Courtesy of Universal Pictures

The summer blockbuster and thriller, Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan, hit the movie theaters with a blast on July 21st. Starring the Irish actor Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the movie is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book American Prometheus. The 3- hour long movie printed on a unique 70mm format follows the controversial life of renowned American theoretical physicist Oppenheimer through his early adulthood to post WW2 trials.
The first scene of the movie is of raindrops falling on a puddle, which Nolan uses to symbolize and foreshadow the first explosion of a nuclear weapon in Los Alamos, New Mexico where nuclear tests were being conducted under the code name “Manhattan Project”. The clever soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals filmed on IMAX cameras provide the audience with a truly unique viewing experience which stays true to the story while also creating a different kind of cinematic immersion.
As new facts unfold about Oppenheimer’s character and Communist ties, the complexity of the movie begins to develop and viewers can slowly begin to understand that this movie has layers.
The nuclear arms race against the Germans in WW2 is clearly depicted as Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project’s director Leslie Groves, played by Matt Damon, recruit the country’s top physicists to participate in this top secret project, many of whom reject the career-threatening proposal.
As Oppenheimer and his team at Los Alamos prepare to set off the most powerful weapon of mass destruction ever created, the audience is left on the edge of their seats, hearts pounding, and sweat beads dripping down their foreheads. In the IMAX theater, the sheer magnitude of the Trinity bomb set off at Los Alamos can nearly be felt in the front row seats.
Soon enough, the United States has won the war and J. Robert Oppenheimer gives a victory speech, but is haunted by a moral dilemma and the atrocity he committed and begins to second guess the morality of his actions. This feeling is highlighted by Oppenheimer’s visit to the Oval Office where President Harry Truman calls Oppenheimer a “crybaby scientist.”
Shortly after the war, Oppenheimer’s Communist ties lead him in a sea of trouble. America’s Red Scare and the beginning of the Cold War, caused Oppenheimer to become a main target in the persecution of Communism and its sympathizers. The trials and tribulations that follow destroy his career.
The incredible individual performances delivered by the star studded cast and the chemistry makes Oppenheimer a one of a kind movie and Oscar worthy. The combination of the soundtrack, beautiful IMAX visuals and the storytelling will definitely resonate with viewers for a long time. Finally, to all the Barbie fans, it is time you accept the truth: Oppenheimer is the better movie.