Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer was just okay-good. It felt much too rushed at times, much too slow at others, but always forced.

Though the acting was stellar, the movie itself was a long, jerky, scattered bio-pic that tried to do a little too much at the expense of being a great.

I left feeling too many important themes were just glossed and insufficiently explored for a movie of this magnitude.

Sometimes a movie tries to mention everything and ends up saying nothing.

But it's always cool to see physicists, scientists, and math legends (and their famous egos) get screen time. The star studded cast and their incredible performances was the saving grace, but even they could only do so much to save the awkward pacing and complex themes left on the table, barely touched.

I have to admit: Oppenheimer didn't live up to the hype for me. This is not a bad film per se and while it depicts a frightening turning point in history, its style didn't suit me.

Overall I think it's too densely packed and there isn't a payoff for the 3-hour runtime. I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters because they are underdeveloped. There are different timelines, subjects and characters that get introduced and are gone before we get to known or care for them. Plus, the movie is overly dialogue-heavy and politically oriented for its own good. I enjoy engaging conversations but it's filled with technical dialogue, hearings and bureaucracy, which doesn't work for me. I might as well read a book or a Wikipedia page.

I will, however, praise the acting of the entire cast and the immersive score and sound design. I wish I could say the same about the visual effects but I found what we were presented underwhelming.

Maybe my expectations were off slightly. This was a character study into Oppenheimer and the tribulations of his career, and about his politics rather than truly about the science and production of the A bomb. I was hoping to see more nitty gritty into the bomb's development, and maybe some footage of its use in Japan to really reinforce the human toll and destruction of the immensely powerful weapon that they had created for the final act. Instead its just dramatic closeups of Opp's troubled face. But I feel we needed some more visuals (of war) to establish more emotion. It felt exceedingly anticlimactic.

And really, 75% of this movie is a small backroom kangaroo court prosecution that is just flatly boring and soo unnecessarily long.

As another reviewer said, you could just listen to the audio of this movie and it would be virtually the same experience. There is nothing visually interesting or exciting.

I'm still collecting my thoughts after experiencing this film, Cillian Murphy might as well start clearing a space on his mantle for the Best Actor Oscar.

This film is a masterclass in weaving narratives and different time periods while exploring the profound depths of a man whose actions altered the world's trajectory forever, for better or worse. Nolan brings us into the complexities of Oppenheimer, and all the moral conflicts stirring within him.

Murphy's portrayal is so riveting that the long run-time became an afterthought. Robert Downey Jr also offers a great performance and Nolan's push and pull with how he uses sound design throughout is the cherry on top.

Some viewers might need a brief refresher on WWII and Cold War history, but any film lover should be happy to willingly lose themselves in this film for hours on end.

I went with my adult kids and we all had the same reaction. The movie was not what we were expecting. The morning of the viewing i was watching the news and they were saying "the best movie of the year" and a "perfect movie" and "you must see it in IMAX".. None of that was close to being true. While an informative movie on Oppenheimer's personal life , not a lot on the inside story of the making of the bomb or the science behind it . Mostly drama about whether or not he had communist affiliations. IMAX was completely useless, there was no great action scenes or great sounds or music. I"m sorry but i don't understand all the 10's, whatever happened to a 10 meaning perfection.