" is a cinematic tour de force that showcases the best of what film can offer. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is a masterclass in storytelling, performance, and technical prowess.
The film's narrative is both dense and intricate, weaving together elements of courtroom drama, romantic liaisons, laboratory epiphanies, and lecture hall personality cults. It's a testament to Nolan's skill as a director that he's able to balance these disparate elements into a cohesive and compelling narrative.
Cillian Murphy's performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer is nothing short of extraordinary. He captures the complexity and torment of the character with a nuanced performance that is both restrained and expressive. Robert Downey Jr. also delivers a titanic performance, further cementing his status as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.
The cinematography, courtesy of Hoyte van Hoytema, is a visual feast. The film uses the large-format IMAX film system to capture the splendor of New Mexico's desert panoramas and contrast the external coolness and internal turmoil of Oppenheimer. The film's photography is a testament to the power of visual storytelling, with each frame meticulously composed to convey emotion and narrative information.
The film's score, composed by Ludwig Göransson, is a haunting and evocative soundscape that perfectly complements the film's narrative and visual elements. The music underscores the film's themes of creation and destruction, adding another layer of depth to the film.
In conclusion, "Oppenheimer" is a film that showcases the best of what cinema can offer. It's a testament to the power of storytelling, performance, and technical prowess. It's a film that will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the highlights of 2023's cinematic offerings.
Honestly, if this doesn't sweep the Oscars then I guess I know nothing about movies
On the technical aspects of shooting 70mm IMAX - why bother if the shots are out of focus? If you believe so highly in resolution being important for film making please use Digital Intermediates so we actually get to see that resolution by the time it hits our eyes. Finishing a film photochemically destroys resolution. We have better tech now days - use it!
Although I don't like biographical films, I loved this film. Nolan should definitely get an Oscar this year And certainly the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor is decided for Robert Downey jr.
Truly amazing that Nolan was able to create a biopic that somehow had a twist in it, but given the material, it also makes complete sense. While I will say the pacing of the movie in some parts was a little odd, there's no denying the visuals, soundtrack, and story are all spectacular. The end credits scene was also really good.
:heart:x8
This is a powerful, interesting movie and piece of History. I did peruse the internet a bit to see how much of the movie is actually true and I'm glad to report that it appears it is very accurate where it matters.
It turns out I only barely had a rudimentary knowledge of the Oppenheimer story making the movie much more interesting and educational.
Cillian and Downey Jr are excellent in their portrayals. Definitely a movie worth watching.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
"You don't get to commit sin, and then ask all of us to feel sorry for you when there are consequences."
For a movie about making a bomb, the explosion is only a small fraction of what the whole story entails, and I love that. RDJ kills it, Cillian Murphy kills it (not sure if his character is that likable), and the music elevates the build up and the consequences so much. At one point I had to look at my watch to see if my heart rate was elevated in the theater.
Another fucking great movie from Nolan. I bit long, yes; but even that you don't have the usual explosions or superheroes or mythical creatures fighting on screen as the usual movie of this length has, it doesn't get boring. It just tells a story. Great acting from all cast (and what a cast, my god. I even recognized at least one secondary or even background actor in each scene), amazing photography and storytelling, a score that by now is expected in a Nolan movie. Not much more to say, he did it again. In my personal choice, is not the kind of Nolan movie i would watch repetively like Inception, Interstellar or Memento, but definetely a must watch in general; and of the best (if not THE best) of 2023. It's a 8.5 for me, but i'll round up to 9 because i love Nolan.
Got to see it in IMAX and Man I have to say that I'm just in awe of Christopher Nolan's storytelling. This movie had me at each and every second, not a single second went by where I felt that I was getting distracted or felt out of sync with the movie. And it's a pretty long movie, about 3 fucking hours. But those 3 hours went by so fast. This movie is much less about science, i mean it does have its fair share of science but the main focus is much more on drama, and politics. Also the main attention of the movie is Oppenheimer and you can definitely see it. Most of the movie is just him, we don't deviate a single second away from Oppenheimer in the movie. The first is geared more towards the discovery of the atomic bomb, journey of getting it done and the second half deals with the aftermath of the actions.The movie paints Oppenheimer as a really gray person. And the fact that the movie is about an atomic bomb and that's not even like the main centre of attention to the movie was just awesome. The main attention centre of the movie is the injustice of this world, governments and military and Oppenheimer's conscience. I just love movies or webseries with intense court scenes, it's one of my favorite genders in movies. Coming on to the acting of the cast, I mean hooof every actor saw their character and just fucking smashed it out of the park. Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, bruh Cillian just drowned in that role, not a single point where I felt like this was someone acting, it actually felt like he was Oppenheimer BUT this wasn't the real standout for me in the acting department. IT was RDJ who blew my mind with his acting as Andrew Strauss, bro he absolutely buried my expectations of him as an actor. I didn't feel like RDJ could be this intense of an actor cuz I haven't really seen him out of the MCU. but holy fuck man, I wouldn't be surprised if RDJ bags and Oscar for that role , it was that good.
