Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan returning to the absolute peak of his craft. You can say the same about Cillian Murphy, who delivers a performance that will hopefully be discussed or even studied in the years to come.
The success of this film mostly lies on him, and what helps the star shine is the ensemble supporting cast. Nolan, with his tight screenplay and intimate direction, is able to get career-best performances out of Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Josh Harnett, with an understated David Krumholtz and the limited screen precense of Kenneth Branagh.
Editor Jennifer Lane's work allows Oppenheimer to jump from scene to scene, time to time, actor to actor ever so seamlessly. Nolan's one of two expertises displayed here is his significant use of time jumps. Sometimes the jump cuts in this film are excessively overwhelming. This might be an unconventional comment, but I enjoyed Oppenheimer best when it slows down to present a long conversation. Some scenes of the trial and testimony is tense because it allows the rapid-fire dialogue to flow naturally.
And then the shattering sequence of bomb detonation arrives. It is a breathless few minutes. The audience were staring at the gigantic IMAX 70mm screen with culminating intensity. The other expertise of Nolan's is how he handles sound design. Sure, sometimes the audio is so bombastic that we feel the explosion in our core, but it is sometimes the alternative scenes with absolute silence that we feel the most effect of.
As far as the plot goes, those who are invested in it might figure out some historical details that are missing, or that the subplot about the character Oppenheimer's personal life (with Blunt and Florence Pugh) feels half-baked. But as viewers, it won't take long until one realizes that Oppenheimer isn't simply a movie about making the atomic bomb. This character film is fundamentally about a man coming to terms with being the person solely giving people the power to destroy the world. Cinema is a powerful medium, and Oppenheimer uses it to its full extent to deliver a harrowing story that leaves us stunned.
The success of this film mostly lies on him, and what helps the star shine is the ensemble supporting cast. Nolan, with his tight screenplay and intimate direction, is able to get career-best performances out of Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Josh Harnett, with an understated David Krumholtz and the limited screen precense of Kenneth Branagh.
Editor Jennifer Lane's work allows Oppenheimer to jump from scene to scene, time to time, actor to actor ever so seamlessly. Nolan's one of two expertises displayed here is his significant use of time jumps. Sometimes the jump cuts in this film are excessively overwhelming. This might be an unconventional comment, but I enjoyed Oppenheimer best when it slows down to present a long conversation. Some scenes of the trial and testimony is tense because it allows the rapid-fire dialogue to flow naturally.
And then the shattering sequence of bomb detonation arrives. It is a breathless few minutes. The audience were staring at the gigantic IMAX 70mm screen with culminating intensity. The other expertise of Nolan's is how he handles sound design. Sure, sometimes the audio is so bombastic that we feel the explosion in our core, but it is sometimes the alternative scenes with absolute silence that we feel the most effect of.
As far as the plot goes, those who are invested in it might figure out some historical details that are missing, or that the subplot about the character Oppenheimer's personal life (with Blunt and Florence Pugh) feels half-baked. But as viewers, it won't take long until one realizes that Oppenheimer isn't simply a movie about making the atomic bomb. This character film is fundamentally about a man coming to terms with being the person solely giving people the power to destroy the world. Cinema is a powerful medium, and Oppenheimer uses it to its full extent to deliver a harrowing story that leaves us stunned.