Oppenheimer

"Can you hear the music, Robert?"The sweeping story of the race to complete an apocolyptic weapon released this past year alongside a world of pink and pastels, and while the latter had catchy pop hits and impactful ballads alike, Oppenheimer also heavily relies on music. The main character views quantum physics as an art, something to be appreciated. I will not claim to understand the complex field of study Oppenheimer likened to Mozart, but there is something positively intoxicating about following Oppenheimer along this journey to capture a symphony of colliding atoms. Early in the film, Robert can be seen describing or thinking about these volatile atoms, and each time, he is matched with a swelling score composed by Ludwig Göransson. The music in Oppenheimer is used to show the beautiful chaos of atomic theory, but that music is accompanied by the sound of stomping feet and burning victims. In moments when Oppenheimer is overwhelmed and seemingly under attack, the music becomes panicked and screeching, with the lighting becoming either unstable or overbearingly bright. Personally during these moments, I could not bring myself to take a breath. I felt as if the moment was my own, and that in itself is worth the price of admission.  I haven’t even begun to talk about the acting.  Cillian Murphy became J. Robert Oppenheimer for this role. Tightroping the line between ultra-confident, spotlight-hungry titan of science and benevolent humanitarian, fearing the implications of the creation he has released upon the world. Robert Downey Jr. is excellent in his role as Strauss, reminding the world that Tony Stark did not make RDJ; RDJ made Tony Stark. Emily Blunt is sensational portraying the passionate and fierce Mrs. Oppenheimer. Blunt perfectly encapsulates a woman who is reliving her husband’s infidelity in front of a tribunal designed to slay the American Prometheus, and yet, stands by Robert as his loyalties to the country he helped killed for were being questioned.  The visual effects, all of which were practical effects, are an achievement. Nolan has a notoriously large amount of disdain for CGI, and in a movie with half-second cuts of atoms splitting and atomic bombs, the fact that little to no CGI was used is a testament to the dedication of Christopher Nolan to make this film the way he believed that it should.  This movie deserved every single Oscar it won, and it probably should've won some of the Oscars it lost. This is an achievement in filmmaking that should probably be studied by film students for decades to come. From acting, sound design, effects, all the way back to the music, Oppenheimer has staying power that hasn't been seen in the bio-pic genre. This heart-thumping masterpiece should be high on any cinephile's watchlist if you didn't watch it Barbenheimer weekend like I did. One of the greatest films ever created.