Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s latest epic film Oppenheimer has gone on general release in Ireland. The film stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy in the titular role. Other cast members include Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh.

This is definitely one of those films that needs to be seen on a big screen preferably with a good audio setup. The sound design of this film is really important. While film might be primarily a visual medium, the audio has a huge impact on how we perceive films. In the case of Nolan he’s a tendency of “going big” and choosing practical effects over CGI, celluloid over digital and using other techniques that many directors simply don’t have the patience for.

So far the film has received mostly positive reviews and at time of writing has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93%. I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t in the running for multiple awards.

The film is about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American scientist who was in charge of the Manhattan Project, which led to both the first atomic bombs and hailed the dawn of the nuclear age. The film’s timeline is anything but linear, with it jumping back and forth between pre-war, during the war and then after the war when during the McCarty era Oppenheimer found himself being persecuted by his own government.

Verdict? Go see it on a big screen. You won’t regret it. Yes it is quite long and an interval wouldn’t have hurt, it’s still a great film that will keep you enthralled for the entire time.

Here’s the trailer:

Go see it, though beware – with a runtime of 180 minutes a lot of cinemas aren’t showing as many ads and trailers before the feature film.