It seems that most years have historical biopics that do well at the Academy Awards or at least are expected to. The big one from this year already seems like it’ll be Oppenheimer. The film has been getting praise from both critics and audiences and has been called “important” and “a masterpiece.” Does Christopher Nolan’s retelling of American Prometheus live up to such acclaim or does it deserve to become a bomb itself?

The Good

If there’s anything Oscar-worthy in this flick, it’s the acting, primarily from the lead Cillian Murphy. He gives a mostly subtle performance that manages to capture the complicated array of emotions the film intends to convey. Alden Ehrenreich, Robert Downey Jr., David Krumholtz, and all gave stand out performances as well. There were a handful of big names who felt completely wasted in this movie, but those who were allotted screen time and dialogue showcased their talents wonderfully.

Oppenheimer is incredibly well-shot. The magnificent cinematography and directing showcases the heavy emotions of the story and characters while also proving to be a visual treat. Whether a scene is intended to be suspenseful, stressful, or even celebratory, it’s shot in a way that fits perfectly. There are some unique and clever angles set up that help to tell the story themselves.

The sound mixing of the movie is also rather impressive. The sound (and use of silence) of the bomb going off, the sound of the feet stomping in the bleachers, and the rowdiness of crowds and reporters not only sound distinct, but they add a lot to the story as well. For instance, the stomping in the bleachers plays into Oppenheimer’s stress, but it also represents the guilt he feels while others celebrate the death and destruction he caused. It’s an overall brilliant use of sound in a movie.

One of the most impressive details about the movie is that there are layers upon layers of suspense throughout with just dialogue to create it. There are back-and-forths between characters that are positively riveting. It’s rare to see dialogue so compelling that a movie’s suspense relies so heavily on it.

One of the central themes throughout the movie is the moral gray area of building the bomb before others did but how humans built our own demise in the process. These ideas are presented quite well through the acting and how the film was shot. It all hits pretty hard and certainly makes one think.

The Bad

The movie jumps between time periods throughout and it’s not handled in the best way. It leads to some confusion regarding when certain events are happening, especially early on. Future events are black and white while past events are in color which leads to further confusion since every other piece of media does the opposite. It’s also edited in a choppy manner at times which doesn’t help at all. What’s more baffling is that there’s no need for the story to be nonlinear. It’s based on true events, not a mind-bending film like Inception.

At three hours, the move is much too long. That runtime is absolutely felt about half way through. A lot of the movie features long, drawn out shots where the camera lingers far too much time. If each of those were trimmed down, along with taking out moments that don’t serve the plot, the movie could have been much shorter while telling the same story.

Oppenheimer may be based on a true story, or based on a book that’s based on a true story, but it either glosses over important events, or fails to mention them at all. They barely touch on the actual lives that were lost as a result of Oppenheimer’s bomb. They fail to bring up that Oppenheimer took that land he built the bomb on from indigenous people and caused them to uproot their lives. In real life, Kitty Oppenheimer was a renowned biologist and botanist. The movie reduces her to an alcoholic stay-at-home mom who does nothing but support her husband. Too much of the story feels fictionalized for the sake of making Oppenheimer into more of a hero than he was.

Conclusion

Oppenheimer is far from the best representation of true events, but it ultimately works as a film. There are scenes that could be much shorter, and the story would have benefited from being told linearly, but it is very well shot, well acted, and very suspenseful. On top of that, it is a heavy film that makes one think about humanity’s massive mistakes. 

Rating: 7.5/10

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