Listen, right off the bat I want to say Oppenheimer is great. It’s a solid movie. It’s got a solid premise. It’s got great visuals. However, there is absolutely NO reason for the movie to be 3 hours long. It’s overkill. So, no, it’s not Nolan’s best work. It’s his most innovative work, yes. I would even say it’s his most filmmaker-y film, yet. However, the script could use a couple once overs as the story does drag, but disguises itself as “Nolan Flare.” I see you, Nolan. I see you.
Where I have the most difficulty, however, in writing this review lies in this one question, “How do you make a review on a product that is just good overall, barely anything wrong, just nitpicks? Especially when others have already done it and done it well.” Here is what I have found, the Oppenheimer type has finally died down, it’s time for me to say something.
I think I wasn’t pulled into the spectacle that was Oppenheimer because I was already there. SO many reviews and video essays on the importance of Oppenheimer and the message it yields. Yet, I was sitting in the theaters thinking, “Welcome to the apparently exclusive club that is being evidently self-aware of how the world has been operating this entire time. WELCOME, NOLAN!” To me, I just thought Nolan was hitting points we have already been discussing. Turns out, that wasn’t the case, seemingly at all. Turns out, the world was oblivious to the fact that humanity’s worst enemy is, indeed, humanity (less dramatically: human greed, not really humanity as a whole). I knew this since I was about 12 when I started observing people and chain reactions in behavior for screenwriting and storytelling. So, yes, the visuals were great, but I understood the message and wasn’t at all “wow-ed” or _floored” or “perplexed.” I simply agreed with it as it should be.
So, I understand others wanting to give it a perfect score, but you have to look at things realistically. The “no cgi” was indeed harmful during some emotionally heavy moments (yes, I am talking about the Atomic Bomb–slightly underwhelming); the script was a little too ambitious; and retina characters weren’t needed absolutely at all, nor did those characters do well, surprisingly (yes, I am talking about Florence Pugh). Don’t drink the Nolan Kool Aid, unless you want to, then by all means, ENJOY IT ALL!
In the end, Oppenheimer really is a great and creative film. It’s definitely a must watch. It put a smile on my face pretty much throughout all of the film; I just think it’s way too long for little to no reason. What do I say? There are just a few script factors that hold me back (plus that underwhelming atomic bomb, YIKES) from giving it a perfect score, but it and Nolan deserve a long-overdue Oscar for Oppenheimer. Hot take & thesis: Oppenheimer is just another “good movie” to add to the history of “good movies.”
Oppenheimer gets an 8.7 out of 10.