And ofc Rami Malek, mf had a 5 MINUTE ROLE and just changed the course of the whole movie like a chad. What a fucking impactful performance.
And diving deeper into The message of this movie, it is true yes, Scientists are never respected enough for their work i mean just look at history. They are just used as mere tools for the government and then given awards as sort of pity by them for making themselves feel better in their own mind which was Beautifully quoted in that whole sequence of Einstein and Oppenheimer.
and Also Oppenheimer just staring into oblivion thinking that he started a chain reaction that's gonna destroy this world was just priceless.
Nolan's style of storytelling is breathtaking man, his way of communicating a story in a non-linear way and just putting different pieces together as the movie progresses is just beautiful.
and the Score, oh God it was amazing. Ludwig did a great job
All in all, I loved this move. It felt like true Cinema and I had a really nice experience of watching this in theatres with my friends :)
I fell asleep twice zzzz
I went prepared for a long film, a dense story, many great actors, good scenes and great sound. I left in awe. It is that great.
Don't go see it if you think this is a quick action flick about a bomb, it's not. Just check the source material for this movie and you'll get an idea of what Nolan did in this movie.
"The bomb is NOT the only thing this movie is talking about and in my opinion that makes this so much more profound." I agree with https://trakt.tv/users/seanmsu, read his comment, it is very good.
The storytelling is well adapted, with dialogues and monologues well written and better delivered!
The mixture between personal, political and scientific information while the movie was going was perfectly balanced for me.
The emotion and the enthralling is achieved, which was to be expected with such a great cast.
I do see Oscar material here, but I'm not well versed to point out those things. Still, I would risk Cillian for acting; Matt or Robert for support; and sound, cause it delivers!
My 9/10 comes exactly from the sound. I would say music, sound and speech are 90% excellent. The other 10% is when sound effects go over the top, I get the idea is to bring emotion, but in IMAX you burst your ears. Same sound effects kill or disturbe some dialogues, which will make me go a second time, cause it was near imperceptible.
With all these complaints I still give it a 9/10 cause the use of sound/silence in this movie is masterfully done.
The visuals are very good, and greatly combined with sound and perspectives.
The light burning white and the gradients in many scenes, give the right feeling to the moment and take you through the story adding up to the context that is ongoing in the moment.
Contrary to many opinions I read here and elsewhere, I do love the back and forth in time; the usage of black & white to portray the past/future. The stitching of each scene kept me hooked and the story advances and drops curiosities to discover later.
Story well told!
Not your typical mr Nolan movie, but still an extremely well done and an amazing movie. Amazing cast, so many great actors in one movie. The sound was as you can expect, phenomenal. I really enjoyed it!
Firstly, I am not a huge history buff, nor do I like historical dramas. However, I am a lover of Christopher Nolan and I HAD TO see this film. Simply put, it is very good. All bits of cinematography are the top tier we have come to expect for all Nolan projects. Is it my favorite thing of his? Not really. But I wouldn't be shocked if many people say that it is. The story moved at a very brisk pace and still ended up at 3 hours. Well cast. Well-acted. Well written. If you have ever seen "The Imitation Game", this feels quite a bit like that, but on steroids. Looking forward to my rewatch.
Rating: 4.5/5 - 90% - Highly Recommend
In terms of modern Nolan this is top-tier - his best film since Inception. Acting is fantastic all round and the extraordinary sound design makes this a must-see for the big screen.
Everything that makes Nolan overrated still remains on full display and you could actually argue that he doubles down on these aspects here, especially with the refusal for both quiet and normal-person dialogue, but it works as all of this makes the movie itself feel like a three-hour bomb that explodes at the credits and leaves you overwhelmed in all the senses.
