The courtroom part is integral because this isn't the story about the Atom bomb, it's about the man who created it. The story of oppenheimer isn't one where the bomb being tested is the triumphant climax and everything after is falling action, his story is arguably structured like a tragedy. He was awed and horrified once he finally came to realize what he had created out of a sense of duty for his country and his own obsession with the work he was doing. The bomb is in a sense the turning point where he realized his ambition and duty to his country had created a monster so powerful the world could scarcely comprehend, and then that same country pushed him aside and dragged him through the dirt just as soon as he was done giving them the weapon they intended to lord over the same people they accused him of sympathizing with. The part after the bomb is why his story is a tragedy. He had to come to terms with the reality that he had just created the most destructive type of weapon in history (possibly ever into the future) at the same time the country he had created that weapon for was accusing him of being a traitor, or at least a subversive who couldn't be trusted. The movie couldn't have been a genuine story of oppenheimer if they stopped the movie right before he was stabbed in the back and alienated after he had already given up so much of his humanity to serve the country that turned on him the moment he had given them what they wanted.
Very good answer what I was thinking and I haven’t even said the movie. I felt they should have left that part out of the review cuz the “form” of the movie is what’s interesting to diacover about Nolan films too. But oh well.
Totally agree. I found the trial scenes following the test almost more tense to watch than the test itself. I don't want to claim what Nolan was aiming for but if he wanted the audience to understand and root for Oppenheimer despite all the moral quandaries then he achieved that with those scenes.
100% correct. The subtitle for American Prometheus (the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Nolan adapted for Oppenheimer) is "The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer." And what Lewis Strauss and the U.S. government did to Oppenheimer in destroying his public career after a decade of public service - just because he dared to stand up to the military establishment in opposing the creation of the "Super" (Hydrogen bomb) and advocated for international cooperation to prevent an arms race - is nothing short of one of the blackest marks of already one of the most shameful periods of 20th century American history. It was a tragedy and a travesty. There is no way you can fully and truthfully tell the story of Oppenheimer without the security hearing.
The last act was a condemnation of how our government uses people to get what they need and then throws them away. As a war veteran I have experienced this on a smaller scale. Oppenheimer gave the government what they demanded of him and then they tried to crucify him for doing so. He already paid with a tortured soul for life.
If he had quit his position as head of The General Advisory Committee after the Soviets tested their first fission bomb and the US immediately went headstrong to develop the H bomb, he would have avoided these humiliations. Once the Soviets exploded their fission bomb, it was in the nature of any superpower that they would rush ahead with the bomb that was 100 fold stronger. Einstein understood this and tried to warn Oppenheimer not to stand in front of Teller's speeding locomotive. Oppenheimer rather naively ignored Einstein's advice. Einstein even called his inability to see what was coming the Yiddish (and Hebrew) word Na'ar (when a full fledged adult has the naivete of a teenager). Oppenheimer should have heeded Einstein's warning that there was no way that the H bomb program was going to be stopped.
as someone majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psych and poli sci the courtroom scenes (and the reasoning why rdj character started the whole fiasco) was really interesting but i totally see why people didnt like it as much/thought it dragged
@@haydennyagah706 Dune 2 will sweep tech awards, and Killers of the Flower Moon is a massive contendor for above the lines. No film is sweeping next year. Barbie ironically has production design, song and potentially costume locked .
Disappointed that you guys didn't talk enough about Cillian Murphy, he CARRIED the film being in almost every frame, he acted in a very natural, not flashy way that let you into the narrative ans made you know what he was feeling and if there's anyone that deserves an Oscar for this movie it is hands down him.
