Oppenheimer

After a busy career filled with masterpieces, Christopher Nolan finally succeeded in creating a perfect film. In fact, Oppenheimer might be the best film I have watched in a long, long time.

Very different from Nolan's recent films, especially the sci-fi ones, but shows that Nolan can master the biopic/drama genre just as well as he can any other genre he has tried to tackle yet. Personally, I must admit that unlike most of Nolan's previous films, I didn't go into this one with overly high expectations. Based on the genre and material the film is based on, I couldn't see how Christopher Nolan could give it his unique touch, and how it could stand alongside films like "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "Inception," and "Interstellar" in his filmography. The film proved me wrong. While it's not my personal top pick in Nolan's filmography, it's undoubtedly his best film so far.

One can think of Oppenheimer as a great example of catching lightning in a bottle. After a career full of brilliant works and paradigm-shifting films, Sir Nolan managed to craft a film that, in my opinion, is perfect. Against all odds, the film attracted an unparalleled audience size for its genre and proved to studios and public opinion that true cinema will always prevail.

Anyone who has read the book "American Prometheus" on which the film is based can attest to the incredible editing work Nolan did to turn it from a long and detail-packed narrative into a compact film that captivated such a wide audience. While the direction of the film is no less than masterful and is considered the strongest aspect of the film by critics and award bodies in the US and worldwide, in my opinion, the writing is actually the strongest aspect of the film - whether or not you consider the complex material it's based on.

The script of Nolan's Oppenheimer is based prominently on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Anyone familiar with the book can attest that Nolan's adaptation, transforming a lengthy, detail-laden book filled with transcripts and theoretical physics into a blockbuster that captivated a wide audience, is nothing short of miraculous. While the film's directing is undoubtedly masterful and even considered the film's strongest aspect by critics and award bodies worldwide, in my personal opinion, the writing is the most powerful element of the film-even without taking into account the complex material it is based on.

Legendary Irish actor Cillian Murphy leads the film with one of the best performances seen on the big screen, with his presence dominating the screen time throughout the film's 3 hours, allowing him to leave a long-lasting mark on the history of cinema. Robert Downey Jr. Also gives an impressive performance, capping off a career of over a decade of roles that didn't demand too much acting prowess from him.

The film is 3 hours long yet goes by very quickly and enjoyably. Without spoiling anything, the film presents important and very relevant subjects, and doing so while being non-stop entertainment and a comprehensive character study and a study of our society on a very high pace.

The way Nolan chose to compose the film, and Jennifer Lame's amazing editing (which unusually resembles more of an action film's editing than that of a drama), make the film very dynamic, with its extended length almost unnoticeable. The other technical aspects also strive for perfection - whether it's the costumes, set design, or cinematography.

A huge standout element of the film is the superb soundtrack by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, who won an Oscar, Grammy, and numerous other awards for his work on this film. According to Nolan himself, the film is divided into three acts: the first resembling a hero origin story, the second like a heist film, and the third like a courtroom drama. It's impressive how the soundtrack mirrors these acts perfectly, each suited to the genre portrayed on screen while maintaining consistency in the melodies and musical themes presented throughout the film. Using about 40 string players, 15 wind instruments, one harp, and a synthesizer, Göransson managed to meet both his and Nolan's high expectations, creating one of the most breathtaking soundtrack albums in recent years. The cinematography is stunning, and the editing is cutting-edge. As I mentioned, this movie is a masterpiece in pretty much all technical fronts as well.

Sir Nolan is well known for his profound love and respect for science, as well as his understanding of its importance in both storytelling and real-world impact. This is reflected in the themes he chooses to explore, the logical framework behind his scripts, and the technical aspects of his filmmaking process. From project to project, he tries to tell captivating stories that highlight the vital role of scientists and the value of intellect in the modern era. Oppenheimer is no exception, but in this project, Nolan aimed to explore not only the importance and positive influence of scientific innovations, but also the consequences they have on all of us and how they might achieve not only what was initially intended.

When watching the film, you can't help but feel it's a collaborative effort of a highly talented ensemble - from the actors to every single person responsible for every small detail in the film's production, all under the guidance of an experienced artist who has honed his craft over a career of more than 20 years. It feels like all of Nolan's previous films and the various genres he attempted to tackle improved his filmmaking abilities in different and diverse aspects, so that ultimately everything converged into this film, in which every aspect strives for absolute perfection, delivering everything we've come to expect from a Christopher Nolan film.

