I did Barbenheimer and I watched Oppenheimer second which was the correct order choice because this movie overshadowed Barbie. This movie had no special message, it is just an excellent movie. Surprisingly even though this movie is simply a biographical movie I was on the edge of my seat for most of this movie. It is an extremely compelling movie and it looks gorgeous. I do regret not seeing it on IMAX like it was intended. But it is definitely worth seeing on the big screen, the best screen you can find.
Christopher Nolan directed this opus which focuses on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. This movie focuses on his entire life, not just the invention of the atomic bomb, so this movie is long. Like three hours long, when you feel it can be slightly shorter. I mean it, the movie encompasses most of Oppenheimer's life so don't expect the movie to be over with the testing of the bomb. Just settle in for a drama. A really good drama. Christopher Nolan really wants that Best Director award at the Oscars. This movie should at least get him another nomination. Or maybe they will finally let him direct a Bond movie, either way, this movie is a major accomplishment and I hopes he will be rewarded for it.
J. Robert Oppenheimer is very well known so you basically go into this movie knowing a lot about the movie. I didn't know a lot about his personal life, but that was actually not the most interesting part. Obviously the invention of the nuclear bomb is the most interesting part of the movie. Even though you know how it ends it is still absolutely fascinating. However, this movie plays it very safe. It hardly mentions World War 2, even though that is the reason for the invention of the bomb. Even though most of the characters are Jewish it manages to not even mention anti-Semitism in the US. It is baffling in my opinion. Not surprisingly since Russia is enemy number 1 again, this movie leans into that. Because they are the easiest villain and one that doesn’t require you to deal with difficult subject matter. Despite all of the possible complex subject matter this movie manages to be message free and not step on anyone's toes. It is just a story of a person, the person in charge of the Manhattan Project.
Like any excellent drama movie, the acting in this movie is phenomenal. Cillian Murphy absolutely killed it as J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is sure to get nominated and win Best Actor this year at the Oscars. He did a phenomenal job. This is a pretty complex role and he just nailed it and he carries the entire movie. On his frail shoulders, because he lost a lot of weight for this movie, like a lot. The only person who compares to him is Robert Downey Jr. who plays Lewis Strauss. I can see a Best Supporting Actor nomination in his future. I don't know why he feels the need to tarnish Marvel all of a sudden, but he did an excellent job in this movie. His role is bigger than you'd imagine and also juicier. They gave him a lot to play with and he went to town with it. Emily Blunt has nothing to do in this movie and so does Florence Pugh. It is very disappointing. They do their best in thankless roles. Also, this movie has an insane amount of famous actors in it. The trailer doesn't encompass everyone who is in this movie and it was a pleasant surprise. Everyone here does the best with what they have, even if what they have are very few lines. It feels like a tour de force of acting, which is very impressive.
In an age of never-ending franchises or movies based on something, this is just an excellent drama. A drama movie that manages to make as much money at the box office as a franchise movie, which is super impressive. In fact, Oppenheimer is now the highest grossing movie that has never reached number 1 at the box office. I am sure that Christopher Nolan is not happy about not making it to number one, but he can be proud that he managed to bring people back to theaters for a genre that was almost considered dead to cinemas. He managed to make this movie an experience that can't be missed and you shouldn't miss it either. On the big screen.
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