Is 'Oppenhimer' Really the Bomb?
By Caleb.G
"They won't fear it until they understand it. And they won't understand it until they've used it." Robert J.Oppenhimer (stunningly portrayed by Cillian Murphy) speaks this haunting line halfway through Christopher Nolan's three-hour-long Magnum Opus: Oppenheimer, and it captures the true spirit of the film, that of the quiet horror in genius and the all-too-familiar explosive nature when that genius is abused.
(University Picture)
Taken on a surreal-like experience, the film captures the nuclear physicist's life from his college days, his brief flings (Sensual and theoretical), and into the highlight of his career, the Manhattan Project and the regrettable government witch hunt that soon happened after. However, the way Nolan edited this has the same vice that all mediums with daring, artistic direction have: muddy and confusing. Switching back and forth between Oppenheimer's life before and during the 'court cases" that preceded afterward, the film flows in and out of these two-time frames without any structure or reason; made worse is the brief scene after the court case where Lewis Strauss (excellently played by Robert Downey Jr.) is trying to save his tail, a story beat the is not even relevant until the last third of the film and is not explained until then. These scenes are shot with a stunning black-and-white lens, which gives the film some order and breaks the sections up nicely, but they only vaguely connect with the larger structure of the film until the end, where it becomes relevant.
(World of Reel)
Nevertheless, the scenes themself are stunning and sometimes breathtaking. Wanting a more subjective experience than the book the film takes source from (American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin), the horrors of quantum physics are shown in dazzling and mesmerizing shots of particles crashing into or circling one-another creating a blurred line between dance and war. The film uses sound little but effectively, with a soundtrack by Ludwig Goransson that uses both string instruments and techno effects to showcase the elegance and timeliness of the movie while also acknowledging the scientific and forward production effects. The soundtrack adds an excellent finish to create texture for emotion within the film.
What takes center stage here is the acting. With an all-star cast, Christopher Nolan took no prisoners with this film. Starting with our center figure, Cillian Murphy delivers a performance that gives Oppenheimer the complexity needed with a subtlety that renders him not a mythical genius or legend but a human, flaws and all Robert Downy Jr. completely melts into his role so much that he, not only acts but, lives out Lewis Strauss. Matt Damon gives us his best southern twang to play a character paralyzed between his will to serve his nation and his loyalty to friends and family: General Leslie Gordon, along with many other incredible talents.
(Tenor)
(Gamerreact UK)
This summer's Oppenheimer will be remembered not only for being a glimmer of hope in these dim times for cinema but also as a golden project all by itself, no matter the era, and because of this, it deserves to be watched, experienced and felt by viewers everywhere.