“Oppenheimer” First Reactions: Christopher Nolan’s Historical Epic is Genuinely Mind-Blowing
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer had its world premiere in Paris last night, which means the first reactions to the film are exploding all over the internet. Many are calling it Nolan’s most assured, mature work yet and one of the best films he’s ever made.
New York Magazine‘s Bilge Ebiri says, “The word that keeps coming to mind is fearsome,” the Telegraph‘s Robbie Collin calls it “a total knockout,” Total Film‘s Matt Maytum says Oppenheimer “left me stunned: a character study on the grandest scale,” Cinemablend‘s Sean O’Connell says “the entire cast is outstanding, and while the history is DENSE, it’s Nolan’s most streamlined and accessible [film],” while the Los Angeles Times’s Kenneth Turan says it’s “arguably Nolan’s most impressive work yet.”
It’s a film that Nolan says is centered on one of history’s most crucial figures. “Like it not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived,” Nolan said in Las Vegas at this year’s CinemaCon. “He made the world we live in — for better or for worse. And his story has to be seen to be believed, and I am certainly hopeful audiences will come to your theaters to see it on the biggest screens possible.”
Oppenheimer tracks the United States’ efforts to create the atomic bomb, focusing on the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy, coming in for rave reviews for his performance) and his work during the Manhattan Project. Nolan surrounded the excellent Murphy with an equally excellent cast, including Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Alden Ehrenreich, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, and David Dastmalchian. Nolan’s crew includes his longtime cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, production designer Ruth De Jong, and composer Ludwig Göransson.
Let’s take a peek at those first reactions. Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21.
Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is truly a spectacular achievement, in its truthful, concise adaptation, inventive storytelling and nuanced performances from Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and the many, many others involved —- some just for a scene.
— Lindsey Bahr (@ldbahr) July 11, 2023
#Oppenheimer left me stunned: a character study on the grandest scale, with a sublime central performance by Cillian Murphy. An epic historical drama but with a distinctly Nolan sensibility: the tension, structure, sense of scale, startling sound design, remarkable visuals. Wow
— Matt Maytum (@mattmaytum) July 11, 2023
Am torn between being all coy and mysterious about Oppenheimer and just coming out and saying it’s a total knockout that split my brain open like a twitchy plutonium nucleus and left me sobbing through the end credits like I can’t even remember what else.
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) July 11, 2023
Totally absorbed in OPPENHEIMER, a dense, talkie, tense film partly about the bomb, mostly about how doomed we are. Happy summer! Murphy is good, but the support essential: Damon, Downey Jr & Ehrenreich even bring gags. An audacious, inventive, complex film to rattle its audience
— Jonathan Dean (@JonathanDean_) July 11, 2023
OPPENHEIMER is…incredible. The word that keeps coming to mind is “fearsome.” A relentlessly paced, insanely detailed, intricate historical drama that builds and builds and builds until Nolan brings the hammer down in the most astonishing, shattering way.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) July 11, 2023
#Oppenheimer is powerful stuff. Cillian Murphy’s flawless awards worthy performance is next level. Every player in this rich ensemble cast is at the top of their game. Christopher Nolan’s haunting opus is remarkable and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s execution of his vision is breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/oRFAVM64Kg
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) July 11, 2023
#ChristopherNolan‘s #Oppenheimer is incredible. Every aspect of the film is worth talking about from the brilliant performances, to #HoytevanHoytema‘s amazing work behind the camera, to the way Nolan tells the story. The 3 hour run time flies by. See it in @IMAX 70mm if you can. pic.twitter.com/8mPVJGALKu
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 11, 2023
#Oppenheimer is staggering in every sense of the word. Might sound nuts to say this about a Chris Nolan movie that isn’t INCEPTION, DUNKIRK, or even TENET, but this could be his most formally daring work yet. Sharp script, impeccable sound design, and Cillian Murphy is a *force*
— Jeremy Mathai (@Somthin_Tookish) July 11, 2023
I think #Oppenheimer is Nolan’s JFK. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE JFK. Cillian Murphy mesmerizes in a star-studded moral quandary about Scientific Theory becoming deadly fact. The entire cast is outstanding, and while the history is DENSE, it’s Nolan’s most streamlined and accessible. pic.twitter.com/S8B2wAgzEb
— Sean O’Connell (@Sean_OConnell) July 11, 2023
Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is fantastic – big & bold w/ electrifying performances & an incredibly visceral pacing to it. It’s both quietly intimate & also a ferocious moviegoing experience at the same time. See it in IMAX 70mm & it’ll be among your favorite watches of 2023 pic.twitter.com/GAZWiPEgFW
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 11, 2023
For more on Oppenheimer, check out these stories:
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” IMAX Film Prints Are 11 Miles Long & Weigh 600 Pounds
How Christopher Nolan Utilized IMAX Cameras for “Oppenheimer”
New “Oppenheimer” Trailer Reveals Explosive Footage in Christopher Nolan’s Historical Thriller
Featured image: Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