Oppenheimer's rise to American hero and subsequent fall as alledged communist... covered in 3 hours of intensity and suspense.
The first 2 hours of this movie cover the race to achieve the atomic bomb, a race initially started because Nazi Germany was working on it, and also the rather flimsy excuse to bomb Japan once Germany surrendered ("you have to use it at least twice, once to show you can, the second time to show that the first time wasn't a fluke"... paraphrased, of course). Especially the sequence surrounding the first testing of the bomb doesn't fail in having an impact: the score, the race against time (Potsdam was around the corner, and the bomb had to be ready by then), the question marks surrounding its efficacy, also the possible destructive sideeffects... then the silence while watching the detonation, the mushroom and endless seconds later comes the soundwave of the whole thing... honestly, that was well done.
The second part of the movie deals with Oppenheimer's fall during the McCarthy era, his close ties to communist ideas, the confidence in his own brilliance... and quite honestly, his failure to stroke the right egos. This is where Nolan's choice to mix black and white sequences into the movie comes into play, as those sequences are the point of view of his adversary who wants to become secretary in the Eisenhower administration. In the end, nobody wins which is maybe the most surprising twist (well, it was to me as I didn't exactly know what happened after Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project, and politics started).
Cillian Murphy did a great job with Oppenheimer - even if at some moments I was so reminded of Cumberbatch's Turing in "Imitation Game" that I started to see Cumberbatch in Murphy's acting (and incidentally, the person I watched the movie with said exactly the same...). Downey was great as the sleazy politician Strauss, and honestly, the movie, in the end, was about those 2 characters.
Overall, Nolan managed to uphold a level of tension and intensity throughout most of those 3 hours - which is a feat in and of itself. And it wouldn't be Nolan if there weren't different levels within the movie which come together in the end. But he does a bit shy away from the underlying question - a question that all those face who explore new technologies, who expand humankind's knowledge, and whose work can easily destroy the whole world: Are we ready? What if technology doesn't go hand in hand with morality? Do we have to explore technologies just because we can? And does everything really have to be used at least once (or twice)? Does the end justify the means? And who determines what end justifies the use of weapons of mass destruction? But again, there's just enough discussion of that so that the audience are encouraged to ponder these questions for themselves.
Anyway, a well spent evening - a feast for eyes, ears (although at some points the music drowned out the words) and thought.
If I could give 1000 more stars, I would. A true masterpiece. Expecting an Oscar for this movie.
This movie seriously left me speechless! I mean, I was just sitting there at the cinema, watching everyone else leave, and I couldn't move from my seat for a good few minutes. My mind was just processing everything I saw. Nolan deserves some serious kudos, but damn, the whole production team behind this masterpiece needs way more love, especially the special effects department. :sob: And let's not even start on the mind-blowing sound design. Ugh, no words! Oh, and can we talk about the spot-on casting? Nolan, you're driving me crazy (in a good way).
Oscar winning performance from Murphy imo. Phenomenal sound design throughout. Was fortunate enough to see this in Imax 70mm and it was worth the hype. So much tension from
many different angles were portrayed expertly. A sparkling achievement. If any minor qualms it'd be with the length. Maybe 10-15 min less would be adequate, but alas, that's more to do w the difference in quality between cramped imax seats and the ubiquitous luxurious full recliners now available most everywhere else. 8.6
I really liked this film. My problem with it however was the length. I think when you make a movie this long it does have a very high opportunity of becoming quite boring. I did think the storytelling, acting, and cinematography were all stellar but I drifted off nearer the back end of the movie as I feel like we were repeating ourselves. It was nice to see loads of famous faces in the acting world here, (Rami Malek, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy to name but a few) I would definitely recommend this film but make sure you have snacks and if possible I would watch it in two parts (I didn't have the opportunity as I saw it in the cinema).
The movie is not like a Nolan movie. But it's a really good movie on its own. The dialogues and shots are terrific. A lot of action was expected as a promotional mistake, but not as much as expected. Even if it is not watched on Imax. But you should definitely go to the movies and see it. Also, I can't help but say that it's a bit long. It could have been even shorter.
I saw this at the cinema. Stunning audiovisual experience, superb acting, creative story telling. The split timelines can be a bit disorienting, but just go with it, it will come together in the end.
