Unveiling Oppenheimer on screen: A journey into brilliance

My original article here.

18 September 2023

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer weaves an intricate tapestry, drawing from historical records and masterful storytelling. The film embarks on an intellectual odyssey, a profound journey into the heart of a complex figure.

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A biopic of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the "father of the atomic bomb," the film finds its roots in the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The ambition and scope of Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of crucial moments in Oppenheimer’s life are immense. Within this dense and intricate period piece, timelines tangle, revealing Oppenheimer's multifaceted story.

Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Oppenheimer captures a man enraptured by the boundless potential of science, only to realise too late the destructive power his creation holds. Like Prometheus giving fire to humans, he carries the weight of the bombs dropped on Japan and the knowledge that his creation might engender further devastation. Murphy excels in this role, his haunting expression and distant gaze in his piercing blue eyes becoming increasingly heart-wrenching as the film unfolds.

Accompanied by Ludwig Göransson’s score, these moments of guilt are both beautiful and horrifying. Oppenheimer’s character is meticulously unveiled, revealing the interplay between genius and torment that moulds his remarkable journey.

The film commences in 1926, with a young Oppenheimer studying under physicist Patrick Blackett (James D'Arcy) at Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory. An anxious and homesick Oppenheimer leaves a poisoned apple for Blackett, only to reclaim it. The arrival of visiting scientist Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh) leaves an impression, leading to Oppenheimer's pursuit of theoretical physics in Germany, where he earns his PhD and crosses paths with Werner Heisenberg (Matthias Schweighöfer).

Upon returning to the US, Oppenheimer teaches at UC Berkeley, joins Caltech, and encounters his future wife, Kitty Puening (Emily Blunt). His involvement with Communist Party member Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) adds complexity to his personal life. The progression of Nazi nuclear advancements in 1938 compels Oppenheimer to replicate their work.

As WWII ensues in 1942, General Groves (Matt Damon) recruits him for the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer forms a scientific team in Los Alamos, spurred by the Nazi threat. News of Tatlock's suicide reaches him. Post-German surrender, Oppenheimer supports using the bomb to end the Pacific war but dreads the consequences.

The Trinity test triumphs, culminating in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oppenheimer becomes synonymous with the "father of the atomic bomb" title, yet remains haunted by the destruction it wrought. While he advocates nuclear restraint, President Truman (Gary Oldman) dismisses his concerns. Oppenheimer's opposition to the hydrogen bomb fuels Cold War tensions.

In a bid to diminish his influence, former allies betray Oppenheimer. Despite defence testimonies, his security clearance is revoked. Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) orchestrates his downfall, but a flashback exposes Oppenheimer's authentic sentiments about his role.

Oppenheimer brilliantly fuses historical biopic with Nolan’s cinematic artistry. The cinematography encapsulates the essence of the World War 2 era, immersing the audience in a world grappling with the intricate interplay between intellect and conscience. Though the film's narrative structure is complex, it effectively portrays the nuanced layers of Oppenheimer's character. The recurring motif of resounding footfalls underscores the mounting sense of impending peril as the monumental implications of Oppenheimer’s scientific pursuits sharpen.

Nolan is known for his gritty Batman trilogy and his complex mindbending films like Inception, Interstellar and Tenet. Oppenheimer is reminiscent of 2017’s Dunkirk with the structure of 2000’s Memento. It was filmed in a combination of IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film and it’s spectacular to look at. The ensemble cast is a testament to Nolan’s pull in Hollywood. When he calls every actor worth their salt answers even if it’s for a cameo role.

Other than Cillian Murphy as the titular character, the standout roles go to Emily Blunt as Kitty, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Matt Damon as General Groves and especially Robert Downey Jr. as the vengeful and petty Lewis Strauss.

Oppenheimer not only met but exceeded my expectations. It delivers a cinematic journey that intricately weaves history, storytelling, and moral introspection. Nolan's direction, coupled with Murphy's haunting portrayal, vividly brings Oppenheimer's internal conflicts to life. The fusion of intricate narrative, immersive cinematography, and standout performances elevates the film to cinematic artistry that resonates deeply.

Oppenheimer serves as a poignant reminder of the intricacies of scientific advancement and the weight of moral responsibility. This masterful creation, rich in emotion and depth, stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and filmmaking at its finest.

Throwing Our Storytelling Toys

I went to go see Captain America: The Winter Soldier some time ago and it was the best movie I saw thus far this year and that made me think about toys and storytelling. Sitting in that dark cinema watching a remarkably good comic book movie I realised that we are living in the best time in terms of seeing things that you could only imagine translated into visual stories.

Growing up reading fiction novels and comic books many people of my generation are at home living in their heads. All you needed to keep you busy for hours was a Lego set. Older generations can boast that they only needed a stick and a stone and that’s fine too. The point is that we were all happy mucking around with sticks or Lego blocks and building these vast landscapes in our minds where robots battled it out with monsters or whatever else. But then we grew up . . . We grew up and our toys were discarded and left to gather dust in a garage but we didn’t discard our imaginations.

