Oppenheimeraeorut9.7· August 16, 2023FollowJesus fucking Christ. I don't think there is a single term I can use to define this movie other than simply MONUMENTAL. This is, without one shadow of a doubt, the greatest biopic that I have ever seen in my life, the 3hrs of runtime don't exactly fly by but the movie still manages to be engaging for the entire runtime. This film excels in almost every single aspect: the score is amazing, the editing especially stands out here, giving Oppenheimer's life a really exciting tint that couldn't really have been achieved otherwise. Before watching this film I heard a lot of people saying that this was 3hrs of "men talking" and while yes, the movie does feature a lot of that, I feel like it makes a disservice to just how exciting this movie is with its constant almost horror-like dives into his mind that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. As expected with a movie like this, the cinematography is on point as well as the sound design, which really went overboard with the loud ass sound effects that I feel enhance the looming feeling of dread that is ever-present throughout this film.Acting standouts have Cillian Murphy as Oppie (obviously) and specially Robert Downey Jr as Strauss, who glues the entire last act of together.The first act of this movie is as amazing as the rest, however I do feel like it sometimes gets SLIGHTLY boring / uninteresting, but it doesn't really detract anything from the film.Then, the second act set in Los Alamos is where this movie truly propells to greatness. The entire quest to built Trinity is really engaging and even more with the previous knowledge that there is a spy among them. Then, what is probably the crowing achievement of this movie closes off the second act, with the testing of the bomb, which is just filmed beautifully as well, the moments preceding the explosion are so fucking tense it felt like my heart was pumping so hard it was gonna burst out of my chest and then the payoff was just as insane both with the silenced part as soon as the bomb went off as well as with the deafening sounds of the explosion itself.The third act was probably my favourite though, as it caught me by complete surprise and sucked me into its unraveling story of deception and backstabbing as Oppenheimer's already doubtful legacy was tarnished even more by the workings of a man he once humilliated himself.The one thing I can maybe say about this movie is that at some points it can get rather silly with its name drops, most notably the Kennedy reference, which straight up sounds like Nolan screaming at you saying "DID YOU KNOW?????? JOHN F. KENNEDY VOTED IN THIS!!!!!" but to be honest, they don't really do a disservice to the film and instead bring some very much needed comedy in a way that granted feels slightly intrusive but in an endearing way.Oppenheimer was not a good man. He was, by all means a cheating, lying, deranged person who created the most important piece of bellic weaponry of all time, but the gleaming flaws in his person are exactly what makes this deep dive into his thoughts so rewarding to watch for such a long amount of time.Robert J. Oppenheimer didn't steal the fire from the gods, he created it. He made the tools mankind needed to destroy themselves in a foolish attempt to bring peace through fear and gave it to them only realizing the hell he had brought once it had already been used, but much like Prometheus, he was still doomed to be tortured forever, his life an enduring message of the naivety of even the smartest humans and our obsession with bringing upon our own doom.CommentsSign in to react and join the conversation.Sign inGet the appSee all aeorut's reviews for Oppenheimer (2)First watch9.7August 16, 2023Rewatch 19.7January 30, 2024