Oppenheimer Review: The Guilt-Ridden Genius

 Movies 

Oppenheimer Review: The Guilt-Ridden Genius

By Dylan Barbee

Image Provided By @oppenheimermovie on Instagram

Release Date: July 21, 2023

Robert J. Oppenheimer was a man with many names; The "father of the atomic bomb", the American Prometheus, and as he once described himself referencing the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Geeta in a 1965 NBC interview “the destroyer of worlds.” He said this while recounting his thoughts when seeing the power of his own creation. In Christopher Nolan’s latest 3-hour biopic Oppenheimer, the historically eventful life of the controversial theoretical physicist who invented the atomic bomb used on Japan is brought to the big screen. The film is based on the novel “The American Prometheus” written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Nolan uses immensely emotional visuals and a unique sound design to display a heavily compelling narrative that will bring audiences to a doomful realization.  

 

Before watching Oppenheimer, I was dreading the long runtime hoping that there would not be scenes that were dragged out or felt pointless at times. However, I was proven wrong as the pacing of the film was smooth but fast-paced, filled with scenes of intensity that made you clearly understand the thought process and internal battles of Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Nolan introduces us to two different timelines that serve as separate plots that fuel one another simultaneously. The life of Oppenheimer is shown in color while the black and white scenes are centered around Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) who ran the U.S Atomic Commision and would eventually hold a lifelong grudge against Oppenheimer after he embarrassed him in front of U.S Congress. Both characters would eventually destroy each other’s reputation when being put on trial after World War II without the burden of truth. I will admit the constant bouncing between one timeline to another was confusing at first but eventually I grew a sense of understanding and appreciation for Nolan’s complex storytelling.  

 
The cast was stacked in Oppenheimer, ranging from actors like Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Rami Malek. Robert Downey Jr’s performance was incredible in this film as he perfectly portrayed a nemesis, trying to destroy Oppenheimer’s reputation and credibility so he would not have any influence about how America should use the nuclear weapons he created. Downey Jr’s intense monologues had me so invested that the thought of him being the face of Marvel as Iron-Man didn’t even cross my mind. He truly displayed his impressive versatility when it comes to being an actor that can take on important roles in different genres. Cillian Murphy is undoubtedly going to be in the Oscar discussion when it comes to best male leading actor. His portrayal of Oppenheimer convinced the audience of how pure intentions can have horrible consequences, especially when it relates to a historical figure like Robert J. Oppenheimer who was filled with naiveté.  

 
I loved how the early life of Oppenheimer was shown on screen. The film started off with him staring at a puddle being hit by raindrops before class, which foreshadowed what would later be discussed and shown at the end of the film. Oppenheimer studied physics at multiple universities in Europe and would make connections with other physicists that would later come up again when Germany and the U.S were at war with one another. The tight-knit community of physicists at the time were all once acquaintances but when World War II started, they all had to turn against each other and provide their science to their country to help war efforts. Oppenheimer, being the one to take back what he learned in Europe to America so they could have a prominent physicist role in the world, was inspiring and is the definition of being self-made in America.  

 
While Cillian Murphy portrayed a studious Oppenheimer who became a very respectable physicist amongst the scientific community and built a physicist program at the University of California-Berkeley from the ground up, we can also feel the pressure Oppenheimer emotionally put on himself throughout the entirety of the film due to Murphy’s stellar performance. This is also accomplished through Nolan’s symbolic visual effects that were used as genius dramatic tools so the audience could emotionally feel what Oppenheimer was feeling. In the beginning of the film the quick sparks of flames that Oppenheimer envisions symbolizes him gaining a slight understanding of what he is studying and what it could potentially lead to, while the mushroom clouds of orange and black smoke engulfing Oppenheimer’s mind symbolized the disastrous impact of what his atomic bomb had on the fate of the world as well as how it was internally torturing him.  