I have to say the performance that quite surprised me was RDJ, I knew he was gonna be great but I didn’t know how great, his performance and Character gave me Salieri from Amadeus vibes. Cillian Murphy was Phenomenal and Outstanding, definitely thinks these two should at the very least be nominated, I think this is the best movie I’ve seen in awhile ❤ ps. I saw an advanced Screening
I will be so pissed, if Murphy is totally overlooked next year, because his performance here is on par of that in Peaky Blinders. Nad RDJ is fucking amazing in this
Loved your guys’s review. I think the point of the two women is to show Oppy’s non-commital tendencies. Throughout the film he struggles morally with practically everything in his life but it never seems like he picks a side, and each of the women in his life push him to choose SOMETHING. Also, it’s made clear that Pugh’s character was the only person Oppy could ever open up to and bare himself to. It’s why he was so shaken by her passing. They saw each other and had an intimacy he never had with anyone else.
At first I wondered what was the relevance of the Strauss character because Oppenheimer was looking more at the big picture. And then I realize this movie was all about throwing bombs - a small piece that becomes destructive. Just like how Oppenheimer poisons the apple but had the moral conviction of retrieving it back, Strauss destroys Oppenheimer's chances of gaining political influence because of a small grudge involving Einstein, then Rami Malek's character which we only see previously for a few minutes speaking at a hearing destroying Strauss's chances of holding an administrative position.
I think the best movie to watch with Oppenheimer back to back is The Wind Rises by Hayao Miyazaki because both movies have the same thematic feel, although it's an animation (and they happened during WW2). Both characters were torned about their contribution. Oppenheimer with his atomic bomb, while Jiro Horikoshi with the Zero fighter, both considered weapons of destruction during that time.
"My cores were shaken and my bones were chilled". Probably the most real statement you could make after experiencing this film. Thanks guys for giving another great review fr
I'm glad both of you gave a 9/10 rating to this movie just like I did in my review. In my opinion is Nolan's best work and I think the race for the Best Directing Oscar is going to be between him and Scorsese. Two legends.
@@igorsilva3657 for the same exact reason the oscar expert and brother bro mentioned. In my opinion is Nolan’s best movie so far. You can check my review in my channel in case you are interested!
@@richierich7229 Possible but I doubt it man. I dont think any movie can beat Killers of the Flower Moon in that category. But its either one or the other. Just like I mentioned, I think the race in many categories will be between these two movies. Whoever wins the adapted screenplay, will also win Best Picture. And at the time even though I didnt see Killers of the Flower Moon yet, for the reviews I have seen everyone seems to really think that KOTFM is a masterpiece. I think it would be a wonderful night if Scorsese wins Best Picture and a bunch other oscars and Nolan wins directing.
I don’t think the chatter on KOTFM is that it’s a masterpiece. People have reservations about it: it’s one story, in which the FBI are heroes, retrofitted to not be that story.
Florence Pugh’s character (Jean) just seemed like an obligatory sexual component. And after the movie, I googled Oppenheimer and apparently Jean was the daughter of another Berkeley professor. Jean was also a medical doctor (psychiatrist). In the movie, it just seems like she’s some eye candy groupie chick who can’t keep her clothes on. Emily Blunt’s character also very one dimensional, stereotypical suffering alcoholic wife of the mad scientist. That annoyed me. Otherwise the film was excellent, although a bit longer than it needs to be and a few things that bugged me.😊
How in the heck is Billie Eilish involved in Barbieheimer 😂 I knew she had “What Was I Made For?” for Barbie but I didn’t know she also has a song for Oppenheimer too
Emily Blunt didnt shine until the last 30 minutes. Florence was compelling, they just were not fully written. There wont even be an opportunity for either of them can to get a Best Actress nod, which im fine with. Just flesh them out more
I called Robert Downey Jr in December because an article came out from Nolan saying how amazing Murphy and Downey Jr were. Out of all the actors in the movie he only specified those two
If Scorsese drops the ball this is Nolans to lose. Cillian's entire performance is his Oscar moment. Im so over this need to nominate or reward someone who has that 1 explosive scene (oops, I did that).
