Movie Review: Oppenheimer

 Anthony’s notice: This review is posted during SAG-AFTRA strike against AMPTP, meaning many major reviewers (commonly on Youtube) are either in delays, halts or having a limited review. But as for me, I wasn’t part of the SAG-AFTRA, since im working on a thrift store (though my vacation will coming to an end, as im writing this), meaning im a minor reviewer in DA that i won’t be effected from the strike to call “Promoting AMPTP products” (so I thought), since reviews are meant to sharing our thoughts of any medias like movies, TV shows, video games, etc. Of course, we shall be supportive to actors and writers for their solidarity in movies and TVs industries. Thank you.

“Now I am become Death… The Destroyer of Worlds...”

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

Last time, I reviewed Barbie, which at one moment before starting my review, I mentioned this movie came out the same as what we’re getting into in today’s review with a familiar film maker that we all know and love, involving a test with a powerful weapon from many years.

“Oppenheimer” is a 2023 biographical thriller movie that was written/produced/directed by Christopher Nolan and co-produced by Emma Thomas and Charles Roven.

This one is possibly Nolan’s passion project to have a movie based on Manhattan Project (aka the creation of Nuclear weapon in WW2) while been with Warner Bros, with Cillian Murphy as a perfect fit for titular protagonist during their negotiation. However, back in 2020, since we had the “You know what”, Warner Bros are forced to have options for which movies to either push for next year for theatrical film or releasing it right away on HBO Max (before changed to Max). But after releasing his movie Tenet in a disappointing result, as well as Warner Bros has turning into ClusterF*** before David Zaslav took over, along with merging with Discovery, Chris Nolan lost his touch with them and left the company to finding a new distributors, it wouldn’t be until Universal Pictures gave Nolan approval to greenlit the project as what we have today.

So, with all that, will Project Manhattan is a success for Robert Oppenheimer, or is this project going badly wrong for a nuke.

Well, lets find out.

The Story

Ohh boy, this story is quite complex with thought provoking writing.

The movie begins right in the discussion of security hearing to explained where did Julius Robert Oppenheimer begins (Ok? Talk about an unusual start to tell us where it all begin), it all started back in the 1920 where Robert Oppenheimer had a bad experience at Cavendish Laboratory due to being homesick and anxiety that, despite being a nerd of science, he’s having a struggle to work with physicist Patrick Blackett, after questionable plan to poisoning an apple (Jeez dude, that’s unnecessarily stupid), he was suggested to going in Germany to earning PhD. A couple years after going back to US to becoming a science teacher in California, he’s having a relationship with Katherine to be part of his family, despite he secretly had affair with Jean Tatlock, the latter of which she’s a member of Communist Party (yeah, despite love triangle part, he better stay with Kitty rather than going out with communist member when Robert is actually Jewish, speaking of the latter), Robert was aware that in WW2, it was told that the Nazi was planned to make a weapon of massive destruction, its up to Oppenheimer work with scientific team and the military to work on Manhattan Project in order to put it end of WW2 as they could.

Man, the story has so much details that its complex, especially that it goes back and forth from Oppenheimer’s life to the hearing discussion and in the court, the latter of which is pretty much explaining what happened back then, which even though it sounds like a spoiler, but its more about plot development who Oppenheimer is, but again, its pretty complex from the writing to giving us a thought provoking plot development. While there are some followed from actual event from Oppenheimer’s relation, a public concern about creating a nuclear bomb to security hearing, but some are exaggerated to brought in that I questioned some part, like the scene where he injected an apple in attempt to poisoning his teacher, which at first, I though it was a dumb creative liberty, but it was actually true according to one of Robert’s friend. And since this movie is a 3 hours long movie, that’s a one long movie to giving us plenty of plot and character development before we get to a climatic Manhattan Project with Trinity Test, which I thought its over to live happily ever after, but it was longer to reaching a security hearing, but again, I won’t spoil the detail about the last part.

But man, while the writing is pretty good, but sometimes, it gets pretty complex back and forth from hearing explain to us back then before we get to a long third act, even even its taken forever, but then again, at least the writing is pretty good for thought provoking development.

The Presentation

The budget of this movie is somewhat cheap as $100M, but despite this this, at least it looks pretty good.

