Oppenheimer 2023

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.

"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.

"Oppenheimer", a cinematic masterpiece, shows Christopher Nolan at his best. This film is more than just entertainment - it weaves deep dialogue with historical background knowledge and groundbreaking production. Nolan confronts us with the most fatal stage of human creativity: the potentially devastating weapon. Here cinema becomes a platform for reflection on betrayal, death, time and progress.

The intellectual challenge of the profound dialogues in "Oppenheimer" stands out from superficial action scenes and makes it possible to understand the historical epoch in a new way. This dense storytelling is reminiscent of Nolan's previous works and combines the themes of betrayal, death, time, love, thirst for knowledge and progress into a cumulative whole. The heart-penetrating scenes of the atomic bomb tests and the dropping on Hiroshima are highlights of cinematic art.

This "hard fare" includes education and reflection. Nolan manages to engage the audience and make them think about historical context and the consequences of decisions. "Oppenheimer" breathes new life into cinema and shows that it can be more than just entertainment. Amid superficial content, the film is a reminder that cinema can be a platform for deep themes and intellectual stimulation.

In an age distracted by fast-paced content, "Oppenheimer" is a gem. The film imparts historical knowledge and encourages intellectual debate. This masterpiece manages to captivate the audience with detailed staging and deep dialogues. It is a film for those who are interested and those who want to become one, an outstanding balance between aesthetic pleasure and an existential challenge.

Oppenheimer, the 2023 epic biographical thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, is a masterful and captivating portrayal of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of history's most complex and influential figures. Cillian Murphy delivers an extraordinary performance as the titular character, flawlessly embodying the brilliance, turmoil, and moral dilemmas faced by the renowned theoretical physicist.

Nolan's direction expertly navigates the intricate web of historical events, scientific discoveries, and personal struggles that defined Oppenheimer's journey. The film delves deep into the human psyche, exploring the inner conflicts of a man torn between his passion for scientific advancement and the ethical implications of his work, particularly in the creation of the first nuclear weapons during World War II. This moral dilemma is brilliantly depicted through the character dynamics, especially between Murphy's Oppenheimer and Matt Damon's portrayal of General Leslie Groves, who served as Oppenheimer's military handler.

Emily Blunt's portrayal of Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer adds a touching and emotionally charged dimension to the story, offering a glimpse into the personal life of the physicist and the impact of his choices on his family. Additionally, Robert Downey Jr. shines as Lewis Strauss, portraying the tensions within the United States Atomic Energy Commission during this pivotal period in history.

The film's attention to detail in recreating historical settings and events is commendable, immersing the audience in the wartime atmosphere and the high-stakes world of scientific innovation. The supporting cast, featuring talented actors like Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Tom Conti, and Kenneth Branagh, contribute to the film's depth and authenticity.

Oppenheimer is not just a biopic; it's an exploration of the human spirit, ethics, and the consequences of scientific breakthroughs. Nolan's signature style, combined with the stellar performances of the cast, successfully engages the audience on both an intellectual and emotional level. It's a thought-provoking and hauntingly beautiful cinematic experience that leaves a lasting impact, urging us to ponder the implications of human ingenuity and the responsibility that comes with wielding such power.

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".

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.

Pros
+Acting all around. I am not a huge fan of Cillian Murphy but he delivered big time, Downey Jr of course did his thing, Damon was great, Safdie was the surprise hit imo, Florence didn't even have much screen time and she made a big impression, Blunt was good (her character is a terrible bitch but she filled the role well). And these are only a fraction of the main cast, but then every other scene has a major actor filling in a minor role, with of course Gary Oldman's Truman being the most notable.
+Sound design was phenomenal with the train going off it's tracks as both a fitting metaphor and a believable match for so many different scenes/sounds
+cinematography was excellent, the way it tied the sound with the events being a highlight as well as the visions where the moral self analysis of Oppenheimer was substituting reality with his mental state (the naked section of the interrogation, skin peeling off a cheering crowd, the missiles flying past his car). The visuals at the beginning are also wonderful, the moving electrons Oppenheimer visualizes to make his theories make sense were gorgeous. Lighting was great as well
+This movie nailed the tension maybe better than any other movie I've seen. This was something that made me concerned before watching because 3+ hours seems too long to maintain tension while also creating interesting events surrounding a science project in the desert but the early life, days as a professor, start of the Manhattan project, and the finale all bleed into each other incredibly well while mostly using metaphor and recurring themes to convey how Oppenheimer views his responsibilities, how others react to them out of his control, etc. in a way that makes a movie about the creation of a bomb complex but entirely worth every scene it contains. The bomb is NOT the only thing this movie is talking about and in my opinion that makes this so much more profound. Everything being interrupted by the "trials" of Oppenheimer and Strauss breaking down the complex questions for both the characters speaking and for the audience, both allowing anyone to be able to understand a very complex series of events but also using that time not to explain but to expand the characters and force them to address their actions which is the core of what this movie is about.
+It was never preachy, which is extremely hard for a movie about a highly political series of events. They address very interesting involvements Oppenheimer has with the Communist party but are sure to accurately portray them as more tangential than defining his beliefs and to address his continued work on a weapon he knew could destroy the world and the pride he takes in that work while also making it clear he is not a chud robot trying to blow up every enemy the US has. They had an excellent metaphor near the start where he explains how light is both a wave and a particle and it is contradictory but it still is the truth. People change their minds, you can associate with those without believing the same things as them, your work is not an encapsulation of your entire being, etc.
+Set/costume design was great, I'm not going to pretend like the 1930s/40s are the hardest era to replicate but they did their job
+Dialogue was above average but there were a number of weird bits

