Oppenheimer
Robert Oppenheimer and his team’s remarkable invention will be remembered both as a singularly great moment in human history, and a timeless tale about the human condition. So, how was Oppenheimer the movie? Here’s what I wrote to a good friend of mine after seeing the film:
“Feels like I just read the best play we’ve ever read in English class. But also got to watch a Christopher Nolan movie”
Like a live play or the book this film was based on (the awesomely-named American Prometheus), Oppenheimer was able to accomplish the rare feat of bringing an audience inside the mind of its characters. For a movie about such a massive event in history– both in impact and literal magnitude– this film was, at the end of the day, a character study. One line from the opening minutes stuck with me as a very powerful thesis for the film– “how would you like to have to justify your entire life?”
Very briefly, I have to point out Oppenheimer’s only flaw: it’s long. You definitely feel the three-hour runtime. However, there is a simple solution– bring back intermissions in movie theaters! I’m not sure why this practice is limited to stage plays, because it works so well when telling a complex story. Take the structure of Oppenheimer: act one is everything up until Admiral Groves (Matt Damon) grants Bob Opp (my nickname for Cillian Murphy’s title character) the role of director of the Manhattan Project. I checked my watch, and this was roughly one hour into the film. Act two is Los Alamos and building the bomb. This section is a bit longer (as most second acts normally are), but it pretty clearly ends after the Trinity test. Finally, act three is the aftermath of the project and the conclusion of the trials. Three acts, all close to an hour in length. You can easily put a five minute break about two-thirds into act two, right before Casey Affleck’s character steals the scene and scares everyone. An intermission would fit perfectly; anticipation builds for the upcoming action, and the audience gets a brief chance to catch their breath.
Really, that’s my only critique. And it’s less of a critique than a suggested viewing method, because there isn’t anything I would cut. I understand not enjoying this movie, because Oppenheimer is quite dense. But there is simply no denying the film’s greatness. The dialogue was sharp. The acting was impeccable. And the scale was both impressively personal and magnificently large.
Let’s take a second to salute the cast. Along with Murphy and Damon, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. are outstanding. Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Benny Safdie– I can’t list every actor, but outside of a slightly odd role for Rami Malek, every single character is exquisite. Even Albert Einstein felt real!
As expected from Nolan (and his incredible crew), both the score and the cinematography are top-notch. But from a technical standpoint, I think the star was the editing. First, there’s the seamless transitions between black-and-white and color while also jumping around in time. Nolan always plays with the linear structure of a narrative, but here, it becomes a highly effective way to build suspense. Not to mention *that* scene with Pugh and Murphy, and how it effortlessly and yet with so much effort switches between the bedroom and the boardroom. The real power of the editing, however, was more surprising. I’m not usually a fan of relying on quick montages of abstract images, but in Oppenheimer these were executed perfectly. The atomic bomb is so big and powerful that the bomb’s impact can be difficult to wrap your mind around. Somehow, these scenes captured both the heavily detailed technical and intense emotional feelings that the scientists encountered and struggled with, without taking you out of the rhythm of the story. Besides showing off the creativity and artistry of filmmaking, they enhanced our connection to the characters.
In the end, I think the most impressive thing about Oppenheimer is that despite being a three-hour, dialogue-heavy, (mostly) historically-accurate character drama, I plan to watch this film again. Oppenheimer is expertly crafted in all areas of filmmaking, and the result is a truly great work. Mr. Nolan, you’ve done it again.
