{"id":5721,"date":"2024-10-12T05:43:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T05:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=5721"},"modified":"2024-10-12T21:10:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T21:10:29","slug":"oppenheimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2024\/10\/12\/oppenheimer\/","title":{"rendered":"Oppenheimer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Oppenheimer<\/strong> (2023)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Universal\/Drama-Thriller\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 180 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (some sexuality, nudity, language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Christopher Nolan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Christopher Nolan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ludwig Goransson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: July 21, 2023 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Dylan Arnold, Gustaf Skarsgard, David Krumholtz, Matthew Modine, David Dastmalchian, Tom Conti, Michael Angarano, Jack Quaid, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby, Dane DeHaan, Danny Deferrari, Alden Ehrenreich, Jefferson Hall, Jason Clarke, James D\u2019Arcy, Tony Goldwyn, Devon Bostick, Alex Wolff, Scott Grimes, Josh Zuckerman, Matthias Schweighofer, Christopher Denham, David Rysdahl, Guy Burnet, Louise Lombard, Harrison Gilbertson, Emma Dumont, Trond Fausa Aurvag, Olli Haaskivi, Gary Oldman, John Gowans, Kurt Koehler, Macon Blair, Harry Groener, Jack Cutmore-Scott, James Remar, Gregory Jbara, Tim DeKay, James Urbaniak.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Box Office: $329.9M (US)\/$977M (World)<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: ***<\/p>\n

\u00a0One of the most anticipated films of the year, Christopher Nolan\u2019s Oppenheimer<\/strong> is more than a mere biopic of the \u201cfather of the atomic bomb\u201d. It\u2019s a panoramic puzzle of a drama that not only chronicles the creation of the world\u2019s first WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction), but also affords us an inside look at the life of the complicated, flawed genius who grappled with tremendous guilt after realizing what he unleashed on the world. Like Prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mortal man, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer gave man the power to destroy humanity.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Cillian Murphy, in a performance that practically guarantees him at least an Oscar nod (if not the win), plays Dr. Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist selected to lead \u201cThe Manhattan Project\u201d, a top secret project to develop the atomic bomb during WWII. He was appointed by General Leslie Groves (Damon, Air) who recruited him despite some concerns about possible Communist sympathies. That\u2019s the main plot of Oppenheimer<\/strong>, but it\u2019s only part of the story. Nolan takes us through Oppenheimer\u2019s early years as a grad student in Europe and first professor of quantum physics in America before getting to his involvement with the Manhattan Project. Horrified at and haunted by how he changed the face of modern warfare, he begins to speak out against further development of WMDs which leads him to be discredited and disgraced by the government on the word of a vindictive former colleague, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss (Downey, Iron Man).<\/p>\n

\u00a0Oppenheimer\u2019s story is told within the framework of two separate government proceedings, the hearing to revoke Oppenheimer\u2019s security clearance and the Senate committee hearing to appoint Strauss as Secretary of Commerce to President Eisenhower. The latter is rendered in gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. It\u2019s a stylistic gambit that works beautifully, but I\u2019d expect nothing less from Nolan. He may struggle with narrative, but he\u2019s a master of presentation. Oppenheimer <\/strong>is filmed entirely in large-format IMAX and it looks stunning. Nolan, in conjunction with go-to cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, uses it to great effect in capturing both the big (e.g. the wide New Mexico deserts surrounding Los Alamos where the \u201cgadget\u201d was built) and the small (e.g. Oppenheimer\u2019s pained look as he\u2019s betrayed by colleagues). He also makes great use of sound, especially in the scene where they test the \u201cgadget\u201d for the first time. The viewers experience it in much the same way as the on-site observers. First, it\u2019s silence as it goes off in a huge burst of flame. Next, they hear the big boom. Finally, they feel it physically. It\u2019s a big \u201cWHOA!\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Murphy does tremendous work as Oppenheimer. Aided in large part by the many close-ups of his face, he perfectly conveys his inner turmoil as he struggles with the gravity of his creation and his own personal demons. He was a flawed man who often gave in to his emotions and urges which caused him problems in his relationships, his wife Kitty (Blunt, A Quiet Place) in particular. There is love there, but also anger and resentment, the latter mainly due to his extramarital affair with ex-girlfriend Jean Tatlock (Pugh, Don\u2019t Worry Darling). Damon is quite good as Groves, a patriotic military man only interested in results. Downey also does exceptional work as petty, vengeful Strauss who believes Oppenheimer badmouthed him to Albert Einstein (Conti, Reuben, Reuben) several years earlier. That brief conversation serves as the film\u2019s Rosebud.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Oppenheimer<\/strong> runs three hours, but it\u2019s never actually boring, not even with the many scenes of people talking about scientific principles and Cold War-era politics. It sometimes gets confusing with all the cutting back and forth between time periods. It\u2019s also crowded with all the characters. Some, like feminist scientist Lilli Hornig (Thirlby, Juno), are barely developed. Also, the score (by Ludwig Goransson) tends to be overbearing. It\u2019s supposed to emphasize the drama, but often drowns it out instead.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I\u2019ll be honest, I found Oppenheimer<\/strong> exhausting. I like it very much, but I felt like I\u2019d been through the wringer when it was over. Still, it\u2019s a fascinating and compelling film that illustrates what going to the movies is all about. It\u2019s a visual wonder that doesn\u2019t rely solely on CGI. Nolan favors practical effects, good on him! It\u2019s a deft blend of intelligence and entertainment aimed at actual adults. We need more films like this.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oppenheimer (2023)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Universal\/Drama-Thriller\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 180 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (some sexuality, nudity, language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Christopher Nolan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Christopher Nolan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Ludwig Goransson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: July 21, 2023 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Dylan Arnold, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-pictures","category-dramas"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Oppenheimer-PIC.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5721"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5795,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5721\/revisions\/5795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}