Oppenheimer

[Prrambulate]

Anyone planning on seeing this when it comes out on 21st July?

I'm looking forward to a fascinating exploration of the life of the atom bomb inventor gazing at Cillian Murphy for 3 hours.

Some recent promotional stills. The horse riding one gives off Peaky vibes!

This is where you and I differ as I've already set out why I think the sex scene was important and added context - even in the limited way Nolan seems to write female characters - in an earlier post.

Everyone will have different interpretations - I've seen just as many people interpret it the same way I did as I have seen interpret it in your way of it being superfluous but there's no way to please everyone and also represent the various different relationships Oppenheimer had succinctly in the space of the film without spending more time than was available on doing so.

I'm not sure whether the sex scene was superfluous or not. Like Alan Turing, the ability to 'think outside the box' came with a desire/need to behave outside of the norms and values of their age - always viewed unfavourably by the security services.
Strong women have often played a part in great discoveries, I hope that my views on Rosalind Franklin's shoddy treatment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin) by colleagues, played well by Nicole Kidman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph_51_(play)) and by Juliet Stevenson in an outstanding Horizon dramatisation may not be unrelated to my DD now working as a research scientist.

I’m not sure if I’m making too much of this, but did anyone notice a recurring visual pattern - on windows and again on curtains - that looked like an atomic bomb mushroom cloud? Like a presage of things to come.

It was such a beautiful film cinematically. I'd watch it again for that reason.

even in the limited way Nolan seems to write female characters - in an earlier post.

Indeed I wonder why he can't write a film or two about females.

Dunkirk was quite boring imo. 1917 soooo much better.

I watched it recently - thought it was brilliant. Was worried at 3 hours I’d get bored but was very well done. It made me think of my trip to Hiroshima years ago - beautiful beautiful city and a memorial there filled with paper cranes. It does make you think and it did bring a lump to my throat when I think of all the people who were impacted by that bomb.

Watched it this afternoon. Or maybe endured it would be a better descriptor.

I’m kind of shocked at how underwhelmed I feel about the portrayal such an interesting historical event and person. I think this must be because I just do not like Christopher Nolan’s style of direction. The same film placed in the hands of someone else I may well have absolutely loved. Quite tempted to get the Prometheus book.

Thank you to the posters who have some commented on the intrusive music. Too loud and too much and too overtly emotionally manipulative. Was the aural equivalent of walking for three hours with a stone in my shoe.

Some amazing scenes and fantastic acting. Matt Damon was my standout (maybe because I could hear what he was bloody saying over the obnoxious sound track).

My mum and husband both thought it was absolutely brilliant though, and I think my mother might be in a huff with me as I said I think Barbie is the better movie of the two.

I didn't find the music intrusive. Iirc, Oppenheimer said near the beginning of the film that the maths or calculations were like music to him.

How would you describe his style of direction?
I agree as I didn't feel that into the film. Couldn't last it out. .

@Aquarius1234 “How would you describe his style of direction?”
Like an incredibly long intellectual, self congratulatory tantric wank accompanied by a soundtrack of four hundred double bases angrily playing in an underground car park.

TBF writing women has never been Nolan's strong point but he's also never pretended otherwise, regardless of whether they're fictional or based on real people.

And to that end I don't want Nolan to start making female centric films just for the sake of "writing a film about a woman". I want him to make films he's good at, about things he's passionate about because they are what make his films great, I don't want them to become a box ticking exercise. It's not his responsibility to make a female centric film just to fill a quota, he should stick to what he's good at. If he does make a film with a female lead then it should be because he wants to and it is a topic he truly cares about because if not then it will reflect worse on him that he failed so badly than if he'd never tried at all.

I'm also underwhelmed. I feel as if they somehow underplayed really important stuff...or was it just that it was long?

I looked up a few things to see how accurate they were. Interesting.

Thank you @Piggywaspushed for posting the link to Forbes review down thread. Sums up perfectly how I felt coming out of the film yesterday.

Link for those who don’t want to go hunting.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/07/21/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-is-his-own-worst-enemy-in-this-haunting-muddled-biopic/

I thought it was brilliant. I hadn’t been that fussed about seeing it but went with my husband. I am not science minded but I found it straightforward to follow. CM has amazing eyes and cheekbones. Matt Damon and RDJ were excellent. I thought it was fantastic

Completely agreed especially about CM's eyes and cheekbones, very striking.

Really enjoyed it and was actually dreading going but dp was adamant we see it and I am delighted I went.

I thought the music was fine and I have sensory issues around noise normally. I also think Oppy and wifey were sooooo similar looking. I think it is the mouth or something but I got carried away thinking about it at one point. I am not a fan of Cillian Murphy at all so I was surprised to find I liked him in this role. The first sex scene was kind of a 'boom' moment as in I was not expecting it but the second one I personally feel could have been left out. I am not opposed to sex scenes and although I understand why it was there I feel it was unimportant and that the age of this movie could be lowered if it was not there and younger kids like my 14 year olds could have seen it as it really is a great way to instill some history outside school hours.

The fact that a three hour, R/15 rated movie consisting of people talking in rooms and no action scenes has a slim chance of overtaking Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest grossing biopic ever ($910+ million worldwide) is pretty mind boggling. Barbie’s run is insane, but this is arguably more so.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I loved it. Instant top 10 film for me. And I am a great hater of ponderous 3-hour epics (The Revenant) and Nolan's unintelligible dialogue in a windtunnel (Tenet).

boooooooring
could have been better cut to 2 hours.

honestly - apart from a very good looking main actor and the music it didn't have much going for it.

Like an incredibly long intellectual, self congratulatory tantric wank accompanied by a soundtrack of four hundred double bases angrily playing in an underground car park.

well put

I went to see it with dh the other week and I found it interesting enough, but unfortunately, I kept falling asleep in the last 30 minutes of it, so I missed the bit where Kitty testifies. In my defence, it was a very late showing and it was 11 o clock by the time the film finished.

I shall have to watch it again some time or perhaps I should read American Prometheus.

Saw it last night and loved it thought it was utterly compelling but I've always enjoyed physics, American history and ww2 history so a perfect storm for me.
RDJ was transformed!!
Never thought it dragged either - brilliant

I didn't like this film at all.

I mean, the story was great, the acting was great and I love Tom Conti in everything he does I just think as a story, it could have been told better than this.

Interesting how polarising it is .