Oppenheimer

Summary

“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Universal Studios has released Christopher Nolan’s epic docudrama Oppenheimer on 4K UHD. I want to start by pointing out that this film is Christopher Nolan’s first time pairing up with Universal Studios after a couple decades of extremely successful film work at Warner Bros. This was (from the reports I have read) a direct result of how Warner Bros. adjusted to the 2020 pandemic by moving much of their theatrical slate towards streaming. Nolan was not pleased with how Tenet was released, or with how that whole slate of films was released, which led to his departure from Warner. Before I begin talking about the film itself, I think it is significant to point out just how far Christopher Nolan will go if he believes in something. I personally am thankful that Nolan believes in the importance of physical media in the age of streaming and has been very vocal about that issue. I think this might be one of the reasons why Oppenheimer has been selling out of retailers that have carried it. With his first film at Universal Studios, he did not at all play things safe. He crafted a three hour, R-rated biographical film, partially shot in black and white, about the physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer – the man behind the atomic bomb. The fact that the film has now grossed over $900 million worldwide is a solid indicator that Christopher Nolan has built up enough trust with his viewers that he can swing for the fences and they will follow him to the theaters.

In preparation for viewing Oppenheimer, I read the Pulitzer Prize winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. I had heard of the book when it won the Pulitzer Prize, but I had not taken the leap on reading the book until I heard that Oppenheimer would be the subject of Nolan’s film. I did not realize that the film was a direct adaptation of the book until I had already finished reading it, but I was elated to see that it would be. The source material is absolutely fantastic, and likewise, so is the film. Oppenheimer’s script employs a unique structure where the film is divided into two timelines: Fission and Fusion. Fission is shot in color and Fusion is shot in Black and White.

1. Fission: In 1954, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) sits before an appointed security board of the Atomic Energy Commission regarding his security clearance. Over the course of their questioning, which is led in a calculated manner by lawyer Roger Robb (Jason Clarke,) Oppenheimer flashes back to the moments that shaped his life. At Cambridge, a tutor keeps Robert from attending on time a presentation held by Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh) as he spoke of quantum physics. Oppenheimer has a momentary indiscretion and poisons the apple which the tutor placed on his desk by injecting it with cyanide. The next day, Oppenheimer wakes early and races to the classroom. He removes the apple before the teacher, or Niels Bohr, could eat it. Robert studies quantum mechanics which leads to him crossing paths with the brilliant German physicist Heisenberg (Matthias Schweighöfer.) Heisenberg tells him to stay in Europe, because quantum physics are not being taken seriously in America. Robert explains that is why he must return to the States. He returns to Berkeley to try to spread appreciation for studies of quantum mechanics in America. Meeting with Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett,) who has a lab on campus, Robert is also able to actually test his theories. Oppenheimer’s class quickly fills up with students interested in the cutting edge of physics theorems. Robert is somewhat radically liberal in his politics due to his support of the Spanish war effort against fascists and by his support of unionization. This is noticed by the F.B.I. Robert’s brother Frank (Dylan Arnold) joins the communist party. Robert never joins, and warns his brother about joining, though he is sympathetic to some of the philosophies and reads Das Kapital. Robert’s closest friend Haakon Chevalier (Jefferson Hall) also was a full fledged party member. Robert has a sexual relationship with a communist sympathizer named Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh). She is bipolar and unstable, which makes their relationship unsteady despite his willingness to always be there for her when she needs him. Robert dreams of combining the loves of his life – physics and the hills of the New Mexico dessert in which he grew up riding horses when on long vacations with his family. Robert loved riding the hills and plains and the open sky full of stars. When the Germans split the atom, Oppenheimer and his associates get to work on theories. When Dr. Busch and Richard come to recruit Ernest Lawrence into the war effort, they are silent around Oppenheimer. He takes note. News comes that Poland has been invaded by Hitler. Meanwhile, Robert meets Kitty (Emily Blunt.) She is unhappily married to a doctor. Her prior husband had been a full fledged member of the communist party and had died fighting in Spain. Robert steals Kitty from her husband after inviting them out to New Mexico. Back at Berkeley, Lawrence explains to Robert that his liberalism is the one thing stopping him from being asked to join the bomb project. Lawrence explains, “You’re not just self-important. You’re actually important.” Oppenheimer immediately abandons all associations with leftist groups. His relationship with Kitty is muddy, because they are completely devoted to one another, but she is an alcoholic and a poor mother for their first child. At one point, Robert takes his child to Chevallier and pleas to have them raise the child as their own. General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon,) after interviewing Robert’s colleagues and Robert, enlists Oppenheimer to head up the Manhattan Project. Robert has a plan for how to beat the Germans, who he believes have an eighteen month head start. They set up a town for the project in the isolated New Mexico region of Los Alamos and begin recruiting scientists. An entire town is built to accommodate the scientists and their families in a neutral location far away from prying eyes and ears. There is only one phone to the outside world for example. The location is totally secure. Oppenheimer recruits a team of elite scientists including Edward Teller (Benny Safdie) who has his own ideas revolving around hydrogen particles.

