There’s been a delay on me getting round to writing this one, for sure. Thing is, I actually did the whole Barbenheimer schtick on opening day, but there’s been so much going on in general life that sometimes when I come to sit down and write a review, I’d just rather stare mindlessly at an MTV reality show. You know what I mean? Everyone feels that way sometimes, don’t they?
Don’t for one minute, however, think that I put off writing about Oppenheimer because it wasn’t noteworthy. It is actually Christopher Nolan‘s best since Interstellar. A biopic of sorts, the film is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the role he played in the creation and testing of the atomic bomb during the Second World War. Battling affairs and opposition along the way, when Oppenheimer finally achieves his goal, his reaction to his astronomical scientific invention takes a surprising turn.
Okay, Nolan. I accept this as your apology for Tenet. Not that Tenet wasn’t impressive in a lot of ways, but did you have to make it so difficult to understand? Now this is a vast improvement, especially since your last movie felt so like you but so unlike you.
Where do you even begin with Oppenheimer? Brilliance is the word that springs to mind. Visually, Christopher Nolan proves once again that he is a master of his craft. Albeit being less “explosive” (sorry) than I’d anticipated, even his use of colour and depth is expertly on show, with special thanks to old friend Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar, Ad Astra) who brings the vision to life. If anything, Oppenheimer makes Dunkirk look like child’s play.
Of course, the first thing you will think of when it comes to this movie is its aesthetic. However, it’s the audio that will stay with you. Seeing Oppenheimer in an IMAX reclining chair was the perfect way to see it; I can still feel the reverberations echoing through my seat. If the sound mixing isn’t nominated for several awards I’ll be absolutely flabbergasted, because the sound team have done God’s work here.
There are such weird, off-the-cuff choices made in this movie that only add to how great it is, too. Without doubt the best example of this is during the sequence in which the A-Bomb is tested in the desert. Suspense builds and builds and builds until… silence. Just when you’d expect the mother of all BOOMs? Silence. Bright, bright light. It’s jarring. And it’s perfect. Easily the highlight of the entire film.
I’ve not even begun to mention this excellent cast (Cillian Murphy’s finest performance to date), or the fact that this is probably one of the best biopics to exist. But to keep it brief: you will not be disappointed.
Oppenheimer is currently screening in most cinemas across the UK.
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