I Did Not Like Oppenheimer

I did not like Oppenheimer – as much as I thought I would. I know that it’s currently holding an impressive 8.6 rating on IMDb and is likely aiming for an Oscar sweep, but personally, it didn’t deliver the level of ‘entertainment’ I had hoped for.

Now, I’m a big Christopher Nolan fan. I’ve rewatched the Dark Knight Trilogy a dozen times, spent days contemplating the ending of Inception, and have memorized the entire score from Interstellar. Even Tenet had me intrigued. However, Oppenheimer? It felt like an entirely different movie experience for me. It lacked the gripping narrative that has become synonymous with Nolan’s films. Nevertheless, it’s essential to acknowledge that Oppenheimer leans more towards being a character-driven biopic than a traditional narrative-driven movie.

Despite its character-focused approach, I found it challenging to maintain my focus throughout the film. On more than one occasion, I found myself associating some of the star-studded cast with their previous works, which inevitably disrupted my immersion in the story and left me feeling somewhat disconnected from the unfolding events.

On a similar note, there were way too many characters. Perhaps it’s nitpicking to criticize Nolan for including all the important people from Oppenheimer’s life, but there were so many people that I lost track. Rami Malek had a significant role towards the end of the movie, but I couldn’t remember who he was supposed to be portraying. I wouldn’t even be able to name over half the ensemble cast’s character names.

Then there’s the pacing issue. It felt more like a montage than a movie with all those quick cuts and blaring music between scenes. It lacked the emotional hook to really reel me in. I’m all for Nolan’s nonlinear storytelling, but in a character-focused biopic, it felt a bit overdone, almost like watching one giant movie trailer.

However, I have to acknowledge the stellar score by Ludwig Göransson and the film’s impressive cinematography and sound design. These elements contributed positively to the movie’s overall experience. Despite these strengths, the pacing remained a significant issue, and the three-hour runtime felt cumbersome, making the film a tedious and occasionally boring watch. I hate to admit it, but the people sitting on either side of me in the theater were asleep for a substantial portion of the film.

Now, about that “no CGI” hype. I get it – Nolan wanted to go old-school. But here’s the thing: just because Marvel and DC went CGI crazy doesn’t mean it’s a sin. Take the Trinity Test explosion, for instance. It had a visually stunning and authentic appearance. I even experienced goosebumps when it occurred, but then that was it. Nolan is a master at skillfully integrating CGI to achieve realism, so why not use that expertise? The hype surrounding it ultimately left it feeling somewhat underwhelming.

Oppenheimer is objectively a solid movie. But it didn’t quite live up to the colossal hype for me. Maybe I shouldn’t have set my expectations sky-high, especially for a character-driven biopic. While I think the film could be a hit among history buffs and those interested to learn about the story of the ‘father of the atomic bomb,’ personally, I didn’t find it as entertaining as Nolan’s other gems, and I don’t see myself giving it another watch anytime soon.