What’s It About
During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Oppenheimer is a dramatic war biopic that does nothing but inform the audience about how and when the atomic bomb was made. There’s a weak excuse for why it would think Oppenheimer is the best movie ever produced. Oppenheimer is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. It’s nothing but a three-hour interrogation. I’m talking about the sit-in-a-room and have them ask rhetorical questions for three hours type of interrogation. This film tries to explain why the A-bomb was made while still trying to be about J. Robert Oppenheimer. It talks about some major players involved in the Manhattan Project as it meanders around Mr. Oppenheimer’s input. After the first hour, I felt like I was listening to a college professor discuss a subject I didn’t remember signing up for. The camera focused on Oppenheimer’s face whenever they needed to wake the audience with loud, blurry, and disorienting sounds and images of mini explosions and fire. Then there’s the story involving his wife, girlfriend, and mistress. I’m not sure if there were more because I didn’t care. Every scene with Oppenheimer and some females was utterly unnecessary and drawn out. As for the A-Bomb, this movie has so much political crap that talks about the bomb seemed out of place. But there are a few decent scenes if you’re awake to see them. Albert Einstein, played by Tom Conti, and Robert Downey Jr., as Lewis Strauss, were excellent. Their unforgettable scenes were at and near the end of this bore-fest. Other than that, Oppenheimer is nothing more than Nolan’s interpretation of what was already written. I think it’s called a history book (and the book was better).
OUR RATING – A COLLEGE LECTURE 3
MEDIA
- Genre – Drama
- Street date
- Digital – November 21st, 2023
- DVD/Blu-Ray – November 21st, 2023
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 1.78:1
- Sound – English DTS-HD MA 5.1; French DTS Digital Surround 5.1; Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1
- Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras
- “The Story of Our Time: The Making of Oppenheimer“: (HD, 1:12:25 Total) – This collection of seven slick, absorbing featurettes covers every aspect of the film’s production and includes interviews with Nolan, at least a dozen actors, and several members of the producing and technical crew. We learn about the genesis of the project, Nolan’s storytelling perspective, casting, how the actors interpreted their roles, Nolan’s attraction to IMAX, the challenges of using black-and-white film in an IMAX camera (which had never been done before), and the various locations where scenes were shots. Segments on visual effects, historical accuracy, sets, costumes, makeup and prosthetics, and scoring are also included in this comprehensive documentary, which can be viewed as a whole or piecemeal. The individual chapters are listed below.
- Now I Am Become Death
- The Luminaries
- The Manhattan Project
- The Devil of the Details
- Walking A Mile
- Can You Hear the Music?
- We Can Perform This Miracle
- Trailers: (HD, 14:11 Total) – Five previews of varying length are included in this package. They can be viewed individually or consecutively using the “Play All” feature.
- Teaser
- Trailer 2
- IMAX Exclusive Trailer
- Trailer 3
- Opening Look
- “Innovations in Film: 65mm Black and White Film in Oppenheimer” (HD, 8:21) – This interesting featurette examines how the technical team created and processed the 65mm black-and-white film stock they needed for the IMAX sequences.
- Meet the Press Q&A Panel: Oppenheimer (HD, 34:46) – Hosted by Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, this post-screening Q&A took place on July 5, 2023 and features Nolan, author Kai Bird (who co-wrote the biography of Oppenheimer upon which the film was based), and a few scientists, all of whom discuss Oppenheimer’s character, the film’s impact, and how the movie relates to our current day and age.
- “To End All War: Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb” (HD, 1:27:18) – This high-quality NBC News documentary provides a comprehensive look at Oppenheimer’s life, work, and legacy.