Oppenheimer

"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds"

Well, Nolan did it again. Just when we think he's done it all, he pulls one out of the hat like he's a cheap magician for hire. I anticipated this film would be a masterpiece and Nolan delivers one of his most intriguing pieces of film in his career. Oppenheimer is a stellar film from start to finish, perfectly capturing every detail of Oppenheimer's life and his achievements and giving us one of his most harrowing films yet.

There are few films like this out there and I consider this one of the most important films of the century because of its depiction of nuclear warfare. This film is set in an era when the world was desperate and the race for power was dominant during the end of the Second World War and this is something that is severely overlooked in history classes and I think it should be addressed further because it directly affects our future. Years from now, you can look back and watch this film and think to yourself "what did we do!" and hopefully the story of Oppenheimer will be more well known.

This is a biography of the development of the Atomic Bomb and the Manhattan Project, which is one of the most significant events of the 20th century and ended World War 2. This is an incredibly important film because not only are we learning of how this impossible feat was done but also what it could mean for our future and how it affected Oppenheimer. He is known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb and he is also known for his fear of his own creation. He knew the dangers of nuclear weapons and was very public about it but the government decided to cast him aside and follow through anyway.

The main story of the film focuses on his alienation from the US government, they believed him to be a Soviet sympathiser and were willing to throw him away once the bomb was tested. The film shows the importance of scientists within the army and how quickly things can turn once they get what they want and this is depicted perfectly in this film. The story literally changes the moment after the bomb goes off and we are left wondering "how dare they turn on him like that!" it shows how quickly things can go, particularly in wartime, and how everyone can be cheated after giving everything and getting stabbed in the back!

So the story was there, the biggest challenge how to bring it to life. Nolan is known for his practical skills and stunts so when he announced he was doing the movie, we all saw what happened. Memes and jokes all round, theorists going wild! Obviously you can't detonate a nuke for the sake of film because, you can't. Full stop! So the most interesting part of this film was how will Nolan achieve a fully simulated nuclear explosion for the film. What resulted was simple, he blew theatres apart! Not literally of course!

The build up to the Trinity test was the most important part of the film and the most difficult to follow (unless you are a nuclear physicist of course). You see all the inner workings of the Manhatten Project and all the integral cogs that led to the bomb being built and you also see how reliant the military was on Oppenheimer, and how much they suspected him from the start. All the wide shots of Los Alamos was pitch perfect from Nolan, he really captured the colour aesthetic of the film and continuously pushing the boundaries of camerawork to give a truly aesthetically pleasing film like he always does.

The sound of the bomb shook every seat in the theatre, I could feel the power of the blast and it's destructive nature. Nolan amped up the revs to give us a harrowing experience that lives up to the hype, the way he silenced the film when the bomb blew silenced the audience as we gazed at the spectacle before us and then, after the infamous Oppenheimer quote was said, he blasts the sound right through our ear drums leading us to getting our ears checked by the doctors.

The sound musicians created a spectacle as well with their orchestrated talent, giving us a harrowing and haunting soundtrack that fully embraces the moment at the films climax. Nolan and his team have always been known to push the boundaries of film and sound, we've seen it in The Dark Knight and Interstellar, but what was so great about this version was it contrasted brilliantly with every frame it took part in, you could feel Oppenheimer's thoughts and struggles when the soundtrack came on. It was like you were sharing the same thoughts which is the main goal of this film.

Despite everything great about this film, there were some aspects that I felt could have been improved upon in the film. Nolan is known for his extreme visuals and practical effects that makes the film look more real, we've seen it in his previous projects, but in this film there was very little visuals that helped set this apart from his previous films. There was the use of old school black and white picture in the film, but I'll get to that, i was expecting more interesting shots and creativity in the camera department in this film but the whole film seemed like a standard biopic that normally anyone can make.

There were some shots that depict the power of atoms at the beginning of the film which I liked but, apart from that every frame looked standard and less impressive than what I am used to seeing in Nolan films. Even with the detonation of the atomic bomb scene, I wanted more from the explosion itself to demonstrate how powerful a nuke really is, but as this is a Nolan film I doubt that anyone would lend him an actual nuke to blow up or there may have been a political issue.

Additionally, the black and white frames we see in the film that depict Lewis Strauss's congress hearing, was a curious element that Nolan included. Normally black and white is used to establish past and foundations, Nolan uses it to establish finality in the story from Strauss's point of view. Strauss wanted to destroy Oppenheimer's reputation and he got what he wanted but it also resulted in the destruction of his own career as well and all of Strauss's endeavours was shot in black and white to symbolise his own ego. He is a man of the past and laid the foundation for Oppenheimer's finality.

Nolan included many opportune scenes that hinted at the link between Oppenheimer and communism. Obviously he was no communist but the government felt, with his past of assisting refugees in the Spanish civil war and his link with Jean Tatlock, who was a communist sympathiser, led to his official investigation. This was the main arc of the film, how someone can give the power of the gods to man and be cast aside once the power gets out. That's what made the film so interesting and how he engaged the audience, Oppenheimer was done dirty by the American Government after everything he did for them and that's what makes us feel that Oppenheimer deserves justice.

This film was incredible from start to finish, it's long I will admit, but Nolan uses his skill to shorten each scene to help keep the story going so we don't spend too long at one place. Most of the film is engaging and beautiful and I love how Nolan is a challenging director to fully compete with. Everything about this film speaks history and reflection on what we must do to honour Oppenheimer's legacy, especially at the end when Murphy speaks that haunting line.

This is a highly educational film that portrays an important figure of the 20th century and delivers some form of justice to his memory. I was engaged from start to finish and that's the beauty of Nolan's work, he knows how to keep you in the film and in the moment and give you an experience you will never forget.

Oppenheimer is available on Digital and DVD.