Review: 'Oppenheimer' has Nolan being his genius self assisted by Cillian Murphy's masterful act

Oppenheimer

'Do not go gentle into that good night' - when this poem was mouthed in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, it acted as the perfect thread to convey a heartfelt story about a father and his daughter set against the backdrop of finding alternatives universes for mankind.

With Oppenheimer, Nolan tackles a semi-biographical story of one of the most controversial geniuses of all time - J. Robert Oppenheimer. The syntax is still the same - tackling human emotions but this time inspired by real events as Oppenheimer makes an atomic bomb for his country while trying to sustain in World War II. Having had the chance to see this 3-hour epic saga beforehand with Nolan unwinding his signature style, here is what I thought about it-

The Christopher Nolan Project

We can talk about the Manhattan project, we can talk about his (Oppie's) equation with Albert Einstein and we can talk about plenty other things but what we need to talk about the most is the Christopher Nolan factor that becomes so apparent, immersive and impactful with Oppenheimer. Nolan makes sure to not skim down on conversational confrontations and pretty much begins and ends the film with it while also not compromising with his vision or runtime. Indeed the film becomes a tad bit overwhelming to fathom but Nolan and his dream duo of cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and musical maestro, Ludwig Goransonn assemble an incredibly engaging tale with urgency, back-and-forth dialogues and the big moments of splendor. 

Nolan claimed to have not used VFX here and it shows in the best possible way. The flickers of Oppenheimer having visions of neutrons having a chain reaction, the combination of molecules and other instances is done expertly with thumping music and sound design, which is just what you expect from Nolan.

Cillian Murphy Masterclass & Other Performances

Nolan's love for Murphy as an actor has been a constant but he finally gets to direct him in a film that rides entirely on Murphy's shoulders and the actor delivers a masterclass. As J. Robert Oppenheimer, Murphy catapults through multiple emotions of his human self and his genius self with finesse and precision and has you enamoured by him consistently.

And of course, then we have yet another scintillating performance from Robert Downey Jr.  in the most non-Iron Man role possible. As Lewis Strauss, Downey Jr. gets a fantastically written role and his act makes it even better. The decision to use monochrome with majority of his scenes was splendid and to see the actor play such a character-driven role was a sheer delight. Emily Blunt shines as well as Kitty and Matt Damon is ever dependable as Leslie Groves. And then you have some lovely Nolan regulars playing short but important roles and a few surprising faces as well. The amount of work that must have been put in by Nolan and his entire flock of actors is so evident and elevates the script multiple notches higher.

Shattered Dreams, Conflicted Ideas & Morality

Oppenheimer's trajectory was so complex that it makes for some of the most dramatic viewing you can imagine it to be. However, Nolan takes the subtle approach and while it does touch upon a few things, is largely focuses on the historical accuracy of the committee being formed that investigates Oppenheimer post the bombings and other people associated with the project along with Oppenheimer's days of making the bomb and his personal struggles. 

A maverick in his own right, Oppenheimer's morality comes into question on multiple fronts and further has him assessing his own ideologies. Every emotion that Oppenheimer goes through - humanly or scientifically, Cillian Murphy goes through as well. On an attempt to fight in a war, he inadvertently gave humans the means of their own destruction. As Downey Jr.s character of Lewis Strauss eloquently says, 'how can a man who can see through so much be so blind'.

The Underwhelming Aspects

Sitting through three hours of being a conversational drama with heavy information to grasp can be taxing for a rational viewer and while it doesn't entirely become a factor, it does play a part marginally. But if you are a Nolan head like me and many others, this is just another day at the office. While Oppenheimer's professional developments connect and are masterfully executed, his personal life is only touched upon at the surface level. The whole adultery angle with Florence Pugh's Jean, his weird equation with wife, Kitty (Blunt) don't quite leave the impact it would have intended to leave.

The Verdict

There is seldom an instance where Nolan has delivered an entirely dud project (even Tenet had its moments) but Oppenheimer almost feels like him getting back to form and back to his signature self that people have loved him for throughout the years. To be watching Oppenheimer in a normal screen would be criminal and while I understand the monetary factor attached to watching it on the biggest screen in IMAX, make sure to spend those extra bucks on this film because it is an experience you'll never forget.

Rating - **** (4/5)