For starter, the location is actually nicely followed from the actual events from University of California in Berekeley, which I will say, it the place is huge for teaching to concept plans of Manhattan Project, to the middle of nowhere of Los Alamos, New Mexico, I think the latter of which is the highlight of the movie, il get there later. These locations filming are pretty good and accurate places to film how it takes place on that il give a credit for following up from actual stories. Although there’s one time that they filmed an actual Oppenheimer’s cabin, not bad.

But one thing that its good, but can be questionable is whenever they wanna film in color or in black and white. Like we see from the beginning to the discussion in colors to the security hearing in black and white. I mean, I get they wanna feel like the movie quality in the 40’s but I find the black and white filming with filming color and questionable, if you wanna add black and white, why not film nothing but black and white, im just saying. Though il give a credit that despite swapping from colors to black and white, this is the first time that it was filmed (well, half way) in back and white to also releasing the film on IMAX with Kodak created FotoKem for the purpose of this movie, not bad.

The sets they placing are pretty good to fit in the 1940s, especially with the adding sets in University of California, but the highlight part is the set of cabins in Los Alamos, as well as the tower of Trinity Test, the latter of which that Cillian Muprhy is soo impressed that he even climbed the replica tower, while in a rough weather. I guess you can say Murphy is too excite of impressing a replica Trinity tower.

Of course, if you’ve seen plenty of Christopher Nolan movies, we like to see his magic of practical effects, eh? Well, the practical effects aren’t as big compare to Nolan’s previous movies. This time, the focus of practical effect is the use of explosion, hence the highlight of this movie, I know when we saw the teaser, some people believe they’re using CG for the explosion, but in reality, we all know its not true, cause come on, have you seen many of Nolan’s practical effects? Anyway, the only way to use the explosion in practical effects, they use a combination of gasoline, propane, aluminum powder, and magnesium in order to creating explosion effect, even though they had to ask a permission to the government for filming at White Sands Missile Range for explosion test scenes.

There’s also a brief mind part scenes where Oppenheimer explains about the science experiment where we briefly see the science experiment like flashy fire wave thingies. At first, I though the mind science part is done with CG, but nope, its another tricky practical effect. Ohh Nolan, you’ve done it again!

Though one part that probably bothering me, is the seen of Oppenheimer’s concerning vision after his success of Trinity Test to show what happen how victim looks like, I don’t know if its true or not, but I find the part to be exaggerated in my opinion, but sure, we due share our concerning feeling what happen to the victims from the nuke.

The movie’s presentation is outstanding for beautiful filming, a nice visual (despite the swapping color and black and white, and some exaggerated part) and in Nolan’s fashion, an impressive tricky practical effects.

The Characters

Ok, lets see what we hav-- HOLY MOTHER OF COW!! That’s a lot of characters when I checked the wiki, so im gonna be very limited to pick some, but I do I have to mention that, like Barbie, they have high profile appearances for the sake of high profile appearances. But in fairness, they have some fascinating characters and some good acting.

Lets start off with titular protagonist, Julius Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy), a physicist who had a struggling start in his 20s (when he was born Jewish from his family in Germany before Nazi took over before WW2) before he got promising in his life from being a science teacher to director of Manhattan Project that we all know him as “Father of the Atomic Bomb”. In this movie he has a difficulty start that while being eccentric nerd to a teach of theoretical physicist, but can be difficult when something isn’t right from concern of a project weapon of massive destruction to a love triangle between a former communist member and a current member of communist. He may sounds and looks like two face (no pun attended of Batman, since he’s also in Batman as Scarecrow) that he’s acceptable to the project, but behind his smile and calm look was his concern with anxiety for what happened that effected the public reaction. But of course, Murphy did a great work of his role, along with a voice that low with problem, because in reality, Oppenheimer was no stranger for chain smoking, because hey, it was the 40s.

Next up is Katherine Oppenheimer (played by Emily Blunt, aka Tempest Shadow from My Little Pony), she’s the wife of Robert Oppenheimer as we all know, but like I said, she used to be a communist party, which it may sounds like a red flag, but at least she has a good heart to believe in peace as biologist. Even though she likes to get along with Robert, but she’s more concern of his project that she just wants to bring peace than putting the world at risk, even if she could also questioned his struggle relation with Jean Tatlock. Even though she’s more like a minor side character, but il give a credit of Emily did a nice work of her role.