Neutral
*Kind of mis-portrayed Truman considering he literally almost ended his presidency to stop MacArthur from glassing China/Korea with nukes but the scene was fucking hilarious so it gets a pass lol
*You could put this in the negative section but it's more of an interpretation I have than necessarily a fault in the movie itself. The conversations this story had where phenomenal and they way they drove home the themes about the consequences of our actions is done in an exceptional way however one thing that rubbed me personally the wrong way was the entire time Oppenheimer (and his cunt wife) are continually placing the entire blame on him but that kind of goes against the story because he is just the catalyst and there are so many competing/cooperating forces that are determining the creation, use, and further development of the bomb. It feels like the last scene with Einstein is starting to get to this solution with all of these people praising him/Einstein to attempt to forgive themselves but the very end is just Wide eyed Cillian Murphy being like "Nah bro I set off a chain reaction that's going to destroy the world" so it works against itself. No of course you can interpret this multiple ways and maybe I'm reading this scene against its intention but it does really come off that way to me and with the friend I saw it with
*Midwit Nolan fans are going to bitch about this movie not being eventful because they can't appreciate an actually good film

Cons
-Smooth brains will think it's too long (this is not an actual criticism)
-Smooth brains also will not like that they don't show the use of the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (This is also not an actual criticism)
-The big twist in the trials is extremely predictable and almost everyone could see it coming from a mile away (The good thing is that it isn't really a major linchpin, at least in terms of you needing to be surprised for it to affect the viewing experience
-I think there is a fair argument against the use of black and white in the Strauss hearings. Yes, it kind of makes it look like a 1950s news story but it goes against the traditional psychology of film that says "Black and White=Older, Color=Newer" Since it is some of the last stuff to happen chronologically in the story

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!

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!

Yep, a quality film.

'Oppenheimer' lived up to the billing to me. Not that that was ever really in any doubt, with Christopher Nolan at the helm and Cillian Murphy in lead alongside all the acclaim that I have seen this receive since its 2023 release. The near 3hr run time is no problem whatsoever, despite more talk than anything else the film simply doesn't hold any slow/uninteresting moments - 'tis all fascinating.

Ever since I found out about his casting I knew Murphy would deliver a sensational performance and that's exactly what he produces here, which is not even a tiny bit surprising - anyone who has seen television's 'Peaky Blinders', for one, would know that. Loved every single second of him onscreen.

As for the rest of the cast, where do you start?! Emily Blunt is impressive, again not a shock as I'm a fan of her from other things - shoutout 'The Adjustment Bureau'. Matt Damon stars alongside Blunt in that aforementioned great flick, he himself is very good in this. Robert Downey Jr. shows quality too. All others have much less screentime but do a fair bit with it, for example Jason Clarke and Florence Pugh.

It was impossible not to be fully engrossed in this, at least for me. It is not my favourite Nolan movie, 'Inception' and 'Interstellar' surpass but to be honest it's the definition of splitting hairs as his films are of such a high standard. For example, 'Dunkirk' and 'Tenet' move me less but are still ones I rate highly.

Final words on this: Watch it if you get the opportunity. One of the big 'uns!

Time as an obsession, time you can't remember, time you've lost, time going backwards. Yes, we know, Nolan's cinema has always had clock hands in its compass.
But now, time is up.
Now we are inside a countdown that leads straight to an inevitable horror. So no, it's no longer time to play with the hours, to captivate the public with plot prestige and labyrinthine architectures because now Christopher Nolan has a dirty conscience to explore. A kind of interstellar journey into personal intimate black holes, into which it hurts very much to peek. And so, to accomplish this at best, he gets back to his rigorous and dry times, those of Dunkirk. Because it requires balance, feet on the ground, and dirty hands to tell about Robert Oppenheimer. And he does it with an existential drama in which human horror manifests itself in many ways, not only in the glassy gaze of the inventor of the atomic bomb.

