Christopher Nolan's "OPPENHEIMER"

July 28, 2023 Dennis D. McDonald

There are several reasons why I enjoyed this exemplary movie:

It addresses world-shakingly important issues intelligently.
It provides understandable background and context to complex political and scientific issues.
It dramatically illustrates how human conflicts can drive important life changing events.
It never succumbs to the temptation to present spectacle for spectacle’s sake.
It uses the modern tools of moviemaking both intelligently and carefully.

Were I to compare this movie to some other intellectual property it would be to a book I am reading now, The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. There, too, details of personal intellect, ambition, and personality are intertwined with momentous scientifc discoveries and rivalries that have profoundly influenced our world.

That Nolan succeeds in dramatically balancing science, personality, and history so well probably should not surprise us, given his track record. Some of this success is due, I think, to how well documented the events and personalities presented here are, and also to the simple fact that he and his team are so talented.

I’ve done some reading on my own of events related to the pacific war and to the development of nuclear weapons. What is presented in this movie, both in terms of minute details and major themes, rings true.