Oppenheimer was the second film I viewed on National Cinema Day. This movie was in the theaters for a while at the time of viewing, so it may be leaving the theaters soon. My son wanted to see this movie, so I was happy to view it with him. Although historical, this film is not appropriate for children if viewed at home.
Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as the famous scientist. Murphy has an uncanny likeness to the real person if compared to photos. Other familiar faces include Matt Damon as head of the Manhattan Project, Emily Blunt as Oppehheimer’s wife, and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Straus ( the U.S. Department of Energy Commission representative). Cameo appearances were made by Casey Affleck, Kenneth Branagh and Josh Hartnett. Oppenheimer’s communist lover from his earlier years was portrayed by Frances Pugh. The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan, who also directed the film. Oppenheimer was distributed by Universal Studios.
The plot follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the first atomic bomb, starting at the end of his doctorate program. At the beginning, Oppenheimer is stressed out by a harsh professor at Cambridge. The film shows Oppenheimer leaving the professor a poisoned apple but later returns to retrieve it. This incident was actually a turning point in Oppenheimer’s career because when he returned to retrieve the poisoned apple, scientist Niels Bohr, the 1922 Nobel prize winner, was visiting and suggested that Oppenheimer study theoretical physics instead. Oppenheimer takes the suggestion as finishes his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. Then, he begins teaching at the University of California at Berkeley and The California Institute of Technology where he meets his wife, Kitty, an ex-communist. Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer had an on-again-off-again affair with Jean Tallock, who was a member of the communist party USA. It was these ties to the communist party that held up Oppenheimer’s security clearance after the Manhattan Project concluded. The film follows the building of the atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico and continues with the security clearance hearings for Oppenheimer.
The film is based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherman which was published in 2005. Over the next 15 years, the book was considered for film until the idea finally started to materialize in 2021 with an agreement from Universal to distribute the film. Nolan wrote the screenplay, but he had been thinking about it for 20 years, so it didn’t take long for him to write it. Nolan hand-picked Cillian Murphy for the leading role; Murphy and Nolan had worked together many times before. Filming began in New Mexico in 2020. Special effects teams had to recreate the testing of the atomic bomb with models and real explosions in the New Mexican desert. The set of Los Alamos was reconstructed which took three months. The film premiered in Paris, France on July 11, 2023. The premier in the US was affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike. As of September, Oppenheimer has become the second-highest-grossing film of 2023.
Oppenheimer is rated R for language nudity and sexual content. It was a good movie; however, the security clearance hearing in the second half of the film slowed it down a lot. The screenplay follows the book, but I think some cinematic license should have taken effect to show the results of the atomic bomb and the devastation it caused to justify how Oppenheimer felt about his responsibility in killing thousands of people. All in all, it was a good movie, but I am going to give it 3 out of 5 stars.
