Oppenheimer - Movie Review

Several years ago, while I was immersed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, my mother suggested that I watch the Dark Knight trilogy. At the time, I didn’t expect much from it. I was caught surprised there though, in fact I was virtually blown away by the way the story was told. I watched those movies multiple times and each time I was struck by another angle, another insight, another twist and I became an official Christopher Nolan fan.

Oppenheimer was pure cinematic brilliance, an intellectually and visually stunning piece of work from which I could not disengage even for a second. As a student of science, it was just fascinating to watch the academics bring to fruition what they set out to achieve For the first time, I felt rather appreciative of my textbook knowledge of scientists names and accomplishments, Einstein, Neils Bohr, Fermi and Heisenberg are all scattered in the tumultuous political landscape of their times . It was amazing to see on screen all their personal and moral dilemmas.

The trial scenes interspersed throughout the movie were some of my favourites. The complexity behind the man who built the most destructive weapon in mankind’s collective arsenal is something the movie never forgets. I also personally liked the lone woman from Harvard who gets inducted to the team and faces sexism at work. One of my favourite lines was when Kyoto was struck off a list of possible bombing locations in Japan by Stimson because it's a "beautiful" city where he and his wife honeymooned. It was a chilling, nauseating (and apparently improvised) moment which made the audience collectively gasp.

Cillian Murphy amazes, he just lives as Oppenheimer and I bet he is going to bag the Oscar for his performance. Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon - the list of powerful performances in Oppenheimer is endless. This tale on science, ambition, humanity and politics is a must watch.