2. Fusion: In 1959, Lewis Strauss awaits his appointment by the Senate to Eisenhower’s cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. In preparation for the Senate’s questions, Strauss is questioned about his relationship with Oppenheimer by a senate aide (Alden Ehrenreich.) Strauss was determined to have Oppenheimer join his team at the Atomic Energy Commission. Oppenheimer slighted Strauss in front of a gathering by making a jest about something Strauss had said while speaking on the subject of isotopes. Strauss also believes that Robert may have soured Albert Einstein on him. Strauss explains that he did not cause Robert’s security clearance to be revoked. It was because of another person – William Borden – that Oppenheimer had run into troubles. Strauss continues to explain his position as his Senate questioning approaches.

Oppenheimer, despite a few very minor issues, is an absolute triumph. It very well may be the very best film of 2023 (I still have a few left to view, including Scorsese’s latest.) Christopher Nolan managed to truly nail down the story of the rise and fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer in a way that feels suspenseful and thrilling. The film is three hours long, but not a minute of the picture felt wasteful. The script is for the most part of exceptional quality. It manages to encompass the life of its subject, and it is an extremely interesting life. Oppenheimer was a polymath interested in a wide range of topics and not just scientific ones: he learned several languages fluently, he read volumes of poetry, he was interested in world religions, and he studied wide ranging philosophies. The script manages to allude to all of these intersecting interests that his exceptional mind could take in. The build-up to the atomic bomb is handled exceptionally well, but the ways in which Oppenheimer was essentially set up for a fall by a jealous colleague is also very well examined. One aspect of the script that was fascinating is that it was written from the first person viewpoint. Watching the film, that makes sense as the action takes place from the viewpoint of Oppenheimer and Strauss respectively. The script draws out the very best from its source material, and then Christopher Nolan brought that script to life on the screen. This was no small feat. For example, Christopher Nolan wanted to shoot Robert Downey Jr.’s sequences in IMAX Black and White film. That sounds easy enough, except that film stock did not exist. It was created in order to make Oppenheimer. Due to the use of IMAX 70MM film, and Panavision 65MM film, Christopher Nolan also chose to use practical effects whenever possible to stay true to the analog nature of the filming process. The worry was that with the large film format, digital affects would stick out as a downgrading of quality from the realism created by the film stock. The cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema was not easily accomplished due to the weight of the IMAX cameras and film stock which were often carried around by Hoyte and his team to get their shots. Visual Effects Supervisor Andrew Jackson did breathtaking work in camera for the moments of quantum physics playing out within Oppenheimer’s mind onscreen, but he also worked with the actual special effects team daily. Needless to say, the hard work paid off. I don’t think that I would be overselling the film when I say that it is the most visually impressive picture of 2023. The production design of Oppenheimer is realized to the finest historical detail possible. The sequences which recreate Los Alamos are truly impressive. I don’t think there was a sequence in any film in 2023 which captured my imagination as much as the Los Alamos sequences in Oppenheimer. What Nolan and his team accomplished is, for lack of a better word, remarkable.

