Batman three times (2005, 2008, 2012), Inception (2010), Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020). If one can say that his films have an ascending quality and literally tear the hearts and minds of the viewers who like to be liked, then the name of the director Christopher Nolan must be mentioned. After the pictures mentioned in the introduction, this year he came up with something new that will not leave the audience breathless again. “Some people walk away from the film completely devastated,” Nolan said with some satisfaction after the first screenings of Oppenheimer, which opens here on July 20. What is he talking about?
Oppenheimer: Astrophysicist Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) was under enormous time pressure with a team of other scientists trying to build an invention that has the potential to destroy the entire world… | CinemArt
At a time when the Second World War still seemed undecided, a dramatic battle between the United States and Germany was taking place at a distance to see who would succeed in constructing the atomic bomb first and gain a decisive advantage over the enemy. In America, secret research was hidden under the name of the Manhattan Project, and he was one of its key actors astrofyzik Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Under enormous time pressure, he and a team of other scientists attempted to build an invention that had the potential to destroy the entire worldbut without whose timely completion the same world cannot be saved…
The world premiere of the film in London was marked by a strike by the actors (many of whom are at risk that their annual income will not meet the minimum limit of health insurance and thus will not be covered even for basic medical care), when the stars of the film, such as the aforementioned representative of the leading role Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon or Kenneth Branagh, left the event early. Even so, it is clear from the first film frame released on the screen: Oppenheimer is a hit, if not the movie of the year!
For the Czech Republic, or rather for our metropolis, the film has one more unique meaning. It will be screened in 70mm IMAX format in only 30 cinemas worldwide. “The only cinema in continental Europe where it will be possible to watch the film in this format is Prague’s Cinema City IMAX Flora,” its representatives told Blesk. “We expect an influx of film enthusiasts and fans from all over Central Europe,” they added. Why? The IMAX format, as shown by Dunkirk and other films, allows for incredible image depth and size. And also exceptional resolution, because Nolan still shoots on analog, i.e. classic film strip (and it offers many times greater resolution possibilities than digital).
The IMAX format, as shown by Dunkirk and other films, allows for incredible image depth and size. And also exceptional resolution… | Blesk, IMAX
The film about the most fundamental moment in the career of the genius Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) and the entire humanity raises millions of questions. “There are no easy answers in his story. Just tough questions and that’s what makes the story so engaging,” Nolan believes. The drama shot for 100 million dollars by the director traditionally on IMAX film material (the film strip measures up to 18 km and weighs almost 300 kilograms) did not need any special effects, whatever the viewer sees is reality and honest filmmaking. “At times it feels like a biopic, at times like a thriller, at times like a horror film. It will take people’s breath away,” commented Cillian Murphy on the film, for whom this film was another opportunity to work with Nolan after Dunkirk (sixth in total, but first in a leading role). And Oppenheimer is full of stars!
In addition to Murphy, viewers will see Emily Blunt (Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer), Matt Damon (Leslie Groves), Robert Downey Jr. (Lewis Strauss), also Josh Hartnett (Ernest Lawrence), Casey Affleck (Boris Pash), Rami Malek (David Hill), Nolan’s favorite star Kenneth Branagh (Niels Bohr) or Dane DeHaan (Kenneth Nichols), Gary Oldman (Harry S. Truman) and many others. So how did the whole film turn out and what can the audience expect? It’s simple, probably Nolan’s most impressive film.
Watch the trailer and film about Oppenheimer:
Just the work of the sound engineers will cut into the audience’s bones, they will literally penetrate you. And from the opening studio jingle you enjoy an acting concert led by Murphy and Downey Jr., who will especially surprise – he is no longer the cool Iron Man who is writing. He grew old, or rather matured. In Oppenheimer, he presents himself in a completely different position than we’ve seen him in in recent years, and he’s great. Murphy drags the entire film with economical acting, modest gestures. He doesn’t need more, his inner struggle is almost palpable anyway. The soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson, who already provided music for Tenet, but also the VOD hit from the world of Star Wars Mandalorian, has a large space.
The three-hour film without a single computer trick has a very slow pace at times, but in the end you realize that every single minute shaped your experience and also the interplay of chords of this Nolan tune. No character is superfluous here, each intervenes in the life of the protagonist and actually in the creation of the weapon that changed the world once and for all. You will feel anxious, maybe even feel something like fear. Only with Oppenheimer will many people realize what the invention of the atomic bomb means. Viewers have a unique opportunity to try to imagine what it’s like to be a scientist in the hands of politicians. What dilemmas does the opportunity to influence the future of humanity bring. And above all, the opportunity to see a fascinating life story as you were not told at school.
Rating: 90%
Watch a clip from Oppenheimer:
Oppenheimer
Czech premiere: 20 July 2023, CinemArt
Drama / Historical / Biographical • USA / Great Britain, 2023, 180 min • Director and screenplay: Christopher Nolan • Original book: Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin • Camera: Hoyte van Hoytema • Music: Ludwig Göransson
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh and more