After that, we have Leslie Groves (played by Matt Damon, aka Jason Bourne, aka Carroll Shelby in Ford V Ferrari), the US Army general who joined the Manhattan Project for a weapon massive destruction when Nazi was planning to making their own (though SPOILER ALERT as we know, the Nazi gave up via surrender when Hitler died), even if he can be overwhelming that he could make the same bomb after Trinity. Even though he’s there for military test of a powerful bomb, but as always, Matt Damon did a great work of his role.

And lastly is Lewis Strauss (played by the man formerly known as Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr.), a businessman and philanthropist (Huh, kinda like Tony Stark, but different story) member of U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, but when he heard what Oppenheimer did, not only he saw him as an opportunity of public backlash based on his Manhattan Project, where he explains about his experiment of hydrogen bomb in Trinity test. This may sounds like he’s playing the villain, which in real life, Strauss was pretty hostile what Oppenheimer to bring out the security hearing if many evil countries saw Trinity as an opportunity to creating their own, even if Oppenheimer wanted to be perfectly clear at then US president Harry S. Truman to not making another nuclear bombs, but the restriction didn’t turned out to make Robert look bad what Strauss saw him. This is like the equivalent of he said/he said of Oppenheimer trying to clearing his name to restricting nuclear bombs in peace, but Strauss saw Robert as an opportunity that without hydrogen bomb testing, he’ll (and some members) calling him a communist supporter, though not gonna spoil a full detail for who won the security hearing. But I will say, RDJ is always did a great work of his role.

But like I said, due to the amount of characters that it makes the background characters look like an afterthought, I have to limiting the describing characters with the rest in minor explained, but in fairness, they have some big names that they did a nice roles.

There’s the aforementioned Jean Tatlok (played by Florence Pugh, aka Yelena Belova in MCU’s Black Widow, aka Goldilocks in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and aka movie version of former WWE diva Paige), is Robert’s ex that he forgot to realizing she’s a communist member (again, big red flag to acknowledge what kind the person is), Edward Teller (played by Benny Safdie) who’s a Hungarian-American as another theoretical physicist to partnered with Oppenheimer for nuclear bomb test that he somehow support the project as “Father of the Hydrogen Bomb” before his betrayal at him based on restriction gone badly, David L. Hill (played by Rami Malek, aka Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody) is a nuclear physicist but on Oppenheimer’s side for clearing his name, and Albert Einstein (played by Tom Conti) who’s the most influential scientist with having him and Robert have a small bonding.

Again, because of buttload of characters list, im very limited to mentioning, but still, il give a credit for nice casting choice and have a good respect of their roles.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Oppenheimer is a pretty good movie for say the least.

Based on well-written story, some great casting with a buttload of list of characters and a nice presentation with practical effects in typical Chris Nolan’s films.

However, despite I give an appreciation, but its pretty complex when it comes to writing, some parts are jumping back and forth based on plot development with some reminder, the visual color is questionable to be either colored or black and white (despite it looks beautiful), but some part for me, can be exaggerated, but maybe relatable.

Do I think its a prefect movie based on true story, well, its a double edge sword that it depends if you considered the best film ever, or not perfect enough, but I’d say its pretty good, but not as perfect with some parts that I question and the complex writing is kinda all over the place, but still, I enjoy the practical effects. If you ever like to learning about Oppenheimer, this one is definitely for you, or you could either watching some documentary movies about Oppenheimer, just saying for your option.

For my rating, im gonna give this one an 8/10. It s not as perfect from complex writing, but its still a great movie.

So this ends of my marathon of Barbenheimer, I think its safe to say that we may have a tie-breaker.

For box-officer (as im writing this), Barbie is now earning more than $1B, while Oppenheimer is now half of billion dollars, meaning its now more than $500M, which means Barbie made a lot of money.

And as for reviews, Oppenheimer is definitely got a positive reviews, mine included that il give a support and respect for Nolan and Cillian Murphy. As for Barbie, the positive may or may not last longer after the opening that went from good to mixed. For me, I find it a dumb movie, but in a fun way.

So In the end, we have a tie, Barbie won the battle at the box-office, while Oppenheimer is more well-received. As for me, I think il go with Oppenheimer, im definitely give a support of it. Even though there’s no real winner, but they’re both good after viral nature of double feature.

Anyway, so this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.