It’s worth it for the trinity scene alone.
Watch it on a big screen, big audio.
I'm just in shock of this movie.. will take me couple of days to comprehend the experience I went through and form an opinion.
sadly, there is no peace when theres human, is never only about the bomb, i think with or without this invention, countries will still create/use alternatives to "deterrence" others
A wonderful film diving into the life of Oppenheimer and the events leading up to the Trinity test and the effects afterwards. The sound and scenes were beautifully done. The choice in actors was spot on, Cillian Murphy finally shining in a leading role was perfect choice. I hope he gets nominated for this performance.
Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy deliver career-defining work in this intense masterpiece. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance, reminiscent of his iconic role in Iron Man (2008), is exceptional, and Emily Blunt shines brilliantly. This film undoubtedly deserves a perfect 10/10 rating and a place among the greatest of all time.
Christopher Nolan delivers an emphatic characterization of the most dreaded scientists in history with aplomb
My Rating : :star::star::star::star: (85/100)
Oppenheimer is a deep, engrossing and captivating piece of cinema, powered by a remarkable sound design , intense drama and strong performances. It delivers a sense of horror and tension which binds the entire narrative of 3 hours, with powerful people people talking most of its runtime. This Nolan film apologetically as usual packs in a lot of information, names and complexity which might need a second viewing to get a complete understanding and may be overwhelming for people watching a Nolan film for first time. Cillian Murphy gives a performance which gives him the oscars next year. He just sinks into the character with a facile demonstration of how well versed he is with his craft. Oppenheimer might not be Nolan's best work but its one the best biopics I have seen in recent years.
A gripe for me was the use of Bhagwat Gita while a character is having sex, this demeans the spiritual beliefs of Hindus to a certain extent. I could be more critical of it considering that scene wasn't necessary in the entire context of the film or it could have been hidden from the final cuts running in India. However a filmaker as huge as Nolan, could have been more sensitive to deliver such a scene. Oh I get it, its just a movie but there a difference between usual cinema and Nolan's films. We learn a lot from him filmography hence a concern. However, special mentions to Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt for their fantastic support performances in the film.
Overall, Oppenheimer delivers a biopic with great and overwhelming detail, scorching score and powerful visuals of the chain reaction it lead to. There's no denying how dangerous the power could have been if it was only in the hands of the US. Now 9 countries including India and Pakistan are nuclear powers. If you want to understand the origin, then don't miss this film. Recommended.
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A heartbreaking portrait of a genius in grief.
“What does the J stand for?”
“Nothing.”
Somehow, the director turned 3 hours of heavy going - with mostly people talking - into an engaging and thought provoking epic.
The actors, director, cinematographer and sound engineer all deserve awards.
While not exactly my “cup of tea” and for me not as entertaining as his previous work, there is no doubting Nolan’s talent and sheer love with unwavering dedication to a project.
This was fascinating to watch and the smallest detail is not overlooked. I urge anyone with a love of movies and cinema to see this on the largest screen you can.
8/10
I loved it physics and Cillian Murphy combined with Christopher Nolan as director is just chefs kisses
I fell asleep in the first 1 hour, but things get interesting when they started to test the bomb.
I'm not going to lie...the Trinity test left me a little underwhelmed. Which is a bit of a problem, because that was the payoff to the first two hours of build up. Overall this movie's structure and pacing were just a bit odd to me. Everything leading up to the test feels primarily character driven, almost slice of life-esque. And for such a long movie, the slices are actually quite thin. Things move fast, with whirlwind character introductions that don't leave much of an impression in many cases. Only a couple of character names stuck with me, which did raise some issues in later sequences when characters are being referenced by name alone. Of course, that doesn't apply to Oppenheimer himself. Cillian Murphy doesn't disappoint, delivering an incredible performance. In fact, all of the performances are excellent, benefiting from strong dialogue that kept me engaged even through the sections when the conflict felt somewhat thin. There's only so much tension that can be extracted from the actual efforts of the Manhattan project, as the conclusion is largely known to the audience. Yes, there are secondary/tertiary conflicts throughout the opening hours, interpersonal and political, but they don't drive the story. It's not until the final hour when Nolan reveals that the movie will have an antagonist and more traditional conflict after all. It's set up as a twist of sorts and for the most part it works. I do think I enjoyed the final hour more than the first two. Technically speaking Nolan never disappoints. The production design is excellent and the cinematography/directing includes some fantastic shots. I probably won't go out of my way to re-watch this anytime soon, but it was still an engaging watch built on a central performance that will likely be an Oscar contender.
