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Oppenheimer (2023) - Review And Summary

Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the career of Oppenheimer, with the story predominantly focusing on his studies, his direction of the Manhattan Project during World War II, and his eventual fall from grace due to his 1954 security hearing.

Oppenheimer is a 2023 epic biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The lead character of Robert Oppenheimer is played by Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer’s wife is played by Emily Blunt other actors are Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Alden Ehrenreich, etc.

What is the movie Oppenheimer all about?

Oppenheimer was a remarkable physicist who studied, researched and developed the atomic bomb. After teaching in some of the top universities in the world, he was recruited by one of his previous teachers to assist with the «Manhattan Project.» The goal of this project was to develop an atomic bomb, as approved by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Shortly after being recruited to crunch numbers on the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer was promoted to take the lead on a secret weapons laboratory. The first part of the movie show Oppenheimer and his team developing an atomic bomb that used a nuclear reaction to cause catastrophic initial damage to a target, as well as lasting effects from radiation that would lead to illness and death over time.

Much of the last hour focuses on Oppenheimer's inner torment as he reckons with the fact he is responsible for a bomb that not only killed hundreds of thousands of civilians but has now led to a nuclear arms race from which there is no turning back.

In one scene, he meets with US President Harry S Truman, who chastises him for feeling guilty about the bomb, explaining that he was the man that made the call rather than Oppenheimer, but this does little to make him feel better.

Oppenheimer's Color Shifts, explained

The majority of Oppenheimer's black and white scenes are of the hearing against Oppenheimer after the atomic bomb was used. The scenes are less about him and more about the repercussions of the bomb, as seen by others involved in the case rather than being presented from Oppenheimer's point of view.

When the movie is in color, audiences are witnessing Robert Oppenheimer's perspective. This means that Oppenheimer's color scenes submerge viewers in the physicists' complex psyche, as the events unfold from his personal perspective.

'Oppenheimer' Ending Explained

However, the true ending of the film is the revelation of what Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer said to each other in a conversation that keeps us on edge for much of the film.

Oppenheimer asks Einstein if he remembers when he showed him the calculations that he theorized could destroy the world. Einstein says yes. After all, how could one forget something like that? Oppenheimer replies that, in fact, that's exactly what they did.

Best quotes from Oppenheimer movie

Niels Bohr said to Oppenheimer: «The important thing isn't can you read music, it's can you hear it. Can you hear the music, Robert?»

By this, Bohr means that there's something more important than being able to do the calculations, because anyone can do algebraic calculations, given enough study. But not everyone has the inspiration to come to new understandings. It was a lesson about the true nature of mathematics and its role in understanding the Universe.

Oppenheimer: «Why do you think they put me on charge? They need us.» Luis Alvarez: «Until they don't.» The film successfully showed the real face of American politics, especially using Oppenheimer when they needed him, and essentially getting rid of him when he opposed their methods.

«You see beyond the world we live in. There is a price to pay for that», a humanities professor tells Oppenheimer during the film. This sacrifice is not really like that of Prometheus, who gave the world fire and endured endless torture in payment. His punishment is not for bringing fire to humankind but for being an Icarus flying too close to the sun of science.

«I don't know if we can be trusted to have such a weapon, but I know the Nazis can't», Oppenheimer says.

From the start, ethical and moral questions are part of the equation. Why try to create the most destructive weapon ever seen? In one scene, the physicists discuss those ethics, but one fact remains: Hitler’s Germany is already working on such a weapon. If they can't be stopped, the next best thing is to get the weapon first.

Historical mistake in Oppenheimer

A fan noticed a historical error in a scene set in 1945, where Robert J. Oppenheimer addresses an enthusiastic crowd in an auditorium in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The attendees proudly wave american flags, but these flags have 50 stars, when they should have 48. What was the mistake? Well, Alaska and Hawaii were recognized as American states in 1959 and 1960, respectively. Each star on the U.S. flag represents a state of the country. This small detail went viral on social media.

🥇 Find out more:

✅ What did Einstein say to Oppenheimer?

✅ The True Story of Robert Oppenheimer's Life

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