Going into the movie I had a basic idea of who J. Robert Oppenheimer was and what he did, plus if you didn’t know the trailer explained it. This movie was far better than the expectations I had going in which were sky high, or in a different way of phrasing it I thought the radius and destruction of the atomic bomb but we got an H-bomb. The movie could only truly come from someone like Christopher Nolan.
The movie centres around the Oppenheimer coming to create the worlds first atomic bomb in a race against the Nazis. All of that while dealing fame and the fallout with regrets he had as he fights to keep his security clearance and glowing reputation.
Christopher Nolan created a movie with stunning visuals and sound effects as he is known to do as he also tells the story in such a fashion that keeps you guessing and having mixed feelings about Robert Oppenheimer. The movie is casted with Cillian Murphy, best known for Peaky Blinder and history working with Nolan in The Dark Knight trilogy as well as Inception, in the lead role. Joining him are names like Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt. Where Nolan always seems to shine is finding lesser known or relevant actors and getting greatness from them. For example Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz (Bernard the Elf from The Santa Clause) in relatively major roles while being able to use names like Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman and Casey Affleck in smaller but effective roles.
The acting from Murphy is some of the best I have witnessed as he is able grasp the complexity of the character and all the feelings of pride and regret as he accomplishes a masterful task but also recognises what he ultimately made. Cillian will likely take home plenty of gold come award season for his portrayal of the “father of the atomic bomb.” Robert Downey Jr. is great in his role as Lewis Strauss which after some flops outside of the MCU has a crowning achievement which could finally get him the Oscar that has eluded him despite 2 past nominations.
The 3 hour long film is on another level as it is the type of movie that is bound to get Oscar nominations and many wins, but also appeals to the average movie goer and be a movie they will like. The only complaints I heard from people leaving the theatre was that it was long, but everyone seemed to enjoy the long biopic thriller, something that isn’t always easy to do these days.
The movie isn’t a documentary and has some historical inaccuracies but is a movie that you should make the time to watch. I advise in a theatre to get the full impact of Nolan’s magic. Christopher Nolan needs to continue with making historical movies because he hit a home run with Dunkirk but this was a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th down 3. This is a masterpiece in cinema.
Final Grade: 10/10
Here is the trailer:
– Everett