Good movie but didn't need to be 3 hrs long....too much intrigue
A complete masterpiece (and I got to see both of my boys trailers beforehand) hurrah for cinema :sparkles:
It would’ve been a 10 but Casey Affleck was in it which was the only let down
When art meets science.
Another masterpiece from Nolan. Felt like watching a movie from the golden age Hollywood. :heart:
Little nerd in me is very happy.
Why do they keep telling stories back and forth? I mean the first hour was a mess and I was about to leave the cinema. Thanks god I didn’t because starting the first hour ahead it is an excellent movie. If you’re watching at home you will probably want to skip the first 45 minutes or so. It’s pure thrash. And the messy scenes repeats at the end in the correct timeline order so there’s no point suffering that horrible first part.
This one is definitely going to be a hot take, i didn't find the film to be masterpiece, in a cinematic sense, but it was indeed a masterpiece for me in an intricate way of how subjectively they've portrayed the character study of J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER. The film solely focuses on the titular character and the hardships, emotions, trauma he had to go through whilst making one of the biggest arsenal that'd change history's course forever and what happened after. The 3rd person POV in B&W & the 1st person POV in color gave rather an amusing perspective. While Nolan has indeed veered away from his usual "cerebral - gimmicky" way of storytelling, the audience must be focused on the film so that they may get what is happening and when it is happening, and maybe brushing up on the whole Manhattan Project history and the aftermath trial would also be nice as i noticed that the majority of the audience were infact bored off of their asses during to not getting the history right or the realisation of the impact the event had. I did felt like the chemistry between Cillian & Blunt was off in many places and even her accent came out of hiding in many places, while Cillian & Pugh's one-off interactions were interesting but that was that. Yes indeed Cillian spurned out a masterful performance but it was RDJ who knocked it out of the park for me. His portrayal of the polarized Admiral Lewis Strauss was nothing short of a wonderful performance. What the film lacks is not the starcast, or the perfectly woven screenplay or character study, but it was the hype that all the so-called Christopher Nolan fans who'd only seen mostly THE TDKR TRILOGY & INTERSTELLAR & INCEPTION were actually expecting something like that from him. I think it's due time that Nolan pivot into making more notarized drama's like this where the performance & screenplay can be hard-hitting instead of just giving out thrills & cerebral storylines. OPPENHEIMER is indeed a film that i believe will stay relevant for years to come.
Oppenheimer literally opened up in this bombastic biopic.
Thank you, Nolan for almost destroying our ears.
This movie is definitely worth watching, I just didn't expect it to be that way, I expected some alternate reality from Nolan and not just a plain historical movie. Maybe I got it wrong from the trailer, I don't know!!
But anyways, everything was good about that movie, the acting, music, directing, photography, but I think 3 hours for such a movie is too long and I felt bored in some parts, especially it is just a history telling.
Review by FinFanBlockedParent2024-01-12T18:28:24Z
Maybe I should stop watching movies all together.
There I was, about to invest three hours into a movie about a man I thought to be one of the most interesting characters in human history, and it left me totally underwhelmed. In fact, I quit at the 2:20 hour mark.
This is not "The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II." This was more about american communist paranoia, about political intrique then it was about a build up to an event that changed the world. And even that, the Trinity test, was a massive dissapointment to lock at. It didn't look like an atomic explosion but rather just a giant gasoline fire, which it probably was. No fascination or awe or even fear, on my part about the power of nature they just unleashed. Why not make a movie about the project, the challenges, the difficulties when all you can show us of Oppenheimer is - what really ? What did he actually do, what were his contibutions other then sitting in meatings and hearing others talk.
I would like to say the acting was great but I can't as there are hardly scenes where anyone has more then two lines of dialogue in a row. Or longer scenes at all for that matter. You try to put yourself in one scene and it switches to the next, and the next and so on. Add to that jumping throught timelines and you can be left utterly confused. Which will probably be the reason it get's tons of Oscar's.
For me it's a soulless, lifeless and, dare I say it, boring movie stuffed with a massive cast that seemed so wasted on this.