I'm incredibly excited to see Oppenheimer. And I'm glad to see that it's getting amazing reviews. I'm also excited to see Color Purple, Killers of the Flower Moon and Dune 2. I'm planning to see Oppenheimer in Imax as well as Dune 2.
I’d argue that the screenplay has a chance to win because interviews have said how Chris Nolan wrote this screenplay in the first person which hasn’t really been done before. Not to mention it has a lot of that classic old- school Nolan dialogue.
Well, I just don't get why people do not find the politics of labeling the father of the atonic bomb as a spy or unpatriotic to be very very disturbing, which is the point of the politics Nolan brought in.
Oppenheimer will get a Best Picture nomination. Nolan will be fighting for Director (I'm rooting for him the most to win). Cillian will be going up against his Inception co-star Leo in Best Actor. Downey Jr probably gets in for Supporting Actor. It will be in for Adapted Screenplay, Sound, Production Design, Score, Editing, and Cinematography. Might not get in for Visual Effects after Nolan's "There is no CGI at all" comments, but then Top Gun Maverick got a nom so who knows. We will likely see Oppenheimer get between 9-12 nominations.
Oppenheimer should win over Killers. Leo has an Oscar. Scorsese has at least one as does Robert DeNero . So give it to someone who also earns it, but does not have one
I also thought Emily had far less screen time than I had for some reason assumed she would have. It also wasn't varied, as you say a lot of it was her looking on sadly at the state of her husband or his philandering, I would've liked to see more of who she was during her interview. Jean I feel we didn't get near enough time to understand as a person or why Oppenheimer felt the way he did about her. A lot of her dialogue was confusing and contradictory and probing and she didn't reveal a lot about her own intentions other than that she needed him and was desperately lonely. Maybe that's just my take but I would have liked to know her more. I guess maybe Oppenheimer didn't understand her either if this is meant to be his point of view.
Oppenheimer's screen time is "subjective" hence why its in color, why may suggest how even he himself thought it was a blur and doesn't really understand his relationship with Jean. From what i know Oppie has never been an especially stable person.
Terrific review. Completely agree with needing more from Oppenheimer's love interests. More of that and maybe less of the 3rd act, altho I enjoyed the 3rd act and experiencing how a vindictive bureaucrat can bring down a national hero. It was part of Oppenheimer's arch and needed to be explored. Definitely one of Nolan's best. For me it's an 8.5/10.
Only thing i don't like about oscar talk is traditionally everyone waits to oscar bait season and many earlier on films get neglected. Glad everything everywhere broke that trend, hope this does as well
@@dariussalepetru6770 I think it’s getting Best Picture Best Director Best actor Best supporting actor Best supporting actress Best adapted screenplay Best cinematography Best editing Best sound Best original score Best make up and hairstyling For a total of 11 nominations
@@joseaguilera6355 Maybe yes but you should put in Production Design They nominated Nolan movies sometimes (The Prestige, Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet)
How this film peaked too early? Sometimes you’re literally grasping for straws. The investigating part of it’s absolutely thrilling and compelling, and ties the characters motives perfectly. It’s absolutely nerve wracking, engaging and it feels like a climax in an action film. Sometimes I really think Critics have a difficulty really enjoying films because they’re too worried looking for flaws. Perfect is Titane.
Finally summer releases feel like what they are supposed to feel. Between Barbie and oppenheimer and even Mission Impossible DR. The summer movies have arrived. Who knew that audiences love watching well made movies.
At first I was annoyed at the score because you coudnt get a moment of quiet reflection. But i realized it did its job in creating a mood - the movie becomes a thriller. Because the whole thing felt like a ticking time bomb - after all they were on a deadline to create a weapon in a war. And then the only moment of silence when the music wasnt playing was the detonation.
I actually think Nolan will win Adapted Screenplay. Oppenheimer is basically Social Network and The Imitation Game. And they both won Adapted. This is the kind of movie that they award.