The sound design of the film is, like with many of Nolan’s pictures, going to be divisive for viewers from what I have seen online. I have a true Atmos setup in my movie room, and I thought the film sounded absolutely amazing. The film does not sound as good when listening on a simple TV speaker, but that is not a knock on the design, which I found extremely effective. If you are one of those that were aggravated with the sound design on his prior pictures, I think Oppenheimer will press the same buttons.

The acting in the film is sure to rack up awards at the Academy if there is any justice in the world. The film has one of the best ensemble casts assembled in this generation. Cillian Murphy turns in a career best performance. He IS Oppenheimer, and the audience believes it from the first seconds of the film until the film’s finale. Bringing to life a historical figure is no easy task, and Cillian is captivating. Having read the book, I was honestly amazed at just how well realized his depiction was. If he doesn’t win Best Actor, the Academy will have gotten it wrong. In a performance that rivals Cillian’s, Robert Downey Jr. turns in one of his greatest in a long career. Downey Jr. has gone on record saying that Oppenheimer is the best project he has ever worked on. Considering his ability in films ranging from Natural Born Killers and Chaplin, it is a big statement by the actor. If you were to divide out his section and make another film called Strauss, I think his performance could have been nominated for Best Actor. Downey Jr. nails everything about the subtly conniving and vengeful Strauss. It is the best supporting actor performance that I have seen of this last year for certain. The ensemble has numerous excellent turns. Matt Damon is always a joy to watch onscreen and I liked the pragmatic way in which he brought Groves to life. Josh Hartnett is an interesting actor and I was happy to see him in a grown up role that shows off his talent. Benny Safdie deserves all the praise he has gotten for playing Edward Teller. Florence Pugh completely crushes her role as the troubled Jean Tatlock. The rest of the cast would take me quite awhile to run through, but they all do an excellent job. That said, there was one performance in the film that I felt was slightly miscast. I respect and appreciate Emily Blunt’s talent and have really enjoyed her in pictures such as Edge of Tomorrow. I felt like she was slightly miscast to play Kitty, but I also could say that aside from one great sequence in the latter portion of the film, Kitty as a character is a little underwritten. This is a minor gripe given how convincing everything else in the film was.

The script by Christopher Nolan deserves a lot of credit for just how much of Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin’s book made it onscreen from his screenplay. Using his nontraditional approach of writing from the first person, Nolan shows much of Oppenheimer’s life and struggles. The book itself is over seven hundred pages and the film manages to focus on the aspects of Oppenheimer’s life that truly defined him as a man and as a scientist. As in the book, Oppenheimer comes across as a truly patriotic American. He loved our country – especially the dessert terrains of New Mexico. What happened to him is a tragedy and Christopher Nolan lets the audience understand completely that if those steps could be taken towards someone as accomplished as J. Robert Oppenheimer, similar steps can be taken to drag down any accomplished man. Since the film is exactly that – a film – it does use a few devices that stuck out to me. For example, the film builds up the relationship between Einstein and Oppenheimer more so than was present in the book. This only really bothered me in one sequence where Einstein steps out from behind a car to talk with Oppenheimer. It felt a little forced. The film also struggles at times to have characters speak in anything but platitudes, but then again many of these quotes come directly from the book. The only other minor criticism would be that Kitty’s role is slightly underwritten until the third act. Aside from these minor qualms, it is a fantastic script. I think it is safe to say that Christopher Nolan is one of the most brilliant minds in cinema today. Oppenheimer is a wonderful accomplishment and may very well be the very best film of 2023.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an alternating aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and 2.21:1 (for IMAX sequences,) Oppenheimer looks truly phenomenal in Universal’s UHD presentation. The 4K presentation is taken from an 8K scan performed of the 65MM negative. The film absolutely swing for the fences visually and the 4K presentation is one of the most beautiful on the format. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoyteman shot the film on IMAX 70MM and Panavision 65MM film in anamorphic widescreen. I have already gushed about the cinematography in my review above, but the film looks amazing. The IMAX Black and White sequences stand as some of the most beautifully rendered Black and White sequences on the format. It is a site to behold, and I hope is used more often by otehr filmmakers. This is as visually perfect a presentation of a film as we will probably see this year.

