Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer was undoubtably the biggest movie release of 2023 alongside Barbie, and although both seem to have left a cultural imprint on us, Oppenheimer comes out on top in my eyes due to the sheer star power, stunning visuals, and insanely great story telling by Christopher Nolan.
Mostly based on the biography, American Prometheus, the film manages to tackle the 786-page book in just three hours. Going in, the film run time does seem daunting and can seem like a lot to commit to in these days of film, but it flowed beautifully and aside from a few moments towards the last half, it did not feel long at all.
The story manages to tell the story very fluidly from different points in time, going back in time to Oppenheimer’s education and his involvement with The Manhattan Project, then to the hearing of the Atomic Energy Commission with his former friend and antagonist, Lewis Strauss.
It was very clear from the get-go that Nolan really wanted to showcase his belief in physicality with a lot of the visuals of particles and erratic motion to showcase the thoughts and ideas that were inside Oppenheimer’s mind before he was able to bring them to fruition. This was one of the biggest themes of the film, along with the morality battle that is summed up with the phrase “just because we can, doesn’t always mean we should”.
There is no doubt that the film is shot beautifully and has to be one of the most visually pleasing films I have seen in a long time, though the film has not had much competition in that area. Along with the beauty, the film is carried by its ensemble cast (even that seems like an understatement), featuring veterans from the likes of Robert Downey Jr. who gave his first real performance since his Iron Man days, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, David Krumholtz, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, and so many more. Along with the vets, we saw some familiar faces from the younger crowd, such as Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Dane DeHaan, and a small, but powerful performance from Florence Pugh.
And of course, Cillian Murphy stole the show. Even with the brilliant performances from his castmates, there is no doubt that Murphy was the perfect choice to be the centerpiece of the film, giving an absolutely stellar performance that captures how it must feel to be haunted by the greatest, yet absolutely devastating creation in the history of mankind.
Though the film captivates, it is not without flaw. The telling of the story from different points in time did become a little confusing. I’m a big fan of Nolan’s films and have been around long enough that his films favor visuals, but there are a few choppy camera cuts that seem premature or out of place, along with scenes switching from color to black and white that I was not a fan of. I personally feel that if the story was told from a chronological standpoint, it may have found the lack of cohesiveness it was missing, but these are minor flaws at most.
Not to focus on flaws, but one thing I did wish they explored was the true aftermath of the bombs being dropped in Japan, though I understand that the film was based solely on Oppenheimer and his trials and tribulations before and after the creation of the bomb. I felt that the visuals of bright lights and skin peeling off people with the unsettling sounds of stomping would have held more weight and as startling as they were, it could have helped it hit even harder to see the actual death and destruction it caused, though already implied. The visuals and towering death toll being repeated was enough to be seared into your brain and not unseen or unheard.
All in all, as this year winds down and 2024 is merely days away, this is by far my favorite film of 2023 and is the same for most film goers. The visuals, performances from the ensemble cast, and the way it is able to portray one of the biggest moral dilemmas in history was stunning. With this breathing fresh air into the lungs of cinema, one can only hope that film makers take note and deliver more films down the line with footnotes from this cinematic masterpiece.
4.8/5