Oppenheimer: Father of the atomic bomb

The most exciting time of the year for a film lover is here!

Summer is here, and all the summer blockbusters are lined up, ready to thrill the enthusiastic audience with uplifting performances, brilliant camera and computer works and groundbreaking film-making skills. This summer in particular is a special for a couple of reasons. This is attributed to a couple of facts- firstly, all the films were released one close to the other (and two big blockbusters being released on the same day), and secondly, after a decade of oversaturating the market with MCU films, the summer box office is finally running without the same, formulaic superhero stories. Big crowd pleasers, big franchises are still there, and it is refreshing to see that people are still flocking into the theaters even though there are no MCU or DCEU films.

One film that ignited the summer box office was Oppenheimer. Directed by the visionary virtuoso Christopher Nolan whose prodigious mind has gifted us so many masterpieces over the years, the film is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J.Sherwin which ventures through the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, his work and the trials and tribulations that shaped his later life. Oppenheimer is famously known for the creation of the atomic bomb, a diabolic weapon that changed the course of history and opened for mankind a door to self-destruction. Oppenheimer himself was nothing less than an enigmatic man, perhaps way more than his creation itself, and his life was layered with dramatic twists and turns, all of which could be featured to make a compelling story.

Going into this film, I was super excited. As a history enthusiast, especially as someone who has taken abundant interest in the second world war, I was excited to see how they depict the genius that built the bomb that would alter history forever, and I was especially curious to see how Nolan, a man known for his great ideas and exquisite storytelling who has come up with complex ideas too, perceived this person. On top of that, a star-studded cast consisting of the legendary Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and several other notable actors elevated the expectations from the film. Nolan himself was the key-selling point- he is a one-of-a-kind filmmaker- on par with the greats, Scorsese, Tarantino, Villeneuve- whose film is certainly expected to be pristine because of his unique style and his flare in using practical effects. Moreover, several video reels and interviews revealed the magnitude of the film: the film was entirely shot using IMAX camera, and the ultimate explosion scene was filmed using an actual bomb. So the hype was naturally through the roof.

So, did Oppenheimer live up to its Nolan-level expectations?

I can happily say Oppenheimer is one of the greatest biographical films I have ever watched, probably the best. Nolan’s outstanding vision and his adeptness has once again proved to be fruitful in his pursuit of making groundbreaking flicks and overcoming his own productions. The storytelling, partnered with amazing performances and an absolutely mindblowing soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson all came together to gift us film lovers a chef-d'oeuvre that will be remembered for the ages to come.

I will start off with Nolan and his efforts to produce fresh ideas and revive cinema in this age where comic book films and formulaic CGI-heavy films have oversaturated the market. Nolan is easily my favorite filmmaker of all time, and I say that with strong conviction. Nolan’s films exude this magical feeling that even Scorsese or Tarantino cannot do- they have immaculate and awe-inspiring set pieces for one big showdown, and various sequences that coalesce to build up the scene and finally they all payoff. This was the case with The Prestige, The Dark Knight Rises, Dunkirk, and now Oppenheimer. Everything building up to the historic Trinity test scene was brilliant and masterclass themselves. You would expect Nolan to lose his artistic ideas and his way of fabricating astonishing stories while working on a biopic, but none of that happens, and Nolan is able to maintain his brilliance. The story of Oppenheimer, him starting as a Professor, getting involved in politics, meeting General Groves and starting the Manhattan Project, building the bomb and ultimately getting tagged as a Soviet spy, all the while seeing his perspective and thoughts on the devastating device he created and its aftermath all of these are so masterfully captured that you are left bewildered, shaken and absolutely devastated. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s character is so beautifully brought to life that you wonder how long Nolan had to study this man’s life and his works.

What’s more interesting is that in this film, there is a big name in every single frame. There will be characters sitting in the background and will make you say “Hey, that’s that guy! He could be this important character himself!” It only goes to show how vital a director like Nolan is- every major names in Hollywood intend to work with him. It also makes it seems like an actual biographical film- a big name just sitting there, not saying some memorable dialogue makes it look like you are a fly on the wall, witnessing the actual scene that went down in history. Each and every conversation also is a joy to watch because these characters are fleshed out so beautifully, it makes you want to know more about them.

Moving on to the performances. As I have said before, the performances are stellar, lively and presents these larger-than-life characters to us audiences in the best ways possible. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie all pass with flying colors, and serves for the story. Each of these complex characters are hard to capture, and their interactions are even more complex, yet the actors pull them off brilliantly. Robert Downey Jr. is easily the best of them all- his ability to mould himself into the character that he plays allows him once again to make his character as realistic as possible, and the emotions on his face, his speech styles and his interactions with other actors make his portrayal an Oscar-worthy one. But even then, his performance is not the best in the film. It is Cillian Murphy’s.

All eyes on Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy has been one of my favorite actors of all time. His portrayal of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Scarecrow in Batman Begins are some of my favorites of all time. Murphy’s ability to blend into his character and make it his personality exceeds Downey’s (with all due respect). Over the ages, Murphy has given many memorable performances, and it was time for him to finally appear on the big screen as a lead character. Now, he finally has, and boy did he absolutely smash his role.

Oppenheimer is a complex character whose enigmatic mind is one to be studied, and Murphy captured it perfectly. Murphy’s portrayal brings layers to the character- he is complex, always agitated, always thoughtful. Murphy not only looks like him, but he absolutely conquers the essence of the character and completes his character arc. It feels as if Oppenheimer is the rising and residing waves of the sea, and Murphy is the adept surfer riding those waves gallantly. Murphy’s face itself captures the magnitude of the scenario, and his eyes shimmeringly reflects the emotions his character goes through. This is by far the best performance of the year, and I really do hope Murphy finally gets the Oscar nod he so necessarily deserves.

Oppenheimer is a fascinatingly tragic film, and Ludwig Göransson understood his assignment. The score is amusing, fearsome and thought-provoking, and plays out through the scenes perfectly, giving our eyes and our ears a treat. The dialogues may not be absolutely clear during some of the scenes, and that is something that Nolan has been doing over the last few films, and maybe one day he might reveal why.

That last is something to talk about for the years to come

The tragedy of the story, the thought for future, warnings and grief all themes come through in this historic thriller. Even during the Trinity test scene, you can feel your heart pounding because the film makes you feel what these characters feel, and although you know what happened, you want to feel it happen before your very eyes. That is another magic of Nolan- he makes you feel the situation, not just see it. The entire three hours runtime is intelligently utilized- I never for once felt bored. The historic implications of such a thing makes you feel the real horror this film is wanting you to feel, that the threat is not over, it still exists. When the bomb eventually drops, you don't feel thrilled or ecstatic, but it's rather a feeling of horror and a realization of man’s capabilities. It really is one of the most tragic and PTSD-inducing films ever made, and kudos to Nolan and the team for pulling it off.

All in all, Oppenheimer is absolutely ground-shattering, tragic and painful, all the while packing brilliant performances and great set pieces. It will certainly go down in the pages of history as one of the most beautiful films of all time, and certainly one of the magnum opus of a director who has done so much for the film industry.

Oppenheimer gets an A+.