Among Sir Christopher Nolan's strengths is that he for sure knows how to do a proper ending sequence. He is rather well known for that. However, with Oppenheimer, he took this skill to a whole new level. A gut-wrenching, emotionally devastating ending that knocks the wind out of the viewer and leaves him speechless, contemplating everything he just witnessed and the implications it has for our world, ever relevant in these uncertain times. With Göransson's unforgettable music and Murphy's brilliant acting, this scene serves as one of my personal favorite ending scenes in a movie ever.

Without mentioning anything specific, there was one scene that caused almost every single person in the theatre to move nervously in their seats, non-stop for a long period of time, being one of the most intense scenes I ever watched in a movie and reminding me of the true power of the cinematic experience like no other movie did in recent years.

After a career filled with masterpieces and amazing films, Christopher Nolan finally managed to craft a perfect film- and to my great delight, he finally received the recognition he deserves. Despite all odds, the film managed to captivate audiences in disproportionate amounts for its genre, proving to studios and audience opinion alike that true cinema will always prevail. The year is only halfway through, but right now this is my top pick for the upcoming awards season. Picture, writing, directing, acting, score- Oppenheimer is a winner on all fronts. A rare feat for filmmaking and a salient reminder that cinema is not dead.

I highly recommend this film to everyone. I watched it once already and am going back to the theatre for at least a few more times soon.

I'm amazed how great storytelling this was. This inhuman thing to do, making a bomb that maker doesn't even know the limits of destruction, director showed this in a human way. This was a simple story. But curiosities were maintained well with flashbacks and sudden reminders. I think the director's intention to show us how Oppenheimer saw this discovery was successful. Oppenheimer was proud of it and first then he regrets as soon as he found out how bombs were used. Cillan did very beautiful job playing this smart yet troubled personal life man. Robert Downey and Florence Pugh were best as supporting actors. Their involvement with main character added so much emotion to this film. Music in this movie is another appreciated thing. I know people who don't like classical music might call it boring but to me this was a true gem. Soundtrack kept us hoooked in to the flow of story.

I'm a big fan of Nolan's work so was really looking forward to this. I understood there would be some flipping in timelines and I'd need to concentrate. I didn't find this to be a problem at all and the storytelling was beautifully done. The acting was universally excellent. I saw a review saying Emily Blunt was rather OTT but I didn't find that at all.

I think my biggest gripe with the film may mean that I'm just getting old. I found the direction quite jarring with jump cuts galore. While it did keep things moving along apace, it was all rather exhausting. I also found the music and sound very very loud to the point of intrusion. Much like other Nolan films as it goes: Interstellar that I love, also had *very* loud music.

All in all this is a quality watch. It just left me longing for the days when so called 'cerebral' biopics, were a little more tranquil.

I align with other reviewers here who have found this. Despite the hype surrounding it, Oppenheimer fell short of expectations. The film proved to be tedious and at many times draining to watch.

I liked the cinematography but the beautiful scenes had an overwhelmingly loud background score that drowned out most of the dialogue and made it hard to comprehend what was going on.

The movie also had several disjointed scene transitions which in my opinion, because of lack of character development and loud background music, only added to the confusion, making it hard to follow the plot coherently. Overall, a disappointing experience that failed to live up to its hype.

Is it just me or did anyone else find this movie... I hate to say it... boring?. I know I know it's a piece of history and don't get me wrong it was a good movie but idk, going in the theater expecting something "Nolanesque" and it never came so I was kind of a disappointed. I was super excited going in the theater and leaving I was like ,yeah it was good buuuuttt. I guess I was expecting something like inception and or interstellar but those are fictional and I get that this is based off of a true story . I think everyone should watch this movie once and it was very eye opening but I won't ever endure the painful 3 hour movie experience again . It's a one and done movie and I do respect Oppenheimer. Extremely good acting with a boatload of good actors . I also do want to say that there was nothing very IMAX about the movie so you could go to a regular theater and be just fine . Also Emily Blunts ending scene was amazing . All in all I would go as far as to say it's the most boring Christopher Nolan movie but it is a very good movie let's leave it at that . I still give the movie an 8.