Now personally, I think it has quite too much talking, especially for the first watch you might feel overwhelmed with information, and being 3h long at some point you might stop understanding what's going on. Especially cos after the bomb I thought it was basically over, but it's so not. Not as confusing as Tenet first watch tho, for sure. So it definitely requires more than a watch, and that means it's a good movie. The sound, wow. Acting, top notch. Cillian marry me!

Ps. If you do a Barbenheimer, I'd recommend watching this first. It would not be an easy watch after 3-4 hours of screen time.

A well told story that didn't judge the characters, the politics, or the motivations. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. No one in this film was morally perfect. I don't know that I liked anyone a whole lot, except for Alden Ehrenreich, who played the Senate aide of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey, Jr.). The gratification his character appears to get from watching Strauss burn was great. Matt Damon's General Groves and Oppenheimer's relationship was satisfying. All of the acting was top notch and the dialog was tremendous.

This is not just a film for nerds. In fact, I was surprised by how little science was actually discussed. There's marbles in a bowl, for Pete's sake! Not to mention the numerous times we see scientists scribble math on a chalkboard. The score, or at least some sort of noise, plays over almost all of the dialogue, which sometimes makes it difficult to hear what's being said. However, it makes the moments of silence much more impactful when they do happen, so there's no doubt it's all very deliberate.

Nolan's direction is unique and creative and makes me want to watch the film again. Many of Robert Oppenheimer's "daydreams" are manifestations of his emotional struggles. There are a couple of moments when the camera is pulled in tighter (than usual) on Oppenheimer's face and you can see the background trembling. It's a really neat effect.

To me, the bloom had been off the rose with Nolan's most recent films, but "Oppenheimer" has helped bring back some of the freshness of his earlier works.

The world forever changes.

Cinematography wise, Amazing. So immersive. Nolan knocked it out of the park as usual. So story wise, there were some moments where my heart thumping, smart dialogue etc.

But it felt more like a documentary than a biopic. I would've love to know more about Oppenheimer as a person rather than seeing a sequence of events that unfolded. He's such a complex character put into a unique situation, I really wish Nolan dived more into that part. Also, there's always so much happening, you can't miss a single dialogue or you'll be like: 'wait wth is happening who's that guy again now". You will know when you see it.

What truly sets Oppenheimer apart is its exploration of profound moral questions. The film delves into the ethics of scientific discovery, the consequences of playing with unimaginable power, and the weight of decisions that can shape the course of history. It leaves the audience pondering the moral ambiguities surrounding Oppenheimer's work and its lasting impact on humanity.

In conclusion, Oppenheimer is a tour de force in film-making. It combines exceptional storytelling, outstanding performances, and thought-provoking themes that resonate long after the credits roll. If you're a fan of historical dramas or simply appreciate outstanding cinema, this movie is an absolute must-see. It deserves every accolade and stands as one of the finest films of our time.

Definitely worth a watch, but make sure you brush up on your WW2 history knowledge or else you might not get the full context.

8.5/10

To be upfront, I didn’t understand a lot of the dialogue in this movie. I think that’s partly because my listening comprehension isn’t the best, but others also said they had some issues so I think the sound mixing might also be partly at fault there. However, I still had no issue following the narrative, understanding the characters, and so on. I think the movie is just really well structured, helping me follow along even though we have multiple plot threads in different points of time. And well, sometimes the little physics knowledge I have helped me, for example when Strauss and Oppenheimer referenced Einstein’s “god doesn’t roll dice” quote, I immediately understood what they talked about. But I think as it is the movie is just well constructed.

Nolan is good with the tension and at building immersion and Oppenheimer is no different here. The movie really pulls you in with its fast pacing and the tension is built so damn well. The three hours honestly flew by and I never felt bored, it was consistently exciting to watch. The music is also incredible, aiding to the immersion along with Nolan’s direction. And while the sound design is not that good at making you understand the dialogue, there are scenes which literally burn into your mind. It’s been a while since a movie felt so cinematic and real.

Of course, the actual narrative is also interesting. Oppenheimer’s story turned out to be much more interesting than expected, and gave a lot of insight into America back then and Oppenheimer’s guilt and his emotional struggles. As it turned out the discussion and consequences of the atomic bomb were a much stronger focus than the bomb itself, which fits the overall framing of this movie as a biopic very well. Overall I have no particular issue with this movie - I think it’s very good. And I will rewatch with subs once it hits digital.