Review of Oppenheimer (2023) by Vitalyv — 21 Jul 2023

Simply a phenomenal movie, maybe even the best I've ever seen. The message conveyed is not only conveyed masterfully, but might actually be the best movie I've ever seen. One of the most essential parts of the movie is how it takes a deep dive into Oppenheimer's own thoughts, the choices he had to make, and especially explores his fears. The behaviors he exhibited and the choices he had to make really make you question if he did the best he could and ultimately if he made the right, moral choices.

The film does an excellent job of showing both Oppenheimer's personal life and his work on the Manhattan Project. The different people involved in the project and their contributions were also represented well. The movie beautifully shows the development of the Manhattan Project and the climatic Trinity Test.

Something that really gripped me during my viewing was the silence exhibited after the flash of the nuclear bomb went off. Never have I sensed such a quiet crowd in a movie theater. The way Nolan captured us all in this moment is something to marvel at.

In terms of actual performance, Cillian Murphy, the lead actor, does an amazing job as Oppenheimer, showing all the different emotions of the character and exhibiting perfect emotional delivery of his character. The other actors also do a great job, adding more depth to the story.

Throughout my viewing, I could not ignore the reminder of the danger of nuclear weapons present throughout the movie. It reminded me how dangerous nuclear war could be, and most hauntingly, that it is not an event in the past, but rather something still dictating our world today.

For me, "Oppenheimer" is much more separate as a piece of cinema compared to other films as it feels like it really communicates a message vital to how we live our lives today. While other movies deal with real themes too, the way "Oppenheimer" addresses nuclear war all throughout the movie compels me and communicates to me in a way like no other. For these reasons, I legitimately believe this is Christopher Nolan's best work thus far, and is the best movie I've ever seen, and some may argue it may even be the best movie of the 21st Century thus far.