Film Review — Oppenheimer
Nolan’s devastating epic is a near-perfect detonation.
During World War II, J. Robert Oppenheimer spearheads the top-secret development of the atomic bomb. But when his greatest triumph becomes his gravest fear, the brilliant but complicated theoretical scientist becomes a contentious figure in a tense and paranoid new age.
★★★★☆
Rounding out a loose trilogy of sorts — Dunkirk and Tenet both share similar themes — Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is an absorbing three-hour epic about the man who, for all intents and purposes, began the end of the world.
It’s equal parts character study, thriller and horror. And for those who share my concern for our collective future, it will almost certainly require immediate therapy after first viewing. With its relentless pacing and grim proclamation, Nolan successfully makes his anxiety everyone’s anxiety. Thanks, Chris!
Oppenheimer reaffirms Nolan as one of the best filmmakers working today, a powerful rebound following the gorgeous but still-baffling Tenet. His latest effort is one of his strongest from a storytelling perspective, a narrative that leaps artfully back and forth through time and space.
It’s a fairly ordinary biography that Nolan makes extraordinary through his famously deft handling of chronology, not to mention Jennifer Lame’s excellent editing that makes the film’s many talking scenes as white-knuckle exciting as something you’d expect from the Fast and Furious series.
Leading the most packed acting ensemble in recent cinematic history is regular Nolan associate Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Dunkirk) who outshines many of his more recognisable co-stars with a remarkable performance.
From troubled young student to ambitious scientific upstart, and finally, to the gaunt and guilt-wracked outcast, Murphy truly embodies Oppenheimer; the Irishman’s distinct eyes a window into the soul of someone whose vast intelligence came with a heavy toll.
If he doesn’t sweep the upcoming awards season it’ll be a major surprise.
Nolan’s passion for cinema remains resolute, and his legions of fans will be delighted once again with his dedication to all things analogue. His bad habits — unbalanced sound equalisation and underwritten female characters — remain his biggest drawbacks, the former being the only thing preventing Oppenheimer from attaining true and complete masterpiece status.
Despite the muffled dialogue about quantum mechanics and Florence Pugh’s paltry three minutes of screen time, this is a spectacular movie. Another must-see from a master of the craft. An all-too-rare non-franchise cinematic event that celebrates the art of filmmaking.
Complex and imperfect, Oppenheimer, just like the man himself, is a near-perfect detonation.
Originally published at michaelkenny.uk
