Review of Oppenheimer (2023) by Chikiponmex — 27 Jul 2023

To be honest, even though I regard Christopher Nolan as one of my favourite, if not favourite film directors, when I first heard that Oppenheimer was his next film, I was a bit skeptical. Oppenheimer is a drama/biography is a genre Nolan has not tackled before. So I was not sure how this one would come out, and was cautious to jump on the hype of the Barbenheimer craze.

BUT.

After watching the film, I realise my doubt was misplaced and I have grown significantly more respect and appreciation for Nolan's work.

Oppenheimer was an amazing film!

Despite it being nearly three hours long, I was really impressed how they managed to give the film a fast pace. The film never really felt like it slowed down. The intensity was constant throughout. In a weird way, it felt like the ticking of a time bomb, always progressing to something bigger.

Ludwig Göransson's soundtrack was impeccable. It just complemented the film so well and played a major role in maintaining the films quick pace. I don't think I could name a another film where the soundtrack was so integral to the film.

All the actors and actresses gave outstanding performances! Cillian Murphy! My goodness! Oscar Worthy performance from him. I enjoyed the way the film kept me enraptured in his Oppenheimer's psyche. He brought such an emotional intensity to each scene, purely through his facial expressions and body language. I truly empathized with his moments of conflict where he gets caught in the thick of war and politics and how he is forced to grapple with the consequences of his actions.

I was also throughly impressed with Robert Down Jr's performance as Lewis Strauss. He made it seem so easy. I believe he could be a contender for Best Supporting Actor.

Credit must go to Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh, who did not have as big roles as Murphy, but did really well when they were on screen.

I love that Nolan always opts for shooting using IMAX cameras because it gives his film a unique visual style. The shots didn't have insane composition but I enjoyed their shooting style. They made use of many closeups which kept me engaged and allowed me to sympathise with Oppenheimer more. The closeups ups also kept you absorbed in the tension and did not allow you to escape. I continue to enjoy Hoyte van Hoytema colour palette as well with the combination of greys, blue, black etc.

This film is also a triumph in filmmaking because Nolan showed that even though there is no action but mostly dialogue, there are still ways you can use the film language to make a film engaging. On top of that, he still manages to share his unique artistic flair because even though Oppenheimer is a biography, it still felt like a "Christopher Nolan Movie" with it's sprinkles of espionage, special effects, surreal imagery etc.

Oppenheimer manages to live up and surpass the hype in many ways and could honestly go down as one of the most riveting dramas/biographies ever made!

The ones giving it bad scores are childish reviewers that can not understand the meanings on the movie. Too many marvel movies I guess...