Oppenheimer

A return to cinema and a movie that was set to create the holy duo of "Barbenheimer". I unfortunately did not get to see it until recently and, I gotta say, it was worth the wait! The movie delves deeply into the man behind the atom bomb but also acknowledges much of his faults. Additionally, the historical accuracy is clearly portrayed in a useful and fun way! This is my review of Oppenheimer!

PLOT: A bit confusing, but intriguing!

The movie is painted out of order and can get quite confusing to most average viewers, hence this movie had to get creative with a method I will detail in Little Things and Shots. But, the plot is cohesive as a character study, showing the moments in Oppenheimer's life that lead to his excommunication and, ultimately, the downfall of those who vied against him. It's quite well-strung and arguably my favorite of Christopher Nolan's attempts at this. Most of his movies try this unsuccessfully but this one really works for me.

CHARACTERS: Historically accurate... but...

Here's the hard part about historical accuracy to a fault. People rarely have interesting enough lives to be covered by a movie, especially scientists. You have to either choose to fictionalize people or go straight and just portray them as they were. This leaves a lot of characters feeling like one-off cameos from actors or just bland. While some of the main actors deliver beautiful performances, others like Jack Quaid, Josh Peck, and especially Rami Malek end up feeling hollow as they were just good actors hired to play bit roles. That being said, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, and Florence Pugh all deliver memorable performances and are a delight to watch. Emily Blunt is a bit off but I don't find her distracting. Benny Sadfie and Alden Ehrenreich are standouts to me, actually. Both are surprisingly memorable as their roles despite being recognizeable names.

SHOTS: It's Christopher Nolan, guys.

A Christopher Nolan movie is full of memorable shots, incredible cinematography, and surprisingly clever uses of camera and space to convey the message. I ain't gonna repeat myself too much, so let's just say he knows how to use the camera and move on! Though, I will admit, the one thing I thought was bad falls under here, but we'll get back to it under Cons...

SOUND: Chrissy Nolan, again...

Again, this man knows his way around a camera. This means he knows sound design too. Most of the sound design in this movie is terrific. Even just the act of making the film silent delivers poignant moments. But, by far, the standout scene is the bomb scene. The audio there is quality and really builds a sense of joy yet anxiety at the thought of what just occured with the simple act of cutting the audio and letting it sink in.

WRITING: Actually...

For once, I really think this is his best written movie. No unnecessary dialogue, only one or two inspiring speeches, and most of the overwritten dialogue makes sense as it's largely focused on people talking about important science. This movie really falls under the Nolan writing, but it's perfectly situated to suit not only the time period but also the writing.

CONS: Christopher Nolan...

Sadly, this is Christopher Nolan, and I often take issue with his movies (as you'll see in my review of his Batman movies). This movie ends up feeling far too long to be honest. Three hours of movie is sometimes too much and he always does it. The worst thing is he rarely needs to do it too. The movies could have certain scenes cut and they'd work better. But, since he's an "artist", he must make it long to show how important it is. That being said, I really think the worst thing isn't the runtime. It's the bomb itself. Soundwise, it's great, but visually? It's arguably my least favorite thing the movie does. It's visually underwhelming as the explosion has more grand shots earlier in the movie with plenty of slow-mo and conceptual visualization that works quite well. When we get to the bomb, while the execution is creative, the appearance is just too boring for me. Sorry, guys, atom bomb doesn't work.

LITTLE THINGS: My favorite thing!

How they demonstrate fiction from reality is by far my favorite part. Switching from color to black and white is just such a creative choice. Black and white demonstrates reality (the phrase "black and white" being quite metaphorical and literal) while color demonstrates a fictionalized version of events that is interpreted from eyewitness accounts and rumors. It's a great way to avoid historical inaccuracy by ensuring the audience knows what's Hollywood rumors and what's just the cold hard facts. Good stuff.

VERDICT: The unbearable weight of massive talent...

And, no, I am not referencing Nicholas Cage. Jokes aside, the movie stands as a testament to the career of Christopher Nolan and showcases some of his best work. However, the runtime and some visual choices stand in the way of a perfect score. That being said, I would be a fool to praise Barbie while not praising this.

SCORE: 9.5/10