Director: Christopher Nolan

Oppenheimer, an epic biographical thriller film based on biography American Prometheus is a cinematic masterpiece.

The movie follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), brilliant, young and anxious student who suffers from homesickness completes his Ph.D. and moves back to America where he teaches quantum physics and comes across notable personalities like Jean Tatlock ( Florence Pugh), Ernest Lawrence ( Josh Hartnett), Lewis Strauss ( Robert Downey Jr), Kitty ( Emily Blunt) who change his life over the course of time.

The film unfolds in 3 major parallel tracks. One is life of Oppenheimer from student to scientist, the other in future where he goes under trial and answers about his loyalty to America and his connection with  communists, the other one in black and white where, Lewis Strauss undergoes his own trial which reveals the major plot twist of the story at last. The transition between discovery of bomb, the fallout and the aftermath was hard to grasp at first but it was perfect in typical Nolan way.

The story was not just about creation of world’s deadliest weapon but it is about the creator and his thrilling and intimate story of how he became the Father of atomic bomb. As Oppenheimer, Cillian lived as the character. As Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, Emily captured the essence of wife who strive to be more than just a wife from the earlier times. Even though the movie was about the weapon and it’s creator it showed much intimate and needed scenes like, how Kitty couldn’t get along with their son, Jean suffering from mental illness and most importantly the guilt that was carried by Oppenheimer.

The movie rolled out with big names but it proved why they are there. Every other actor did justice to their character and the movie’s trinity – cinematography, editing and music made everyone feel the movie. Anxious inducing music, thriller editing and edge cutting cinematography is top notch.

Coming to the direction of Christopher Nolan, the movie was made in a typical Nolan way. Man trying to control planet, time and cosmic energy. Even though the movie was about atomic bomb, he never showed the dropping of atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was experienced as aftermath named guilt by Oppenheimer. The way Nolan didn’t just make this movie about weapons and scientists and also showed the politics that runs deep behind every country make one think about the government.

The movie is not all about perfection, it has it’s own flaws. Even though the movie is by Christopher Nolan and has his style of filmmaking not everyone can grasp the concept of the film. Choppy and rapid moving first half and everything unfolding in second half cannot be understood immediately, one need time to figure out where the movie is heading to. Even though Nolan wanted the audience to experience the film, not everyone can go to 70mm Imax theater, it sometimes makes one question am I fully experiencing the film?

In short, the questions of future were answered in past and quests of present is daunting future.

Rating: 4.5/ 5