Oppenheimer [2023] – Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon

Oppenheimer is really good. Thanks to Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and the masterful sound editing team, the Christopher Nolan movie soars to explosive heights in its third act.

Nolan knows what he’s doing. Oppenheimer is a visually breathtaking movie that wraps the story of making the nuclear bomb, with a biopic for its father. However, it doesn’t end here. The multi-timeline storytelling takes it up a notch by showing us, the viewers, the politics behind it.

So, let’s get to it. Nothing is perfect, right? And it’s certainly the case here.

With its impressive cast, it is a movie of endless contrasts and contradictions. It doesn’t shy from showing the moral contractions that the scientists involved must have gone thru: From one side, it’s a great scientific achievement and they’re doing their patriotic duty. But from another side, you just invented the first tool for mass destruction. And this is highlighted all over the movie, but especially in its third act.

However, the movie barely glances over the injustices committed by the US government towards the natives of Los Alamos. Instead, it chose to focus on the injustices committed by the US government towards its titular character. I get the “creative choices” here, but in my opinion, they missed a chance to be honest and pay respect to everyone that was affected by the project instead of being this selective.

Should you watch it?

This is a big, ballsy, serious-minded cinematic event of a type now virtually extinct from the studios. The closest movie I’ve seen with this kind of spectacle was Babylon, and it doesn’t even come close to the artistry and grandiose of this one. Get ready for the auditory (and visual) event of your year.

Where can I watch it?

Oppenheimer is now playing in theaters.