Oppenheimer Movie Review: Cillian Murphy gives a career-defining performance in Christopher Nolan's finest film yet

    4.5

    Oppenheimer

    A biopic on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

    Director :
    • Christopher Nolan
    Cast :
    • Cillian Murphy,
    • Emily Blunt,
    • Matt Damon,
    • and Robert Downey Jr.
    Genre :
    • Drama
    Language :
    • English
    Oppenheimer Movie Review: Cillian Murphy gives a career-defining performance in Christopher Nolan's finest film yet
    Updated : October 20, 2023 05:29 PM IST

    The 12th film by director Christopher Nolan titled Oppenheimer is a biopic on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man responsible for the creation of the first atomic bomb.

    Writing a review for this film is going to be easy. If you like Christopher Nolan's movies, you will love this movie and if you have never seen any of his movies, you will love this movie.

    Oppenheimer (Source WB)

    But to be fair, if you are not a fan of movies that are heavy on dialogue and have a slower pace, then you might not have such a good time with this one.

    Having said that, the plot of the movie focuses mainly on Oppenheimer, played by an exceptional Cillian Murphy, and his efforts in developing a nuclear bomb during the Second World War.

    The movie also focuses on the consequences he had to face for developing the most dangerous weapon ever made, one with the potential to wipe out our very existence.

    Getting back to Cillian Murphy and his performance, if you are familiar with his work, you know that he is one of the finest actors working today. In Oppenheimer, he gives an Oscar-worthy performance and deserves every award that comes his way.

    Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss (Source: WB)

    An ensemble star cast supports him. You will be surprised how many A-List actors have tiny cameos in this movie, and of the supporting cast, the standout is Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss and Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer.

    It is so good to see Robert Downey Jr. get a chance to show his acting chops after such a long time. I hope he does more character roles like this and I would not be surprised if he gets nominated for best-supporting actor by many award committees this year.

    And while Emily Blunt does not have a lot of screen time in the movie, whenever she does, she shows a different layer of the character's personality.

    Her scenes with Cillian Murphy are always impactful and slowly establish the complicated bond between Katherine and Oppenheimer. 

    Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer (Source: Twitter)

    From a technical standpoint, the movie is a visual treat. It has some incredible set pieces, and the fact that all the visuals we see are made using practical effects makes the film that much more special.

    The music by Ludwig Göransson is both haunting and apt for the story and will stay with you long after the film is over. The editing by Jennifer Lame also deserves praise and adds a lot of rewatchability to the movie as there are a lot of blink-and-you-will-miss-it moments throughout the movie, and they are never jarring and blend in perfectly.

    So if you love movies, then Oppenheimer is a film that you should watch on the big screen, as intended. Otherwise, you will end up missing out on being a part of movie history.