My feelings about Oppenheimer are similar to how I felt about Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated American Sniper (2014). By this, I mean that the key performances were fantastic. But, as for the question of whether I like either film as a whole, not really. Oppenheimer is my least favourite of Christopher Nolan’s movies thus far.
I can’t say that I fully dislike Oppenheimer, because it does several things well. Nevertheless, the film isn’t the best example of Nolan’s capabilities. Especially considering that none of his movies have ever forced me to reach for my phone because the events on screen were inadequately engaging.
One hour into the movie, I took a nap. Ten minutes after that, things became exciting again. Sadly, the rest of the film continued in this fashion of dipping in and out of being engaging and tedious, until towards the end.
Of course, a three-hour feature film is too long. And even though I may have been a little tired that day, that fact doesn’t negate the need for better pacing and a tighter edit. There also wasn’t enough variety for me, visually speaking. The black-and-white scenes where Oppenheimer and his associates get interrogated, though those scenes had some engaging peaks, it felt repetitive and uninteresting in parts.
I guessed that Nolan’s latest film wouldn’t be as thrilling as Inception (2010), The Dark Knight (2008) or Interstellar (2014). After all, the film is limited by the fact that it’s a biography. And therefore, it can only focus on events that happened. Additionally, it’s a story about one of the darkest events in recent human history, meaning that fun is unlikely to be a word to describe the viewing experience. Even so, I thought I’d be engaged at least 90% of the time, as per the usual Nolan film experience.
A notable highlight of Oppenheimer is how, through stunning visuals, the sometimes jarringly loud sound and Murphy’s faultless portrayal, Nolan gives us glimpses into the inner workings of a genius mind, one haunted by a parasitic idea, dare I say.
I also appreciate that Oppenheimer had me thinking about the reality that humans will likely be responsible for whichever end-of-the-world scenario we find ourselves in. Largely thanks to the double-edged sword that is our compulsion to innovate.
The majority of memorable moments in Oppenheimer are thanks to brilliant performances and scenes with great dialogue. For example, all the scenes between Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon’s character, Casey Affleck’s brief but highly unsettling time on screen and each time that Emily Blunt and Murphy’s characters appear together. There’s also Robert Downey Jr.’s latter scenes and, last but not least, the perfection of the final scene.
I wish that I fully enjoyed the story edit along with the award-nomination-worthy performances. I suppose I’ll get over it at some point.
Have you seen Oppenheimer yet? If not, based on the whisperings you’ve heard so far, do you still think it’s big-screen worthy? If you’ve already seen it, where does it land in your list of favourites, a list that includes Inception and Tenet, perhaps?
Happy Film Loving,
G
