Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s opus both thrives and suffers from its own sense of grandeur.

Cillian Murphy is the father of the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is an idea man. Though his math isn’t as good as other physicists and he’s a disaster in a lab, he’s able to do something very rare: See the bigger picture of the universe. It’s an ability that brings him to amazing heights in the scientific community. He practically brings Theoretical Physics to the US and begins picking at the mysteries of the universe with a cabal of devout students and colleagues.

Then Hitler invades Poland.

A Jew who spent time in German universities when fascism was cutting its teeth, Oppenheimer knows the dangers that face the world if Hitler is allowed to win. So he decides to use science (more specifically the newly discovered atom-splitting technology) for war. The choice puts him at odds with many of his colleagues, and the communist community he’s ingrained in, but Oppenheimer stays resolute in his mission.

Can one make a weapon of mass destruction ethically? And once you father the A-Bomb, do you have a responsibility for how it’s wielded in perpetuity?

Director Christopher Nolan adapted the screenplay of Oppenheimer from the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It’s clear from the very start that this is a man who’s going to have his metaphorical liver torn out throughout the film. Oppenheimer was responsible for one of the most significant scientific projects of the 20th century, and whether you view it as an accomplishment or a tragedy depends on how you read your history. In the words of another famed scientist, “…your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.”

But unlike Ian Malcolm, Oppenheimer was concerned with more than the opening of a dinosaur-based theme park. WWII and the rise of antisemitic currents in the world drove his arms race against Hitler and the Nazis. It’s easy to see how scientists could be blinded to the consequences of their innovations, but Nolan takes pains to show that they were not unaware of potential problems. At every step, Oppenheimer is challenged by colleagues, friends, and even Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) himself. But his resolute need to bring fire from Olympus and offer it to humanity both deifies and vilifies him to the world at large.

It’s a fascinating problem and one that Nolan could have explored more in his three-hour opus. But Oppenheimer’s greatest fault is perhaps Nolan’s own sense of grandeur. This is unquestionably a cinematic achievement and the pinnacle of his directing career so far, but it’s weighed down by needless cameos, a script that can be clunky at times, an unnecessary villain, and sex scenes that are so ludicrous they may be more disturbing than watching the footage of the atomic bomb.

But first, let’s deal with the superlatives. Nolan is, as always, a master of the visual. His work here with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is superb. No, the internet rumors aren’t true that Nolan unleashed an actual atomic bomb, but it’s easy to see how such stories got started. The film encapsulates the awe and power of an atomic explosion, as well as the uncertainty of the people who designed and tested it. The silent detonation followed by the wave of sound and destruction seconds later is breathtaking. Even in the quiet moments, when Oppenheimer is picking apart the universe in his brain or pondering over the ripples of what he’s done, the camera offers sumptuous visuals of Murphy’s conflicted countenance.

The score and sound design are also integral to the film in a way I haven’t experienced since Mad Max: Fury Road. Ludwig Göransson’s score is a driving mix of strings that evokes tension as the team races to build a bomb and melancholy in the aftermath. Sound designer Randy Torres uses precision ticks and clacks to ratchet up the tension as the bomb is assembled and precariously hefted above the New Mexico desert. Each metallic sound is another inch toward destruction and the effect is chilling.

Nolan’s meticulous technical prowess aside, the film is also a showcase for Murphy as a leading man. Though the real Oppenheimer was marked by his stoicism, Murphy finds ways to let us into his interior world. The uncertainty and drive that fuel Oppenheimer, as well as the sly humor that made him a media star, are on full display. This is a man who needs discovery. Like Prometheus, he believes his discovery will be a good thing, and doesn’t want to consider that governments are rarely as altruistic in their endeavors as scientists.

And while Murphy’s performance is the nucleus of this epic film, it’s the actors orbiting him that sometimes throw off the charge of Oppenheimer. As per usual, Nolan’s female characters are dismal — both Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt are given nothing to do but grimace and pout. Though Pugh is naked for a significant portion of her screen time, it feels gratuitous, with neither intimacy nor sexual heat between herself and Murphy. It’s all very clinical and unfortunately laughable at times, which is astounding considering the caliber of the actors.

The movie also features cameos…so many cameos. Nolan is one of the most sought-after directors of his time so it’s easy to see why people would strive to work on his set, but he didn’t need to say yes to everyone. What we get is a parade of recognizable faces that become distracting. It’s hard to lose yourself in the story of a brilliant man punished by the very government that used him when you’re wondering is that Jack Quaid/Josh Peck/Casey Affleck/Rami Malek? every few minutes. Though I will commend Nolan in casting Gary Oldman as Harry Truman, meaning Oldman only has to play Joseph Stalin to get WWII Allied Forces Leader Bingo.

But the biggest flaw in Oppenheimer might be hinging a pivotal plot point on Robert Downey Jr.’s Lewis Strauss. An almost comically evil figure, making Strauss the metaphorical eagle that plucks out Oppenheimer’s liver for all eternity isn’t as satisfying or as interesting as it should be. Downey Jr. plays him like a 90s Kevin Spacey villain, full of smarm and obsequious charm, but the menace of him never really hits home. It’s hard to be bowled over by the machinations of a Senate hearing when we’ve just witnessed an atomic bomb explode.

And that is the greatest problem with Oppenheimer, Nolan is too good at the bomb building to waste time on grotesque romantic subplots and a comically villainous figure. This is a tense, introspective film with some of the most stunning visuals ever committed to celluloid, we don’t need Downey Jr. having a tantrum in front of bored-looking aids.

Still, even with plotting problems and dismal female characters, Oppenheimer is a cinematic achievement that will only vault Nolan to greater levels of notoriety. His deft hand at the craft of filmmaking has orchestrated a movie that offers a complex look at one of the most notable historic moments of the modern era. It’s a brilliant achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated on the biggest screen imaginable. Seek it out in IMAX and behold a visual masterpiece.

Verdict: Not flawless, but certainly a magnum opus from Christopher Nolan, see it in theaters.

Oppenheimer is rated R and available in theaters July 21.