i just watched oppenheimer in cinemas (on release day!!!) yay one half of barbenheimer Done! loved it so much id probably give it a 4.5/5 but here's just my thoughts on the film
for context im a Big cillian murphy fan like i love him a lot okay so i was already looking forward to his acting but he srsly went Above and beyond . apart from lookjng like a sopping wet cat who eats one almond a day i think he legit fits the part So well. like u cant even tell hes acting honestly he genuinely looked hopeless at the end... i feel like some of his scenes would be really funny out of context but he expresses emotion quite well but also so subtly its crazy!! to be fair i feel like this role also really suits him irl ^^
ok then on to the story!! i definitely did not have this much in depth knowledge about oppenheimer and the creation of first a-bomb so most of it was new to me! cant speak on the historical accuracy or story angle but its something ill definitely be doing my research on cus now im so curious. also i think they did a great job of showing oppenheimer's backstory and character traits + motivations too and i liked that they really showed the significance of his relationships!!! not sure whether i liked the female characters' writing though
i gotta say the Cinematography absolutely BLEW my mind!!!!!! cant stress this enough it was such an immersive experience i feel like it was even better than the dialogue or screenwriting honestly the shots were so well put together it was amazing xx a lot of the imagery and symbolism struck me for example how he always saw water ripples as bombs... also theres this part where oppenheimer stands alone next to the trinity test bomb in the shadows and he looks really pained for me that perfectly reflected the gravity of the situation so it really stuck with me.
apart from that the bomb scene Drove me insane (still does thinking about it)! i was watching interviews and cillian said that he wasnt really talking much on the day of the shoot because of the gravity of that moment in history. i felt that way too... it was so full of tension and emotion but it was also so beautiful like i could feel the awe of witnessing their creation and the realisation that they truly just succeeded in making a weapon of mass destruction. perfect placement of the “And now i am become death” quote and they used the original recording i think Rahhh the music was so good in all the scenes btw!! also oppenheimers downfall was portrayed So well like you kinda get to experience his guilt and all even during his celebratory speech Grrr So real! a lil bit graphic with the cgi but i think it was very impactful
im Not sure If i like this more than other of christopher nolans works but i think he rlly let the cinematography + casting shine since plotwise theres nothing much he can change… pacing and storyline was pretty good though! kinda got confused at the end so ill still need to read up a bit more on it to understand it properly. overall definitely recommend this movie its wonderfully made and is very thought provoking! see u all at my barbenheimer pt 2 review soon (i hope!)
- j