Twigs - Oppenheimer

Becoming death.

[Is a spoiler warning necessary for the life of the man who created the atomic bomb?]

Not every biopic needs to be a stock showing of what happened.

There seems to be a formula for biographical films, where everything that transpires is presented in a very grounded yet slightly dramatized way. There are very few movies that explore the life of a real person while also using experimental filmmaking techniques or visual symbolism to better represent who they are. Very few that go into the psyche of a real-world figure in a detailed yet dramatic way without spelling everything out for viewers in a clear-cut, “here’s what happened” way. Which is why Oppenheimer stands out as a tour de force for director Christopher Nolan, and for modern filmmaking in general.

The movie’s premise is exactly what you’d expect from the title. While the trailers for Oppenheimer focused mostly on his time building nuclear weapons for the Manhattan Project, the film itself is much more fully realized. Beginning with J. Robert Oppenheimer’s overseas studies in his youth, the movie showcases the theoretical physicist’s life over the span of its gargantuan 3-hour runtime. The Manhattan Project still takes center stage as the most important part of the movie, but the film doesn’t shy away from exploring other aspects of Oppenheimer’s personal and professional life. That’s because, despite a focus on the creation of the atom bomb in promotional materials, the movie isn’t about the atom bomb. It is very much about Oppenheimer, his evolving viewpoints on nuclear weaponry as a scientist, and the psychological toll hindsight can take on someone who believed what he was doing was for the good of the world—and the horrible realization of its inevitability.

The film intercuts between being a psychological exploration of Oppenheimer himself and an exploration of the world’s view of him as “Father of the Atomic Bomb”. This is illustrated through the use of color and black and white throughout the movie, and something that is cleverly explained through character dialogue about an hour into the film. By using an experimental presentation for the movie, Nolan employs more psychological elements of Oppenheimer in the filmmaking itself. I think if this had been a static film that didn’t force the audience to remember key details or understand what is and isn’t a time jump, the film wouldn’t have been as effective. There’s a chaos to its presentation at the start that feels like it’s being sorted through as the movie persists. As if it’s trying to display the disordered quantum mechanics that kept Oppenheimer up at night as a college student in the disarray of its own filmmaking.

But what truly elevates the movie is its performances. As much as it pains me to say, I’ve never seen Cillian Murphy in a lead role before. But there was something about the way he looked in every scene that betrayed the ideas coursing through Oppenheimer’s brain. It’s in his eyes, his mannerisms, the way he speaks. Murphy embodies Oppenheimer in a way that makes him feel real. The other standout in the movie was Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Taking up much more time than I expected, he joined Oppenheimer while giving everything he has to the performance of Strauss. This is Downey Jr. at his best, and I would be shocked if he didn’t end up winning some supporting actor awards for his performance. Other standouts include Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, and Benny Safdie as Edward Teller. However, everyone in this film puts on an incredible performance, even actors who have smaller parts like Josh Peck and Casey Affleck. There were also plenty of surprising actors who showed up and stole the show in certain scenes, all of whom did a phenomenal job bringing the people orbiting Oppenheimer to life.

Oppenheimer is also impressive on a technical level, as the $100 million film does not have a single ounce of CGI in it. Every effect in the film, even ones that feel impossible without the use of computers, was done practically. And not just the chilling, horrifying explosion created for the Trinity test. The film features many looks into Oppenheimer’s psyche. Stars moving about. Beams of light reflecting, refracting, or popping into fire. Even, at one point, an expanding supernova. While these visuals could have been made with computers to save on the effort of finding out how to make them practically, Oppenheimer clearly doesn’t shy away from putting effort into its filmmaking. The effects are not only real, but impressive. There’s an effective use of shot overlays and close-ups to truly make everything feel real. The movie even has some effects that I’m surprised weren’t done with computers, making them even more effective.

In addition to its incredible portrayal of Oppenheimer, his life, and the world around him, Oppenheimer also feels like a movie made for people who love movies. The pacing is that of a cinematic roller coaster ride, never letting up and always feeding you new information with every line of dialogue. But there’s also a depth to the way everything is handled, forcing you to think about the movie, remember small details, and enjoy the ride all at once. Not only is it a film with technical aspects everyone who likes movies will enjoy, it manages to make them all intersect so effortlessly. This layered, fast-paced presentation easily could have gone wrong. But Nolan succeeds in making it an engaging, powerful experience that not a lot of movies—even some of his previous ones—are ever able to achieve.

Oppenheimer is a movie you need to see on the big screen. I don’t think IMAX is required to enjoy it, unless you’re most interested in the special effects (which, to be honest, only make up about 10% of the movie). But it is a movie you should watch in theaters. The experience is something that just can’t be replicated at home unless you have a home theater—which I presume most people don’t, myself included. Going to the movie theater with a bucket of popcorn and a drink at your side is the best way to watch this grand trek into Oppenheimer’s mind, and his history. This is the best movie I’ve seen in theaters so far this year, and despite how great some upcoming movies in 2023 look, I don’t see any of them topping just how incredible this was.

Oppenheimer is phenomenal, and will likely be remembered for years to come.

***

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