Director Christopher Nolan's latest historical drama is yet another staggering achievement from one of our greatest living filmmakers consisting of brilliant performances, impeccable sound design, riveting storytelling, and just some of the very best craftsmanship you'll see all year. It feels like the first film this year that I can say with full confidence that will definitely be contending for Best Picture at next year's Oscar.
Oppenheimer is a rich character study that not only covers the events leading up to one of the most historical moments in history, but also leaves you pondering about the consequences that still plague our world today. It may not be a horror film per say, but it may as well be because few films have had me leaving the theater with as much devastation and horror in recent memory. This is some of the best storytelling Christopher Nolan has ever accomplished. The non-linear narrative works tremendously and how the film is structured is I think pretty brilliant. It really stands out from the batch of biopic we are used to seeing. For a three hour film mostly just consisted of people in a room talking, it's some of the best pacing I've ever seen from any film of this length. The trinity test sequence is spectacular and worth the build up, but I found any moment where it's just our main cast members going head to head with conversations just as engrossing.
This cast is phenomenal across the board. Cillian Murphy has always been one of the most underappreciated character actors of our time, but it's kind of insane how little leading man roles he's received because he's so capable of it. As Oppenheimer, Murphy gives the performance of his career. It's a transformative performance that just demands your attention every single second he's on screen and I never once felt this was just an actor impersonating a real life figured. He's absolutely Oscar worthy here. And speaking of Oscar worthy, I will have to echo other reviewers in declaring Robert Downey Jr. as the MVP here with what is easily his greatest performance in arguably two decades. He's almost completely unrecognizable and manages to chew up the scenery during every scene he has without the performance ever becoming too showy. Emily Blunt is also magnificent and I'm hoping this could lead to her first nomination as well. Her performance felt nicely understated until we get to that one powerful scene with her in the last act which Blunt just killed. Matt Damon turns in his second great performance in 2023 and even with little screentime she has, Florence Pugh absolutely stuns again with her work.
The major players will get all the awards attention and rightfully so, but the rest of our supporting players shouldn't go without mention as well. This brilliant ensemble is almost too packed to single out everyone, but I especially want to highlight a few others. Alden Ehrenreich is especially really good here and it's great to see him get another really juicy role here. The way he plays off Downey is great and they share some of the best scenes in the film. I'm always happy to see Josh Hartnett in something new and he's also very good here. Benny Safdie is also great as is Dane DeHaan and Matthew Modine. And I never thought I needed Josh Peck in a Christopher Nolan film this badly so I'm thankful for that too. The cast is huge and everyone comes to deliver. Best Gary Oldman extended cameo ever.
It's almost a given to say that Nolan has made yet another technical masterpiece. While I didn't get to see this on a fancy IMAX 70MM screen like some of my peers did (sad face), I did see it in regular 70mm and even in that format it is still the must see theatrical experience of the year. The sound design is just impeccable and some of the best work Nolan has ever accomplished. Even in boardroom scenes where it's just our characters talking with one another, I still felt so much suspense through every frame of this film. The trinity test sequence is absolutely riveting and it's one of the very best moments from any film all year. That sequence alone makes this one worth the full admission of seeing this on the biggest screen possible. And Ludwig Goransson's score is haunting, addicting and seriously his best work yet. I haven't been able to get that score out of my head since seeing this on Thursday. It's essentially another character in this movie. Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography is also a gorgeous sight to behold and I sincerely hope this will lead to another nomination for his work too.
Two days later and I'm still struggling to signal out any flaws with Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece. The film is very long and I can see why that will turn off other viewers, but I could have gladly spent another hour or more in that theater with how engrossed this film had me. It's a staggering achievement across the board and I fully anticipate this will be one of our major front runners during awards season too. I'm not ready to call it my favorite Nolan yet (that's an impossible bar for me at this rate), but from his direction, the performances, storytelling, score, and every technical craft across the board it's hard to not hail it as his magnum opus. This film left me feeling so much awe yet also emotionally deveasted from the greater themes of this true story and that's an achievement that very few films are able to pull off. It's the best film I've seen so far this year and if greedy studio execs in Hollywood decide to rob us of a Fall/Winter movie season I finally anticipate for this to stay as the movie of 2023.
Final Grade: A+