“Oppenheimer,” a three-hour, thought-provoking biographical thriller that depicts the life of well-known American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was released on July 21.
Christopher Nolan, the infamous director of mind-boggling blockbusters like “Interstellar” and “Inception,” used his preference for practical visual effects to divert away from the typical long-windedness of biographical films by providing fans with the striking realities of what they truly came to see: explosions.
One of the main highlights of Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” that made it quite unlike any other film of 2023 is his poignant use of cinematography. The main cinematographer for this film was Hoyte van Hoytema. With every pan of the camera, Hoytema brings the audience along with him as actor Cillian Murphy navigates through the complicated yet intricate life of Oppenheimer.
The actors’ strong performances were another great highlight of the film. Florence Pugh’s character delivered a strong performance, yet her skills were somewhat muddled because her role was only a supplement to Oppenheimer’s dramatic personal life.
Additionally, another performance that improved over time was Emily Blunt’s portrayal of Kitty Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer’s wife. Normally, Blunt is more known for portraying thriller or action roles, so seeing her performance in a historical film was an interesting test of her prowess.
At the start of the film, she was a demure housewife that did practically everything her husband said. As the film began to progress, she soon displayed a sort of feminine boldness that the film overall was somewhat lacking. She became symbolic of that strong role model that many women of that day and age did not have.
Cillian Murphy originally faced some uncertainty from critics as the casting choice to portray Oppenheimer. Murphy’s character begins as a young, naïve scientist desiring to be noticed by his peers and professors. However, as the film progressed, the audience could easily begin to see through Murphy’s performance that his character had slowly begun to descend into madness.
One commonly noted grievance of the film from audience members was the long run time. Unfortunately, with this film being a little bit over 3 hours, there were certain unnecessary details that were harped on for too long, making the film a bit stale at times. Additionally, the film used a very complex dialogue of scientific terms that the average movie watcher would not know about.
Another factor that stood out in the film was its depiction of Oppenheimer. The film is meticulous in ensuring that Oppenheimer is not portrayed as a hero, nor even as someone that the audience should admire or pity. He is shown as a man who ultimately lets society get into his head and influences him to do something that he is completely against.
The most crucial lesson the film asserted was the importance of guarding oneself from the influence of the world. It showed how one should work hard to not let the world influence oneself or try to shape a person into what it desires for them to become.
Oppenheimer was a largely flawed character who initially wanted to do good in the world and gain more knowledge about quantum physics. Unfortunately, in the end, peer pressure from others got the best of him.
