Oppenheimer (released 7/21/23)

Christopher Nolan is back with a biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer. The film is well made as to be expected. It jumped around a lot between the linear story and the investigation into possible communist ties afterward. I did feel like the scene-to-scene movement was a little too fast and hectic at times. This was a fine biopic, but was three hours necessary? I just wanted to see the build-up to the atomic bomb being made and the detonation. End with the literal and emotional fallout of it all. The successful test and broadcasts of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki droppings happen at the 2-hour mark. It leaned heavier into the investigation after that which is fine but just seemed like a lot. I had a good time, but like most Nolan films I likely won’t revisit this for a long time. Gotta be in the right mood, ya know?

Story - 18%

Characters - 18%

Pacing - 17%

Spectacle - 17%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 87%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here