Oppenheimer Review: Nolan Shows Off All His Tricks

To say Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan's most technically accomplished film seems ridiculous when he has made a career from dazzling audiences with complex visuals and stories for over two decades.

This bursting love of film, both as a medium and as an artefact, has much of his work among the Top 250 on IMDb. He promises originality in a box office swollen by IP and sequels.

A Nolan Film is an event, and Oppenheimer is no exception. In a viral TikTok, Nolan casts a loving gaze over the 11 miles of 70mm film that is his 180-minute masterclass.

This love for what he does is dripping in each frame of the story of American Scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his involvement in the development of the atomic bomb. The film is a twist on the expected biopic, morphing into a psychological horror as time ticks on. Each second fills you with further dread as the repulsiveness of the creation itself merges with the characters' lust for power. It is surprising in places, not always doing what you expect, arguably making it more unnerving for a viewer.

Nolan is a master at delivering feeling through atmosphere. The heart of Oppenheimer is actually in the technical, with audience emotion generated through the growing concern for one's own safety. Accomplished through Ludwig Göransson's moving score and the intricate sound design that is almost guaranteed a spot at next year's Academy Awards, there is little to critique of how every intricate detail of Oppenheimer sews into its themes.

Playing with the morally grey is never easy, and the characters of Oppenheimer are where the film loses its footing. With no one to root for, despite the script trying in places, it's hard to find the film's heart among the immaculate spectacle.

Despite this, Cillian Murphy is mesmerising, and how Nolan has captured him on film only enhances his performance. His eyes are a fixation throughout, with so much thought swimming beyond them. As an audience, we are constantly reaching for the human behind the much referred to "brilliance".

Oppenheimer is packed with ideas and warrants multiple viewings to fully wrap your mind around the politics seeping through. Working best when it is a focused character study, it begins to meander in places which is often the case when a film runs longer than usual. However, the run-time does fly by — this is a testament to the film's pacing and how careful Nolan is with each second. Each time we veer off course, we get pulled firmly back to the focus.

Although many artistic choices did not work for me and made me uncomfortable - and not in the ways intended - it is hard to do anything beyond respect the cinematic feat that is Oppenheimer. It is a lot to take in on first viewing. Perhaps that is the point. As is true in life: ideas, creations, and people are complex and require time to reflect. Oppenheimer is no exception to that rule.