Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is the latest film by legendary film maker Christopher Nolan. It’s his first R-rated film since Insomnia and it’s also right at three hours long. Do not let either of those facts deter you from seeing this film. This film is a masterclass in film making. It nails nearly every aspect and excels in many like visual effects and score. The film is not a fun topic, but it’s one of the most important topics of human history. Perhaps the most amazing part of the film is the cast. Everyone knows Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. are stars of the film. But that doesn’t begin to consider the depth of the cast. There are cameos from Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck and Rami Malek among others. What kind of film can get three Oscar winning best actors to agree to cameos?
This is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. It’s filmed primarily on a 70mm IMAX camera and is intended to be seen and heard that way. The bombing test scene is reason enough to see this film in IMAX. One amazing thing about Oppenheimer is that there is no CGI used in the entire film. Everything you see was actually filmed. In today’s world of computer graphics that’s a pretty amazing thing. The score and sound are out of this world and something that can really only be truly appreciated in a theatre.
You’ll want to do everything you can to pay attention during this film. There are a ton of characters and there’s a lot going on. Seeing this film for a second or third time will surely help you better understand everything. There is a lot that can be missed during the first viewing, but that’s okay because watching this film multiple times is well worth it. One thing Nolan improved on was allowing the dialogue to be heard. His last film, Tenet, was very difficult if not impossible to hear much of the dialogue. And the dialogue is so very vital to this film. Nolan took a lot of the script directly from transcripts so the history is real and it’s important to the film. Nolan did everything he could to make the film as authentic as possible. Certainly dramatic liberties were taken, but the guts of the story are real and authentic.
Do yourself a favor and go see this film. Whether you want to see it for the history or simply to experience another Nolan masterpiece, you won’t be disappointed. This is a classic film that will live on for quite some time. And don’t be surprised to see Nolan win his first Oscar, one that he greatly deserves.
10/10
Lead image courtesy of Universal Pictures
