Written and directed by Christopher Nolan

Based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh

Release date (US): July 21, 2023

K and I saw Oppenheimer on a big screen. When we left the theater, I judged it “good.” Even “quite good.” But since then, it’s tumbled in my estimation.

The Robert Oppenheimer story is a fascinating one, worthy of many tellings. And, indeed, there have been many, in book form and on film. (Last night, I saw the 1989 movie Fat Man and Little Boy, starring Paul Newman.) The challenge is how to tell it. It could be presented as an action movie, a psychological thriller, a biography, a war story, or a documentary, of which there could be countless approaches.

After thinking about it, the reason my opinion of the movie dropped so precipitously is the fault of Christopher Nolan, the director. Among all the many options open to him, he chose to present the story as an action thriller. Nolan’s Oppenheimer was big on physical and emotional tension, big on sound and visuals. But it was weak on looking into Oppenheimer himself – his astonishing intelligence, his undeniable ambition, his attraction to communism, and his addictive infidelities. Nor does it teach the viewer much about the science behind the story, which is probably the most interesting thing.

Oppenheimer should not have been the big, artsy, intensely dramatic portrayal of a big historic moment that Nolan produced. Because however tempting it may have been to produce that movie, it doesn’t work very well because most of the most important action in the Oppenheimer story takes place inside the protagonist’s head.

The Plot (in short) 

During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.

Critical Reception 

Reviews have been mostly positive. But in addition to giving praise where praise was due, every one that I read pointed out Oppenheimer’s many flaws.

* “Despite being overlong and unevenly paced, Oppenheimer contains moments of greatness and features one of the most compelling lead performances (by Cillian Murphy) in recent memory.” (James Berardinelli, ReelViews)

* “With its everyone-and-the-kitchen-sink casting, alternating between color and black and white, fit-for-Imax spectacle and Ludwig Göransson’s pounding musical score, Oppenheimer seeks to overwhelm the audience, an approach that works to an extent.” (Brian Lowry, CNN)

* “For all we learn about the creation and execution of the atomic bomb and its aftermath, the story could and should be told in a more digestible form. Instead, we have an overlong narrative that isn’t revelatory or surprising.” (Leonard Maltin)

* “Nolan has set out to make a moral epic, and he succeeds for the most part, or, rather, for the first two-thirds of Oppenheimer.” (Ty Burr)

* “Inevitably, it falls short of its ambitions. But it’s bracing to see a studio movie these days, particularly one with such huge scope, that at least attempts to serve up more than recycled goods.” (Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor)

You can watch the trailer here.