Blow Up

Tadhg finally gives his thoughts on the 2023 cultural event known as ‘Barbenheimer’ which saw two movies, - Barbie and Oppenheimer, released simultaneously. Beginning with Chrstopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), was it worth the hype?

Christopher Nolan made a massive return to the big screen in 2023 with his epic Oppenheimer His previous movie, Tenet, was released during the Covid Lockdowns of 2020 and was met with lukewarm box office and critical reviews. Oppenheimer saw him take back his position as the premier event cinema filmmaker. A massive hit at the box office, to look at the premise of Oppenheimer, it screamed anything but.

Based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. It deals with J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy), the theoretical physicist. Dubbed the ‘father of the Atomic Bomb’, it follows his involvement with the Manhattan Projectthe World War 2 undertaking in developing the first Nuclear weapons - and his subsequent fall from grace due to his 1954 security hearing.

The movie shows that at some point in WW2, the Americans were in a race against the Nazis to develop a nuclear bomb. Racing to produce this weapon leads us to the stand-out sequence of Oppenheimer - the Trinity test. So tense, so thrilling, the ultimate countdown. Many believed at the time that by creating and igniting a bomb of this nature, there was a possibility it would lead to an endless chain reaction that would eventually destroy the world. Never has pushing a button had so much riding on it. It’s executed to perfection. The whole movie is. Its photography and score intersperse old techniques with the new. Nolan is one of the few filmmakers today to still shoot on film. Shot in the massive IMAX film format, it looks glorious. Composer Ludwig Göransson incorporates an amazing score that is both ethereal and classical, mixing ambient soundscapes with jittery strings. Nolan is also someone that tries to do as much practically as possible. The Trinity Test was done for real, replicating the notorious mushroom cloud with practical effects. It’s an incredible example of the craft of film-making at its best.

The second half follows Oppenheimer as he defends himself in security hearings and while these scenes might be less thrilling, they are thrilling just watching great actors be great. These scenes are tense in their own way; claustrophobic, repetitive, we are under as much duress as the character is.

Cillian Murphy is so good in this movie, we feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has such a unique and expressive face but here, it’s stony. Yet we get glimpses of what the enigmatic Oppenheimer is feeling. Murphy leads an epic ensemble cast. There are so many to mention but for me, Robert Downey Jr. is the real stand out. As Lewis Straus, he is so restrained playing someone who is not number one, someone who feels he is owed praise and recognition and is spiteful and petty when he isn’t. He’s incredible.

Why did Oppenheimer hit the way it did? Maybe it was Nolan’s name and reputation. Maybe it’s the current cultural feeling in the air, that the world is on fire and humanity was and always will be the most self destructive of the species. It certainly feels pretty grim these days and Nolan’s movie doesn’t give us any easy answers. Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. True words for living life. When it comes to art, and the movies, I hope filmmakers follow Nolan’s lead and keep pushing through the BS of Hollywood to produce works as great as this.

Superb!

Available on Blu Ray and to rent or buy on YouTube.