Oppenheimer

Genres : Thriller, Psychological, Historical 

Writer : Surya Turaga 

Date : 31st July, 2023 

An absolutely amazing film. It’s been a bit of time since I could just enjoy a film. Oppenheimer covered pretty much all the bases needed to make a great film. This may not be Nolan’s best film, but it’s most likely to be his most successful. Cillian Murphy portrayed a conflicted and thoughtful Oppenheimer brilliantly. 

‘Oppenheimer’ as everyone knows at this point, is Christopher Nolan’s latest film. It’s about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the first atomic bomb. One would think that the story being based on something in the past makes this film predictable in plot, but no. This movie tells an amazing story, filled with all the intricate details surrounding The Manhattan Project and the consequences of it. 

Most films of this sort usually focus on very few parts of history, telling a very narrow and one sided story. Films that try to have more sometimes end up looking like a documentary, with no clear protagonist. That’s not a bad thing all the time, by the way. Regardless, Oppenheimer has managed to maintain a very good balance of telling a complete story and keeping a protagonist. 

Every second in the film was captivating due to the plot. Oppenheimer didn’t just show what was happening in the forefront of the story, and ignore everything happening in the background of the story. The film literally created a world and showed it to us through a camera. The plot is easy to follow, and there’s so many finer details to see. 

I really mean that. One side of the plot is full of technical details about the events transpiring, and the other is filled with politics concerning the project. Characters like Feynmann (won’t spoil other names) only appear for a minute or 2, but make real impressions on the plot, making it more and more like a brilliant story. I like that people are treating them like MCU cameos lol. 

As a person who knew about the details of the Manhattan Project, the film was an absolute delight to see. I was amazed by seeing moments from old recordings of the project as well as famous quotes spoken be adapted on the big screen. 

The gorgeous visuals were definitely the most impressive part of the film. Nolan stuck to practical effects even for his macroscopy shots used in instances of imagery. The swirling lights and explosions were captivating to watch. Even the settings were brilliant. Unlike most movies today, I did not ONCE believe that the actors weren’t exactly where they were shown to be. 

The cast was nothing short of flawless. This is perhaps one of the only times an all star cast film has done this well. Pretty much every single character was played by someone famous, even the ones who had less than a minute of screen time. That did not dampen the acting. All of them played the parts to perfection, especially Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt. Even RDJ did great. 

I have a couple more factors in the film to consider. While the film performed exceptionally in them, I’m holding these factors to Chrisptopher Nolan’s standard, which is a lot higher. So I’m being more strict. The main thing I noticed was that this film was a lot less convoluted than usual. It was easy enough to understand the events transpiring. Little disappointing. 

Nolan’s films usually pursue a very convoluted storyline, with everything coming to a grand finish in the end. Oppenheimer had the grand finish, but the story couldn’t become convoluted enough for the finish to be glorious. It was impressive and satisfying, with a haunting ending. But it was also easier than expected to understand everything. 

One of the reasons for this was the cinematography. Just like Dunkirk, scenes were rearranged to tell a more compelling story. Only this time, it was easy to understand the details and the time shifts. Some scenes were even black and white to help. The music was amazing, Ludwig Göransson definitely stepped up his game since Tenet. Felt the absence of Hans Zimmer, though. 

The reason I point this out is simple. I believe I was absolutely correct when I stated in my article that Nolan was aiming for the Academy Awards. I saw no significant risks taken in the making of this film. It’s because Nolan is using everything he does best, and is pulling all stops to try to get an Oscar. Making a film like Inception wouldn’t work. It had to be simple enough to follow. 

Overall, Oppenheimer is an absolutely amazing movie with a good pacing, amazing visuals, and an enticing plot. Some dialogues were predictable, but in a good way that made them feel more powerful. Nothing in the film came across as lacking or forced. It’s an amazing film that pulled all stops to maximize success. Fortunately, that didn’t come at the cost of the story. 

Surya-o-meter : 96%