Oppenheimer – No Spoilers

I am being completely sincere when I say: no movie has ever made me want to visit Wikipedia and read about stuff more than this one. Also, no spoilers for World War 2, in case you’re about to catch up on those chapters in your history books soon.

While I didn’t get to see the film in 70mm as director Chris Nolan intended, I did see it on the biggest screen convenient for me to get to, Cinemark’s XD screen. It was amazing to feel the theater vibrate and gyrate as J. Robert Oppenheimer blows shit up throughout the film. I would see this again in an instant.

Oppenheimer tells the story of one of America’s most important physicists, responsible for the creation of the first atomic weapons. However, the film is a real deep dive into this man’s psyche and mind. We feel his guilt, pride, love, hate, joy, fear – everything. Actor Cillian Murphy is a lock for an Oscar nomination.

The supporting cast is amazing as well. Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon round out the most prevalent roles, but the cast list of “actors that you recognize but probably couldn’t name most of” is astoundingly large.

Nolan will likely also be nominated for his incredible job directing. In true Nolan style, this film is structured very intricately, jumping around in time like Bill and Ted. His camerawork is unparalleled, and the fact that he supposedly filmed this in only 57 days is unfathomable to me. He also recreated a nuclear explosion without using CGI (I’m admittedly confused what that means, because he did not detonate an actual nuke).

I would be remiss if I didn’t give the highest of praise to Ludwig Göransson’s incredible score, which allows the tension in each and every scene to shoot so far up that you can feel your heart in your butt… or should I say your butt in your heart?

The pacing in this three hour film is somehow perfect. It never drags, or leaves you checking your watch (do people still wear watches?). This is a talkie film with very little action, but it doesn’t feel like it, as the stakes always feel like they are at 100. Genuinely the most tense scene involves a young Oppenheimer trying to prevent someone from eating a nutritious snack.

One thing that somewhat took me out of the movie was the Marvel-esque callouts and cameos of historical figures and scientists. Where Marvel has Nick Fury, this film has Albert Einstein. Niels Bohr is this world’s Doctor Strange. I can’t wait for Bohr’s Multiverse of Madness. And who could forget, the promise of a Thanos-esque villain for the sequel, John F. Kennedy (I’m half kidding). All we were missing was three post credit scenes.

While it’s not my favorite Nolan film, it’s close. I love The Prestige and especially Interstellar with all my heart, but Oppie might be taking the number three slot, and if not three – four for sure.

I would give this film a very solid 9 plutonium cores out of 10. I think if I saw it again I would increase that score.

Be sure to join me next week as I review Haunted Mansion. Stay tuned!