Audio

Oppenheimer is served wonderfully by a reference quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. Like many, I was somewhat surprised that Nolan opted for a 5.1 track instead of an Atmos track, but apparently that is his preferred sound arrangement. In my movie room which is set up with true Atmos setup, the track sounded incredible. Nolan’s sound design is divisive amongst movie fans with some complaining that the dialogue at times is hard to hear over the soundtrack. I will say that rewatching portions of the film with my wife on a regular television speaker, this would be a concern. In a surround environment, the sound design is wonderful. The propulsive orchestral compositions by Ludwig Göransson compliment the film well helping to build up the tension between the brilliance of the man and the incredible pressures he faced at every turn.

Supplements:

The supplements are on their own Blu-ray Disc included in the package which also includes the feature film on a separate Blu-ray Disc.

• The Story of Our Time: The Making of Oppenheimer – This production documentary is divided into seven parts which can be watched together or individually. I highly recommend watching the entire program as presented. It is a great overview of how the film was made touching on the visual effects, set design, costumes, period details, and much more. It’s extremely informative and not in any way boring.
• Innovations in Film: 65MM Black and White Film in Oppenheimer – this piece focuses on the creation of IMAX black and white film for the picture.
• Meet the Press Q&A Panel – Christopher Nolan is joined by moderator Chuck Todd, author Kai Bird, Kip Thorn, and Carlo Rovelli.
• To End All War: Oppenheimer & The Atomic Bomb – director Christopher Cassel directs this feature length documentary.
• Trailers  

Overall Scores:

Video: 5

Audio: 5

Special Features: 5

Overall – 5/5

Oppenheimer is another bold filmmaking endeavor from director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan. Adapting Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan crafted a truly epic three hour biographical film that encapsualates the most important times in Oppenheimer’s life while also serving as a cautionary tale of how easily powerful men can be dragged down by the institutions they serve. It also presents the moral dilemma of the bomb itself in a brilliantly realized way. The adaption of the novel into a screenplay is really remarkable with only a few very minor issues that only stuck out to me because of my familiarity with the source material. Nolan is a true cinematic pioneer who pushes himself to find new ways to make films. Oppenheimer is one of his most experimental works yet. I love the way in which he pushes the medium of film forward. For example, this picture demanded the creation of Black and White IMAX film stock (which looks brilliant.) No expense was spared to bring his vision to life. The attention paid towards period appropriate details in the wardrobe and within the production designs is exceptional. Cillian Murphy gives a career best performance and is deserving of the Best Actor Oscar. I also beleive that Robert Downey Jr.’s performance very well may his best to date. He deserves the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The film shines in every department with strong performances by the ensemble cast, excellent cinematography and visual effects, and a wonderful score. Christopher Nolan and Universal should be proud of making such a huge bet on the intelligence of cinema goers to make this epic picture. Fans of the film will be happy to know that Universal has brought the film to 4K UHD with a transfer that pushes the boundaries of what 4K can do visually. It looks gorgeous in 4K. The film does not have an Atmos track, but the reference quality 5.1 track is wonderfully rendered. Special features are also very well considered with an hour long piece on the making of the picture alongside a documentary on Oppenheimer. This 4K release earns our absolute highest recommendation with a perfect score.