The Greatest Director in the World currently, Christopher Nolan comes up with another Classic. Oppenheimer is undoubtedly the Best Film of the Year. Christopher Nolan has directed 12 films till date including Oppenheimer, and has delivered 11 Classics. The consistency of delivering a Classic by Christopher Nolan is still unmatched in the world and will remain so.
Christopher Nolan has never made a Biopic on any particular person in his career, Oppenheimer is the 1st Biopic directed by Christopher Nolan and he hits it out of the park. Christopher Nolan delivers a bombastic experience for all the movie lovers out there.
Christopher Nolan always comes up with some out of the box, crazy and unique stuff every single time. Following was a simple looking film with a twist in the end, which made it a Classic. With Memento, Nolan adapted reverse filmmaking (only film in the world) and created a Masterpiece. Nolan made the greatest superhero trilogy in the World Cinema with The Dark Knight trilogy. The Prestige was a classic magical thriller film by Nolan. Inception was a Sci-fi Masterpiece where Nolan played with human minds by using the concept of dreams. Interstellar is a Masterpiece film which turned out to be the greatest and complex space film ever made. Dunkirk is one of the finest war films ever made. Tenet was another pathbreaking theme based classic where Nolan played with the time and human brains.
During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. The film takes you into the insight of Dr. Oppenheimer’s life and showcases the events which gave him the tag of ‘Father Of The Atomic Bomb’.
Whenever we hear the name of any successful person, we are hardly aware of the person’s back story. To reach a certain level the person has to go through many things in his life. The film shows Oppenheimer’s journey and how he balanced his personal and professional lives. The film gives an insight about the hardships he faced, rivalries, etc. Oppenheimer explains the meaning of passion, morality, repentance, regret and much more.
Nolan decided to make a film on world famous physicist and father of the atomic bomb, ‘Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer’. Filmmaking method of Nolan can not be matched by anyone and with Oppenheimer he has proved once again why he is best in the world. Each and every department of Oppenheimer is perfectly handled by Christopher Nolan.
Oppenheimer is that film of Nolan which doesn’t follow the regular trademark Nolan formula. Nolan has been known for making complex and mind bending films. In Oppenheimer, he has made it simple and has made a character driven human friendly film. The treatment given in Oppenheimer makes us believe that it is a Christopher Nolan film. Nolan is very well aware of how to present a film in a stunning and unique way with a stamp of Christopher Nolan.
Performance wise Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer tops the chart. This is undoubtedly the career best act of Cillian Murphy. Cillian Murphy makes us believe that he is the Oppenheimer himself. The way he talks, the way he walks, the way he carries his attitude, the way he is dressed up and the way he behaves, everything is pitch perfect. Cillian Murphy has lived the character of Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss gives a flawless performance. Matt Damon does what he is best known for and delivers a solid performance. Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer is as natural as she can be. Rest of the cast is very impressive. The film scores full marks in the casting department where each and every has lived their characters.
Oppenheimer scores high in the technical department and music department. The film has no CGI, yet everything looks so natural. The music in tense situations is praiseworthy. The Trinity Test scene is the major highlight of the film. Nolan keeps things very simple this time and has understood the subject well. The only complex things used in Oppenheimer are scientific terms and other terminologies. The use of colorful and black & white scenes in the narrative gives a different touch to the film and is perfectly mastered by Nolan.
The film has a long runtime of 3 hours, but Nolan completely makes you forget the time and gifts you with a rich cinematic experience. The screenplay could have been more crispy though.
The film is strictly made for classes as mass audience won’t find it much engaging and interesting due to the treatment given. This is not a normal biopic, but is intellectually presented with non-linear method of film-making. Nolan loves time bending theories and non-linear narrative, in Oppenheimer he followed the non-linear presentation as he did not have scope to play with time.
Oppenheimer has many scenes which will make you realize the greatness of Christopher Nolan as a director. Watch out for the Trinity Scene and the speech scene of Dr. Oppenheimer post America successfully throwing bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The film has many powerful dialogues and will make you realize moral values.
To make a proper biopic which is rich in cinema, one should present the film in a manner which has all the necessary ingredients required for a biopic. Oppenheimer has shown every possible information about Dr. Robert Oppenheimer. The film shows his struggle, love towards nation, passion, love towards his work, personal life, married life, repentance, regret, fame, downfall, experiments, bomb making process, hardships faced, etc.
Overall, Oppenheimer is a film which shouldn’t be missed at any cost. An IMAX viewing will surely add much more to the viewing experience, as it will help the viewer find much more detailing about the film. This is easily the best film of the year and a Christopher Nolan Classic. A must watch for all the true cinema lovers and class lovers who are craving for a rich cinema. A must watch Classic!
Rating – 4/5*
