Oppenheimer 70MM

Oppenheimer is not the bomb. It is good with some award winning performances, but I am not sure it is more than a long – and at times boring – history lesson. In life J. Robert Oppenheimer had some reserves about the damage his creation could do. I am not sure that writer/director Christopher Nolan had the same internal conflict. If you are asking us to sit through a 3-hour film you dang well better blow our minds.

There is some confusion of what format is best to watch. 70MM vs Imax vs Digital vs 70MM Imax… The viewer needs to feel like they are getting the best version. After you watch the movie you realize that it would be the same no matter what you chose. Yes IMAX is bigger but that doesn’t help your story, or scene over population. I felt I gained nothing watching the 70MM version, and I am willing to bet that in a few months when I watch it on 4K at home the experience will be on par. The studios can boast all they want about the 70MM Imax version but there are only a handful – literally – of theaters in the entire USA that are able to show it that way. So why bother?

Now that my rant about the format is over let’s talk about the story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. That is what the movie is about. I found the story intriguing and I learned something about politics, science, and history. There is a lot of talking and arguing in the film about whether Oppenheimer was a communist and threat to national security. I don’t know and still don’t care. But we get input from a lot of people during a time when every one did care.

There are a lot of characters to keep up with and often times you will not know the role they play in all of this. Told in a jumping timeline from Oppie being on “trial” long after the events in Japan to when he started out, built Los Alamos, got married, built the bomb, talked about the bomb; it covers a lot of events and dialogue.

If there is anything worth bragging about it would be the acting. Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, and Matt Damon each give stellar performances. With this much dialogue you can’t have people simply regurgitating lines. The characters have to draw you in or else it is just an audio book. Much of the weight falls on Murphy who must embody Oppie. And he does. This could be the performance of his career. Mainly because the person of Oppenheimer is not larger than life. He was very soft spoken, reserved, and thoughtful. To be able to make that type of a character pop on screen while still being subtle is an art.

Fist bumps also go to RDJ. He has become so engrained in our minds lately as Tony Stark that I was worried it would dominate here. We forget that RDJ has serious acting chops. They style him in a way too that allows for disassociation. Florence Pugh and a star studded supporting cast round out this ensemble. To be honest Pugh’s character was very intriguing yet gets the least amount of screen time.

Is it best picture? No. I would give it some acting and cinematography nods , but that is all. I am sure Nolan will earn a directing nomination, but it won’t be from me. I feel this was an attempt do something monumental with no regard for the actual viewing experience. No matter what is said in defense.

The story is there ad little else. A movie that boasts about its filming style needs to be able to back it up. Sadly this one could not.

Oppenheimer is rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language.

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