Movie 13 - Oppenheimer (2023) , Dir. Christopher Nolan.
I never wanted to watch the movie, not now, not before, not ever.
My reason being i felt it was a way to justify the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and essentially portray what the U.S. did was correct, i thought it would be a propoganda movie.
I still feel that way, But why am i watching it?
it's because it's a film; made by a director, acted by a tremendous cast.
I want to watch it to to cure my curiosity about why everyone is praising the movie, and also to put my bias and opinions aside and give it a real chance to see what the film has to offer.
I believe it's a chance for me to be able to see different perspectives and come to a conclusion i believe in.
The review :
The movie had a non-linear style of story telling. The movie is shown in a way that is described by Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and also Lewis Straus(Robert Downey Jr.) to a group of government officials. All the actors and actresses performed wonderfully. It’s good to see Cillian Murphy take the center stage. Both Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy did a wonderful job, it was an absolute pleasure to see them both taking on such different and challenging roles
Cinematography wise the shots were smooth and consistent, i liked the idea of certain scenes being shown in black and white, it helped set the tone. Nolan's non-usage of full CGI for the trinity test did not make sense to me as the viewer knows what a mushroom cloud looks like. The scene was still a amazing to watch and the sound was timed and created perfectly. I think he could have made the trinity test scene look a little more dangerous so that the viewer knows that what just happened has truly changed the world. The sets were well made and the background music is heavenly. Ludwig Göransson did a fabulous job with Can You Hear the Music.
The movie tells a lot about the Manhattan project that not everyone knows, including myself, about the politics involved or the personal conflict.
I am mostly familiar with regard to the physics and chemistry of the atomic bomb actually through a very interesting video by Veritasium - Why Oppenheimer Deserves His Own Movie. The video highlights the wonderful science that took place and showed how necessity is the mother of invention.
The movie focuses more on the personal life of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (obviously). It explored his relationships, values and his thought process of how he came to be known as 'The Father of the Atomic Bomb'. Till approximately 2 hrs the movie shows the events leading up to the Trinity test and also the bombing of Japanese cities.
The remainder of the movie showcases the aftermath of both the political state and mental state of Oppenheimer. I believe it was his ego that led to him making the bomb in the first place and being delusional about its usage.
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer helped make significant strides in the field of nuclear physics and also advocated for the development of nuclear energy and usage worldwide.
We now have even more powerful bombs like the Hydrogen bomb and Tsar Bomba whose origins can be said to have started from the Manhattan project.
It is terrible to see how a man who helped win a war for his country have his reputation and life be upheaved by the same country.
Even though he essentially accelerated the development, without the help and knowledge of the other scientists and workers the bomb would never have come to fruition.
He definitely knew that the world would not be the same, no matter what anyone says about him being delusional, it was a time of war and the usage of the bomb was clear to him from the start, it was made to be used as show of power.
Despite everything, its a superb movie with a brilliant cast and brilliant acting that sheds light on american history and its political landscape, in the end it doesn't feel like a propoganda movie to me at all. it is a complex and visually stunning depiction of a pivotal moment in the humanity's history.
Christopher Nolan has made an amazing biopic about a great mind of the 20th century. His film's and style are so unique and unmatched it's unlike anything i have ever seen in my entire life. I am now just waiting excited to see what his next project is going to be.
2 lines from the movie that stuck with me are : -
"Don't alienate the only people in the world that understand what you do" - Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh)
and
"How could this man who saw so much be so blind" - Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.)
I wont be giving this a rating because i don't feel right doing so.
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My next review is going to Assassin's Creed (2016).
Check this out on Medium.
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