CALIFORNIA, Md. – Oppenheimer, in theaters now, has grossed $578 million globally and is in the top 10 highest-grossing R-rated movies. It’s the true story of The Manhattan Project, the creation of the atomic bomb. Headed by Dr. Oppenheimer, a Jewish American theoretical physicist, it begins with the closed review of his top-secret security clearance to see if it should continue or be stripped of it. After WWII, communism was our next most significant threat, and Oppenheimer had many ties in his past to the communist party within the US.
The magnificent Cillian Murphy plays the leading role, and the movie is written/directed by the incomparable Christopher Nolan. This movie’s darkly gorgeous cinematography is stunning, and the special effects are riveting without one moment of CGI. That is quite a feat today.
Dr. Oppenheimer is a complex man; he yearns for love, and the sanctuary of New Mexico, but his brilliance takes him far away time and time again. He is a womanizer, arrogant and restless, but he does have a conscience and believes in his work. WWII calls him and his genius into action via General Groves, played by Matt Damon, a gruff war hero who helped create the Pentagon. Groves appoints Oppenheimer to spearhead this project to end the war, and his instincts turn fruitful. Finally, Oppenheimer can combine the most things he loves – science and New Mexico.
We watch as he assembles a team of scientists, the top specialists in their fields, to test out a bomb in the middle of the desert in a place called Los Alamos. This test was called Trinity as a tribute to the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
In the theater, the sound effects were chilling because as the bomb exploded, the chairs shook, and it felt like you were watching the test. The use of different camera angles and techniques told you how to feel when no one was speaking, and the style of black and white footage to separate what was happening most currently was a unique twist on an old-school tactic that helped define where we were in the storyline.
Another delight was Albert Einstein, played by Tom Conti, who is often mistaken for the person who created the bomb. Einstein could not work on it because he was German and could not obtain a security clearance. However, his work of E = MC2 made the bomb possible.
Robert Downey Jr. was another main character, the antagonist, playing Lewis Strauss, who is responsible for Oppenheimer’s security clearance to be questioned. Downey captures the nuances of playing the bad guy pretending to be good and is one of the greatest actors of our generation. He proves that once again in this film.
This masterpiece is packed with a dazzling background of historical and scientific information. The toll that creating the bomb took on the people who made it is understandable and will bring you to tears. War is inevitable, but this changed warfare forever. They all knew that after Hiroshima and Oppenheimer went to his grave trying to find ways for the world, and ultimately himself, to forgive what he unleashed. He is now called the “father of the atomic bomb.”
Screen it, Stream it or Skip it: Stream it
With a running time of approximately three hours, this is a commitment. Unless you’re a history buff or a film aficionado, you may want to watch from home so that you can pause for whatever breaks you need. It is so full of information on particular subjects our younger generation’s attention spans may not last through this fine piece of art. Make sure to catch it when it comes to your streaming service!
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