After much anticipation and excitement, I finally saw one half of the now-iconic “Barbenheimer”. I might look like a “Barbie Girl”, for all intents and purposes, but no, I am an Oppenheimer young lady. Or am I?

I’ve spent the last two months in near-feverish excitement to see Cillian Murphy finally take his rightful place as a leading man. But after sitting through this 180-minute movie (yes it is exactly three hours long), my final thought was “I’m glad I saw the whole thing once, and I’ll probably never see it again.” In all my excitement, I didn’t consider that the film was probably rated “R” for a reason- and it absolutely is.

Parents Guide, or The Times I Covered My Eyes

There were a few times I was grateful to have brought my blanket. (I’ll set aside the scenes of female nudity and sexuality because that doesn’t bother me, but they’re in there). The first was one woman’s… self-inflicted drowning. Florence Pugh did an amazing job as Jean Tatlock (more on her later), but I don’t want to see any sort of life ending on screen – yes, even in a movie about the atomic bomb.

Speaking of which, Oppenheimer suffers severely disturbing hallucinations in the second act, after the bomb has been dropped. I reread the Parents Guide in the theater and knew when to cover my eyes, so I can’t speak to how gruesome they actually were.

Characters

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, this is a phenomenal cast! Cillian Murphy is gracefully supported by an A-list ensemble including Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Emily Blunt. Two fun supporting actors include David Krumholtz (best known as Bernard the Elf in the Santa Clause movies), and Josh Peck, a former Nickelodeon star.

Let’s start with the man of the hour, Cillian Murphy! One of my review notes says “Oppenheimer is a fucking nutcase and Cillian is loving it.” I stand by that statement. 🙂 Oppenheimer is arrogant and a cheater, but beyond that, he is simply a “tortured genius”. In a manner similar to DiCaprio’s Gatsby, Oppenheimer slowly unravels as his abstract dreams are manifested in irreversible chaos. Cillian Murphy has turned in commendable supporting performances in In Time, Inception, and other films, and led independent movies like Sunshine. But this is his first time leading a major blockbuster film, and I hope he is enjoying the rewards of his dedication and talent.

Robert Downey Jr has entered his villain era and it’s fun to witness! As rival scientist Lewis Strauss, RDJ portrays a man so blind to his narcissism that he actually believes Oppenheimer has turned the scientific community against him. Nolan and his team did an amazing visual trick with Strauss’ character, but more on that later.

Florence Pugh gave another showstopping performance as Jean Tatlock, the 1930s-40s version of a “manic pixie dream girl”. As Oppenheimer’s first lover, and his eventual paramour, her ethereal melancholy hearkens back to Daisy Buchanan, but with clearer expressions of severe mental illness. My friend pointed out that her eventual demise (at her own hands) serves as the first of multiple instances where Oppenheimer feels he has “blood on [his] hands.”

I wish I had nicer things to say about Emily Blunt’s portrayal of Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty. Her character clearly struggles with alcoholism, postpartum depression, and a mediocre marriage – not to mention the trauma of what was going on around her. Ms. Blunt does a great job of showing both Kitty’s façade of strength and the pain beneath it. Unfortunately, her character has no impact on the story and always takes second place to Jean.

Matt Damon gives a reliably solid performance as General Leslie Groves, Oppenheimer’s military counterpart and right-hand man. Damon is always reliable, but like Kitty, his role did not leave a major impact on my viewing of the film.

Pacing

Like the bomb at the center of the plot, the movie begins by briskly pulling viewers through the first and second acts. The tense urgency is relentless until the mission is complete. Unfortunately, the movie completely deflates at the end of the second act, and the political backstabbing of the third act is confusing and somewhat uninteresting.

Aesthetic

Even with the character and pacing issues, this movie absolutely SHINES in cinematography. The final thirty seconds of the film are one excellent example, along with the visuals of the test explosion.

Another fascinating visual trick was to have most of the scenes in color, but a few key scenes in black-and-white. It took me a bit to realize that the B/W scenes are from Strauss’ perspective, and the rest of the film is through our leading man’s eyes. It’s clever and unexpected, although one should expect the unexpected in terms of Nolan’s visual effects.

In the first act, imagery of Oppenheimer’s astronomical and scientific discoveries is pointedly used to highlight his mental and emotional turmoil. This theme carries on and is clarified by the aforementioned hallucinations in the second and third acts. This surreal approach helps immerse viewers into Oppenheimer’s world, for better or worse, and it’s a typical example of why Nolan is a top director of his generation.

Conclusion

This movie is brutal and amazing, in so many ways. The amazing visuals and stellar acting make for a captivating first and second act and still poke through the confusion of the third act. I give this movie 9.5/10, docking only half a point. I can tell this movie is aiming to be an Oscar frontrunner, and I’m excited to see what awards it scoops up. That’s all from me for now, and I’ll catch you on the flip side.