I was really disappointed with the film. Nolan has a real issue with writing narrative. It’s an issue that constantly occurs in his films (Tenet was a mess while Inception and Interstellar could have had an hour cut and you wouldn’t have missed anything. Skip this and read the book (American Prometheus).
Guys: sadly people your age know almost nothing about history. The invention of the A Bomb and it's use was literally the biggest event in the 20th century. Mankind can now destroy the earth in the blink of an eye. We're still living under the looming shadow of it. The last act deals with the struggle of what to do with the incredible power of the science , Nolan used the courtroom scenes to dramatize that. You guys have seen far too many movies that don't make you actually Think
It's about science versus politics. Robert Downey Jr is kind of an extension of Truman. The scientists did the work, but the ambitions of the politicians decided the outcome of how that work was put into use.
The third act is the next step of any scientific process, from theory to practice. It's a killer of moral dilemmas. The topics are NOT cold; they are life and death. But then, I grew up waiting for atomic bombs to drop: at night, during the day, at home, at camp, and at school., all the time, any time--Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missle Crisis, JFK Assassination as an Air Force bomber flew overhead breaking the sound barrier. A generation of 10-year-olds with existential angst whose parents could not really promise they were safe.
I think we need to stop this running thing about Nolan and the female characters in his movies. Both were brilliantly written and served different purposes. Nolan tried to show how every relationship, intimate or otherwise, shaped Oppenheimer as a person and the influence each of them had in every significant moment of his life. And both actresses delivered their respective parts impeccably. Emily Blunt should at least get an oscar nomination for this performance. Just flawless acting even with the limited screen time. One of the best and most underrated actresses in modern cinema. Other than that, in my opinion the third act wasn't lacking in any way. I can see why it could probably be less interesting for some people but for me it was as good as the two first. Also, I'm getting kind of tired of the hype about RDJ. Now, don't get me wrong he was great and I am a big fan of his but because he is the most famous of the cast and he was stuck behind this iron man helmet for so long people only talk about his performance and other actors like Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt are getting overlooked even though they were just as good...
Just saw it last night, and I have a bit of an unpopular opinion… I was a bit deceived. I thought that there was lacking a lot of characterization, and I wasn’t a fan of the editing. For me, the scenes were too short in the first act, and it was difficult to grasp anything from them…. Maybe they had too much material, and were cutting as much as they could to reduce run time, but it made it difficult for me to follow the story, and care for the characters. In this manner, Florence Pugh was severely underutilized, and even Emily Blunt’s character sort of fell flat. Despite all this, I still enjoyed the score, sound, and cinematography very much. The explosion scene is one of the best cinematic moments in history, but overall, I feel like the story wasn’t what I had hoped. Perhaps focusing so much on the courtroom drama just didn’t work for me and wasn’t what I expected.
maybe just wrong expectations going in, its a biopic about the physicist who led the manhattan project and had many problems with his politics. Its going to be long, talky and have lots of political terms and themes.
I agree with a lot of what you said. Some of the performances fell flat. Matt Damon seemed miscast to me. Would have loved strong performances from blunts character as well as Damon's character. Maybe more of Kenneth Branagh. More of Rami Malek. When I think about how good chernobyl was it was the strong acting performances that made it so good. Guess I just expected more from this cast
@@Paul-zv7uy well if every one of your wishes were made true, the movie would be 5 hours. Its an ensemble cast yes but at the end of the day they are supporting pieces to Oppenheimer/murphy and Strauss/downey
@@marcochen9117i guess, but the trailer didn’t make it out to seem that it would be 90% political at all. It was basically click bait. Fine that it’s a biopic but they acted like it was entirely about the Manhattan project. And i agree with the original post. It was convoluted.
I’ve avoided seeing much material from Oppenheimer, but yeah, it looks a bit like First Man shot in the style of Blonde. It’s the American mid-century™️
I have a question, its not about Oppenheimer but what do you guys think about upcoming movie of Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes executive produced by Martin Scorsese “Escape”? It’s starring Mario Casas, you guys think he could get an Oscar Nomination next year?