Our movies, books, video games and even our toys are taken from the things we loved as children. Michael Bay’s Transformers movies may not have had good plots but I absolutely adore them for their visuals. Every single time I see an Autobot or Decepticon transform I smile. Those are the visuals that I had in my head as a child every time I played with a Transformers action figure or watched the cartoon. To this day I can’t get over how CGI took images I could only see in my head and plastered them onto screens. There’s a little magic about it. It’s like pizza, even if it’s bad it’s still nice to have.

Stories and how we tell them has always been very fascinating to me.  Movies are big business and Hollywood has gone back to your childhood to dig up all your old toys and is telling those stories on the big screen and it works for the most part. Marvel has successfully translated many of its comic franchises into film and they have many plans going forward. Guardians of the Galaxy is their next venture and they sure are being adventurous because the characters aren’t well known by general audiences. Marvel is good at taking their quirkier franchises and making good films though. When Iron Man came out lots of people didn’t know who he was.

DC is not having as good a time with their offerings failing more often than not but Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy sure did set the benchmark for gritty, realistic superhero movies. Everyone and their dog loves Batman but even as a kid reading the comics, watching the cartoons and playing with the action figures you know that the idea of a running around fighting crime dressed as a bat is ridiculous. Batman is probably my favourite comic book character but I’m the first to admit that he is the most ridiculous of the superheroes. You buy into though because it’s fun. Then Nolan sells it to you in a straight-up serious setting and it works. If you didn’t have a guy dressed as a bat the movies could simply be good action/thriller stories. Marvel did a great job with placing Captain America in a realistic setting in Winter Soldier as well. Take away the star spangled costume and Winter Soldier is just a really good spy flick. It’s an interesting dynamic, that, taking stories people think are for children and selling them to adults (and children still) as fun shoot-‘em-ups or taking them seriously as stories that could be entirely plausible.

Sad Batman is sad because he knows he is ridiculous.
No worries, we still love you, bro'.

It’s a great time to be alive and to see things you loved as a kid being reincarnated in ways that make you love them again or make you want to hire a squad of ninja pirates to assassinate everyone involved in ruining your favourite comic book (guys behind Green Lantern, I’m referring to you). You even get charming things like The Lego Movie! We’re throwing all our storytelling telling toys in the sandpit and having a great time playing with or just peeing on them. Life’s good.

Cupboard Person of the Week

Superman

“It's not about where you were born. Or what powers you have. Or what you wear on your chest. ... It's about what you do... It's about action.”

With the Batman trilogy's director, Christopher Nolan producing and 300's Zack Snyder in the director's chair I have faith the movie will be worthy of the Superman mythos.

This week I’m pulling out the biggest gun of them all! This post will be riddled with exclamation marks to emphasise the awesomeness of this more-than-man! Everything about this guy’s extreme; there are no half hearted attempts at anything on his part. I am referring, of course, to the greatest hero of them all, Kal-El or Superman as we know him on planet Earth.

The Sphinx: What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object?

Superman: They Surrender.

-          Grant Morrison

Let me start off by saying that I didn’t like this guy much to begin with. In fact, there was a part of me that outright hated him! He was just too good at everything for me to take him seriously as a hero. He is almost perfect dammit! This is strange in itself, that I’d hate the guy for being too rad-ical. I liked (and still do) super muk muks (as Dan Turpin refers to ‘em) like Batman who are at the ‘peak’ of human excellence and whatnot because at the end of the day they’re human and if I train hard enough I could be like them. This was a naive thought, though, because when it’s all said and done Batman’s also too good to be true. Thus, after looking at Superman from a new perspective I’ve started appreciating him for what he is in the DC universe. I actually like him quite a lot now, especially after reading Final Crisis: Superman Beyond by Grant Morrison.

“It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then... he shoots fire from the skies and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him.”

-          Batman

I agree with Batman's sentiment that Clark is the most human of us in that he lives up to most of the virtues that we uphold as being good and true but never seem to be able to live up to. He shares some similarities with Jesus in that regard. The whole idea of man made perfect and all. As our greatest hero he sets the standard for us. Philosopher, Peter Kreeft says of Christ that He is not the exception when it comes to being the perfect human being but the rule. Superman's whole ideal is the same, he seeks to inspire people to stand up and be more than they ever thought they were and to uphold justice in all that they do, regardless of their power and abilities. People don't have to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound to stand up against the tyrannies of this world. But it does look cool dealing with them by shooting heat rays out of one's eyes, you have to admit.

Superman's one of the most powerful beings in the DC universe but his humilty is quite astonishing and he is willing to give his all, body and soul, to protect is adopted homeworld against powerful threats like Darkseid, who in Final Crisis launches an attack against existence itself. In a squeeze Superman's the dude you want by your side: powers that embody the term badassery (a real made-up word, Thato!) and humility that makes you think you're on the same level as he is. He is without a doubt DC's greates hero and I, for one, cannot wait to see him in all his glory on the silver screen next year in Man of Steel. I really hope the reboot does him justice because all the movies thus far made him seem a little bit silly. With the Batman trilogy's director, Christopher Nolan producing and 300's Zack Snyder in the director's chair I have faith the movie will be worthy of the Superman mythos.


P.S. That turned out a little more serious than I'd intended. Not enough Pow! and Bam!