 
Nolan’s look into Oppenheimer’s private life was also intriguing when it came to him having connections with American people close to the communist party and his left-leaning self-described new deal democrat political beliefs. Oppenheimer’s affair with known communist Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) was another eye-opening subplot to this multi-layered film. His connections to the communist party would later come back to haunt him when Strauss organized a security hearing that led Oppenheimer to be a victim of the McCarthy era. 

 
Oppenheimer is filled with powerful scenes in the second act from the protagonist being assigned to run the Manhattan project, the construction of Los Alamos in New Mexico, and probably one of the most memorable action scenes within the whole film, the Trinity Test. Nolan’s recreation of the atomic bomb was eye-opening and a notable achievement for the director considering he accomplished it without using CGI. It is a large-scale scene that uses a lot of tension to build up to it but when seeing the towering cloud of fire that is met with a long duration of Oppenheimer breathing over echoing silence you realize how magnificent this film is. It is not until the horrifying sound abruptly disrupts this silence and causes the audience's seats to shutter until Oppenheimer realizes the danger his invention will invoke on humankind. However, by the time he recognizes how naive he truly was, the American government he finds so hard to trust had taken the atomic bomb out of his control and planned to use it on Japanese civilians. 

 
After the Trinity Test, the whole tone of the movie became much darker as Oppenheimer is filled with guilt and partial regret for giving the world the ability to destroy themselves. We can thank Ludwig Göransson for producing a score that effectively ties into scenes that are hovered over by the feeling of near catastrophe. Cillian Murphy’s performance in the third act of the film is humanizing and makes you understand how heavy the weight of the title of the father of the atomic bomb being attached to his image is for him. While everyone congratulates him on being the one to end the war and change history, Oppenheimer constantly has battles with himself. It is hard for him to gaslight and convince himself that his invention was not as consequential as it really was because if America had not done it first then someone else would’ve. Oppenheimer admits in a very heavy scene with President Harry Truman (Gary Oldman) that he feels like he has blood on his hands to which Truman responds by waving his handkerchief in front of Oppenheimer’s face and telling him the Japanese aren’t going to care who created it but who dropped it on them just before calling him a crybaby as he walked out of the Oval office.  

 
While this Truman scene was very upsetting to watch because of how he demonstrated America’s ignorance for the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I really appreciated Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt) and Albert Einstein (Tom Conti). Both characters were the only ones who offered Robert J. Oppenheimer realistic support in some of the darkest times he had in the movie when it came to forgiving himself. There was a monologue in the film where Kitty and Robert were talking about the security hearing, and she brought up a very thought-provoking question on whether Oppenheimer should be forgiven for what he has done just because he is being tarred and feathered by Strauss. This is what I love most about Christopher Nolan films; he always leaves room for discussion after the movie is over. Another discussion point that audiences can bring with them outside of the theater is Oppenheimer’s conversation with Einstein that was hinted at near the beginning of the film. While Strauss thought Oppenheimer turned Einstein against him, costing him his cabinet position, what they were really talking about was something much more important which was the end of the world. While the science vs bureaucracy side of the film was dramatically compelling, I really think Nolan hit the bullseye with Oppenheimer realizing that his invention that was influenced by Einstein’s work started a chain reaction that will eventually destroy the world. The same raindrops that were hitting the puddle of water in the first scene of the film were now hitting the pond both Oppenheimer and Einstein were looking over during their conversation and this time they symbolized the future nuclear bombs hitting the Earth’s surface, destroying its cities, and wiping its population. This visual sequence was frightening as it meant Oppenheimer’s life work created a reality that we all live in now where a nuclear war can be Earth’s doomsday as we know it. 

 

Overall, Oppenheimer is a perfect film and one of Christopher Nolan’s greatest achievements to date. It has an important real-world message about what happens when politics takes over science and makes you question people’s morality, making it the best movie of the year so far. Oppenheimer serves as a breathtakingly fearless film about one of the most important men to ever live and whose impact is still relevant in today’s world where it feels like nuclear war can occur any day now.  

Rating: 10/10