Cole, I think I know exactly where you mean that the movie peaked, as I was thinking the exact same thing when I got to that moment and I thought maybe the film was winding down (they took my phone away at the screening, so I had no way of knowing how far into the movie we were by that point), and I was originally a little annoyed that the film kept going, but I found Robert Downey Jr so compelling as Lewis Strauss that eventually that section of the movie won me over (and given that it's adapted from a book called American Prometheus, to further parallel this man with the myth of Prometheus, we need to see that section of his life). I do wish it had been shorter, but I never found it boring (even if at times I did feel I was struggling to keep up... not being a physicist can do that). I'm not usually a fan of Christopher Nolan. I feel his style is usually ill-suited for the stories he chooses to tell, and often feel he should loosen up his style and make it feel like he's having more fun with his material. This is the perfect marriage of style and material, and like Justin says, he did exactly what I wanted him to do with this, and even a few things I was not expecting (I also feel how much Nolan connects with Oppenheimer, but it never feels hagiographic in the slightest). Also, yes, Cillian Murphy is terrific and I'm happy Nolan finally gave him a lead role.
i also feel like Nolan wanted to do a complete opposite of how he made Tenet where this one you are able to follow where he took his time every frame so the viewers aren't confused (tho still as a viewer total focus is still required). I am also impressed he's added more comedic relieve/ humor moments throughout the movie in the right places more than what he's done before. The build up to the bomb testing moment was literally an optimal movie going experience - the way my eyes went wide, in awe, and just WOW'ed.
I heard that the film has prolonged full frontal nude scenes, is it true? I was thinking about taking my little sister but maybe I should switch to Barbie instead, ironically she is not interested in Barbie.
I think you forgot to mention Gary Oldman.... he had like, what, 2 mins screen time but his performance blew every other performances out of the park. I wouldn't be surprised if he beats Robert Downey Jr for supporting nod, pretty much like a Judie Dench win from 1999....
I was probably expecting too much, but it didn’t quite reach my expectations (story was too unfocused being my main complaint). Still my number 3 movie of the year (behind Spider-Man and Asteroid City), but I was expecting it to be number 2, maybe even number 1.
My only issue with the film comes down to taste and preference... Most of the time, i truly despise nonlinear storytelling, and this was one of the times where it impacted my viewing experience. I feel like the movie was really good without it, but i feel it would have been even better with linear storytelling. But, I'm just a random person on youtube, not a Christopher Nolan. Just my preference, and Nolan really has embraced that format of storytelling lately.
You guys needed to watch it twice. You obviously missed a lot of the historical context which is given, if you pay close attention to the dialogue. The kangaroo court, a highlight of the film, shows how Strauss manipulated O’s ruin. You thought it was unnecessary?! This film requires you to concentrate and to THINK about what you’re seeing and hearing.
I don’t think they thought it was totally unnecessary. I have to admit, seeing Barbie first kinda helped me realize in the last scene of Oppenheimer how important the kangaroo court scenes are. Maybe those scenes could have been trimmed down a bit, but they definitely were necessary. Definitely going to rewatch as a family brought a 2 year old and 5 year old to my screening and sat behind me. I definitely was distracted, but even in spite of that, I feel I still had some understanding of the end. (Got free tix from management as they agreed my experience was terrible.)
Now that Ive read the book, there’s more info about Kitty, a sometimes mean and vicious drunk, but one who O relied on as an emotional rock. The one mini scene with the flirty blonde at the cocktail party shows one of O’s casual affairs. She was the wife of one of his colleagues. Another colleague mentioned that when her husband died later it must have been from a broken heart. That’s when O snapped back, “it was a heart attack” and walked away. The book is long and filled with info the authors spent 25 years collecting. But,despite its meticulous detail, it’s a fascinating read. About 500 pages biography and 150 pages of bibliography! There are some clarifying footnotes that add clarity. It just amazes me that Nolan could write that brilliant screenplay and make the film’s pacing so good. He gleaned all the essentials of O’s life, trimming down the additional detail. He deserves the Oscar for adapted screenplay but I don’t think many, if any, Academy voters will have read it.
