Theater Review: Oppenheimer

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” - Bhagavad Gita

Christopher Nolan returns to the silver screen with his latest feature film: Oppenheimer, the biopic recalling the monumental construction, and imminent destruction of the atomic bomb. A story of scientific exploration, political speculation, and human regard, Oppenheimer challenges the very existence of the most deadly weapon mankind has ever witnessed. Oppenheimer follows the very fears and uncertainty that the Western world faced from the early 20s to the late 50s, addressing topics of nuclear weaponry, espionage, and socialism to name a few.

Plot

In typical Nolan fashion, the story of Oppenheimer jumps from different time points between 1924 and 1954, exploring the perspectives of the primary protagonist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, as well as the primary antagonist, AEC Chairman Lewis Strauss. The film recalls Oppenheimer’s responsibilities as the nuclear physicist and director of operations for the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Laboratories as well as the events that followed including his 1954 security hearing.

Majority of the film is shot in color while parts of the story are filmed in black and white. Colored scene follow the story through the eyes of J. Robert Oppenheimer, while the black and white scenes are through Lewis Strauss’ perspective. This jump in perspectives provides a rich understanding of both the scientific and political magnitude of the Manhattan Project and the events following. With the film exploring, Oppy’s scientific determination as well as his sexual adventures, Oppenheimer is layered with fronts of science and politics as well as the concerns at the time revolving around military competition between the Americans, Germans, and Soviets, not to mention the growing fear of espionage and potential treason.

The story concludes with what seems to be the defining moment of the story with Albert Einstein saying to J. Robert Oppenheimer “It won't be for you, it would be for them.” This quote is dropped as Oppy receives what appears to be the Enrico Fermi Award. A glimpse of the world of science where politics seem to influence the nature and approach to scientific discovery. In a way, this is why we see scientists for their individual achievements as oppose to their whole body of work. Throughout the film, Oppy is coined as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb” as opposed to being “One of the greatest physicists of in history”.

Cinematography

Throughout his career, Nolan has not been shy to use images and visuals to show people you’re watching a Nolan film… Oppenheimer is no different as it keeps viewers alert. From the luscious tones and vibrant warm colors of fire and red tones of a nuclear explosion, to the dark and bland precision of the AEC facilities, Nolan use of color enhances the setting his characters are immersed in. Nolan’s bold choice to amp the decibel levels to maximum keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, waiting for an astronomical uncovering of the world’s most destructive creation. The audio of stomping feet, explosions, high-pitched screams, even the background violin gives this notion of particles in constant motion… pressure.

Although most of the events told in this story is in the history books, Nolan purposefully provides this feeling of anticipation that is so hard to achieve in a biopic. Through the audio perspective, this feeling of anticipation and pressure makes the viewer feel uneasy, and begs the viewer to challenge whether the Manhattan Project was an achievement or a curse to mankind.

As mentioned before, scene shot through Oppy’s perspective are colored, while scenes in black and white are through the perspective of Lewis Strauss. The choice to go black and white vs colored was a genius move in creating that emotion throughout the film. On the one side, you have J. Robert Oppenheimer, a man of discovery and ambition to create something that can change the world for good. On the other side you have Lewis Strauss, a cut-throat politician looking to leverage and manipulate any situation to his advantage. The colored scenes, granted most of the film, gives viewers optimism that a historical achievement is in the works. While the black and white scenes, I found, were more lifeless, giving viewers and discerning and hopeless feeling of disparity.

The decision to use IMAX cameras and film was nothing short of a necessity, especially when you attempt to reenact the Trinity Tests that became the first occurrence of a nuclear detonation.

“IMAX is a format of spectacle, it’s made for vistas and the grandeur, but I got very curious to discover this as an intimate format… The face is like a landscape; there’s a huge complexity and huge depth to it. How can we get this camera closer to people? How can we get this medium also as a very intimate medium.”

I was able to watch Oppenheimer at the nearest IMAX theater with the 70 MM screen. I say it was well worth the price of admission. The sheer size of the explosion matched with the clarity and dynamic color tones made the experience as ethereal as advertised. Definitely recommend watching this film the way it was supposed to be watched!

Casting and Acting

With a cast of juggernaut performers, Oppenheimer takes into account the full roster featured in the Manhattan Project. From the extensive list of scientists working on the nuclear weapons, to the military personnel, to even the people in Oppy’s personal life… everyone in this film is important.

Putting names and faces to places is sometimes a daunting task to tackle. In the case of Oppenheimer, doing so makes the experience so much more satisfying. With appearances from Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Casey Affleck, and Josh Hartnett to name a few, Nolan’s casting choices are quite accurate to the real actors and their assignments. With that being said, the story does surround the events behind Cillian Murphy’s character and for good reason. From his resume alone, J. Robert Oppenheimer was seen as a celebrity in the United States at the time, the feeling is no different throughout this story. No one outshines Murphy’s Oppenheimer! From the points of anxiety, fear, and contemplation from potentially ending mankind, Murphy plays a compelling Oppenheimer through is facial expressions and body language, not to mention his visual shaking and hallucinations shown during his time in Los Alamos. Overall, a bang up job from Cillian Murphy in terms of carrying a film for a near three hours.

Final Thoughts

A masterclass in cinematography and storytelling, Oppenheimer proves to be another work of art added to Nolan’s already prestigious filmography. A biopic that feels like an original story, Nolan accurately depicts the events of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s career with a fresh and entertaining methodology. As a viewer, the film felt like a reimagining of the events without sacrificing the authenticity and reality of the history. As we know, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is arguably the most polarizing happening in human history. Nolan retells an over-told story in a respectful way that not only stays true to the magnitude and impact of those events but also opens up a varied range of perspectives that sometimes get overlooked.