PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article is a critical analysis of a film and does not represent the views of NEWS CENTER Maine, but that of the author.]
Christopher Nolan is one of the most popular directors in Hollywood with titles like "Inception" and the Dark Knight trilogy under his belt.
His latest movie, "Oppenheimer," is about the making of the atomic bomb.
Story
Based on the 2005 biography called "American Prometheus," this film follows the tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). He's the man that gave America the atomic bomb during World War II while working with a team of elite scientists.
The film tells the story out of order, jumping back and forth through the decades to carefully reveal Oppenheimer's life story. Some scenes are shot in color, and others are in black and white, depending on the decade.
It begins in college, with a student studying physics in the United Kingdom, haunted by visions of an expanding universe that haven't been calculated yet. Eventually, Oppenheimer returns to the United States to develop a physics program at a college in California.
But as Hitler invades Poland and World War II gets underway, a race to build the atomic bomb soon begins. Oppenheimer heads up the Manhattan Project and wields the combined might of America's scientific and engineering resources to make this bomb before the Nazis.
As history unfolds, Oppenheimer's team is successful. Two Japanese cities are hit with the atomic bomb, killing hundreds of thousands, and the man who gave mankind the ability to destroy itself soon finds himself hit with the ramifications of his scientific advancement.
From there, Oppenheimer is scrutinized and must testify before a government panel as he tries to figure out how to live with the consequences of what he unleashed upon the world.
Analysis
This is a long film. There's no way around that three-hour runtime. But thanks to Murphy's driven and tormented performance carrying the story, every single minute is well earned.
Murphy entirely vanishes into the complex moral and ethical dilemmas of a scientist who can see the unseen world while being blind to reality right under his nose.
"Oppenheimer" boasts a large cast, and everyone performs beautifully from Matt Damon to Florence Pugh. Perhaps the biggest surprise comes from Robert Downey Jr. in his first major role since leaving Marvel behind. He makes for a magnificent antagonist to Murphy.
Nolan has stitched together a masterpiece with "Oppenheimer." It's the best movie out so far this year. The heightened tensions, weighty dilemmas, and skillful storytelling are all wrapped in science and history to create a truly grounded film.
The explosions are a work of art that take entire minutes to absorb and appreciate. And it's all fueled by sound design that (while deafening) fuses with the movie's craft to truly immerse the audience in every single moment of brilliance.
If there is one small nitpick with "Oppenheimer," it's that Emily Blunt, who plays Oppenheimer's wife, doesn't seem to have much chemistry with Murphy. Her performance isn't lacking, the two just don't seem to click together.
With that said, she unleashes a firestorm of her own while giving witness testimony at the movie's end. It's one of the most memorable scenes.
It's hard to imagine a film with as much hype as "Oppenheimer" living up to expectations, but this movie does. It'll absolutely blow away the audience with the woe of its tortured conscience that was briefly sacrificed for the journey of scientific exploration.
Also playing this weekend
Another highly-anticipated movie coming out this weekend is "Barbie," about the famous doll. Here's the synopsis:
"Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence."
To see which movies are playing at a theater near you, click here.
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