I have finally seen Nolan movie Oppenheimer in cinemas and I loved so much! Such a great movie 10/10 My favorite Nolan movie of all time with The Dark Knight and Interstellar
Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Score. Easily. Best Picture is still up in the air.
Nah it will get best picture, it doesn’t have any true competition, the only true competition is Killers of The Flower Moon but that is a similar style and genre to Oppenheimer but I think Oppenheimer is better than how it’s looking like KoTFM is looking like
"Put down your nukes, let me hold your hand. We are one, we are neighbors"...😂🤣 I'd just die of laughter if these were the actual lyrics of Eilish's song.👏👏
Did not live up to the hype for me. I liked the moral questions it raised. However, I found the characters to be very unlikable and did not understand why black and white was used for some scenes. Also, I thought the sound was going to give me a headache. I did not like the cutting and the lights either.
I've loved every Nolan movie except for Dunkirk which I was deeply disappointed in. He completely didn't get across the beauty of regular British civilians crossing the channel to bring their soldiers home. That is the most inspiration story of WWII and his version fell flat.
This movie is designed to provoke thought and discussion on the ethics of having these weapons. It's especially germane to the current events in Ukraine. As for the political angle in the third act (noting that I haven't re-watched yet), I get the impression it's an indictment of McCarthyism and the which-hunts that it spawned. These politicians only saw the world in black and white, where our characters are all operating in shades of grey. Having leftist viewpoints obviously didn't automatically make one a communist, but having a communist mistress at the time would have been suspicious during the Cold War's early years when the nuclear paranoia was palpable. I will definitely have to see this film again a few more times to fully understand it. It is Nolan, after all.
just saw oppenheimer last nite & finally ~ totally engrossing ~ as a child in grade one during the cuban missile crisis we as little kids practiced in classroom drills to get under our desks in case of a nuclear bomb ~ i was a boomer who grew up with this threat & scare my whole life ~ i think its interesting that following younger generations are just feeling this a bit now with this movie ~ but i wanted to talk about the last part of the movie after the test & bomb drop ~ as a lover of politics & history i actually found this the most interesting because i wasnt able to figure out the strauss set up for oppenheimers take down ~ spent a good part of today doing some research on all of that & the facts i learned made it even more interesting ~ definitely want to see it all again especially the strauss confirmation hearing & also his kangaroo court private hearing set up to bring down oppenheimer ~ phew ! ~ better than a made up plot ~ & considering politics really all not that surprising ~
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Actor: Murphy, Supporting Actor: Downing, Sound Editing, Score, Blunt could get a Supporting nod just from the interrogation scene alone but still a maybe. Matt Damon is good, but eh wouldn't agree with a nomination.
If Dune Part 2 gets pushed back to 2024 by Warner Bros (as is currently rumoured,) Oppenheimer will demolish the techs, they'll be running unopposed. Director will also be looking very strong for Nolan, who I believe is yet to win?
YEP. Felt the exact same way about the two female characters. I thought they were pretty badly written, because you don't really get to know or understand them at all. They don't feel like real nor important people. Only Emily gets to really show who the character is towards the end, and I really enjoyed that part.
Guys, Blunt and Pugh (and the cocktail party blonde) serve to illustrate how O’s relationships with women are pretty non-emotional ones. He was thought of as a brilliant man, attracting intellectual women -and a womanizer.
Costumes and PD go to Barbie I do have to say Oppenheimer is top 3 contender in director and picture I have Scorsese Song Nolan Killers of the flower moon Past lives Oppenheimer My fourth place goes to dune part 2
