I have not been a fan of Christopher Nolan. I believe he has been overrated by all kinds of critics. Of his movies, I did not like Interstellar (about half of it I liked), Inception, Tenet, The Dark Knight Rises or Dunkirk, which I know is a hot take.

However, the buzz around his new biopic Oppenheimer (and the combined Barbenheimer) was high and I will say that I was anticipating the film.

The film tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and how he, along with a group of scientists, created an atomic bomb and the fallout of the use.

The plot is not anywhere near as simplistic as I just laid out. Like many other Nolan films, the narrative of the story is told in a disjointed, non-linear timeframe. At times, it was a challenge to know what time period it was showing. They did a lot of black and white shooting for the most recent timeframe (which was the Senate confirmation hearings for Lewis Strauss). This storytelling technique requires the audience to keep their attention on the screen, so that is not a bad thing.

The acting in Oppenheimer is absolutely top notch all around. Cillian Murphy has to be considered an early favorite to be nominated for best actor at the Oscars next year with his performance. He brought such a humanity and soulfulness to this man who could have been difficult to get to know. The expressiveness of each expression and his eyes was utterly fantastic.

Robert Downey Jr., who played Lewis Strauss, is another actor who should probably be in contention for a statue next year. Downey Jr. loses himself in this role and, before long, you do not see RDJ anymore, you see this manipulative politician out for a touch of revenge. Emily Blunt is a powerhouse as Kitty, Oppenheimer’s wife. She spends much of the film in the background, but when she gets the chance to step forward, man does she step forward.

I loved Matt Damon as General Groves too. He delivers one of my favorite lines of the movie that was also in the trailers when he asks about the chance of them destroying the world when they pushed the button to the bomb. “Near zero” was the response and Groves preferred the idea of “zero” instead.

The visuals of the film were breathtaking. I watched this in IMAX and I absolutely recommend that you watch this on as big of a screen as possible.

The score of this movie was amazing. It beautifully illustrated everything that was happening on the screen. The sound of every explosion or loud noise literally shook the seat that I was sitting in. I can’t imagine watching this in some kind of 4D version because I am sure that the moving seat would completely destroy you. Each second of the sound effects were worth it.

Unfortunately, as we have seen with some other Nolan films, much of the dialogue of the actors gets drowned out by the score or was muffled and difficult to understand. This is truly the one aspect of the film that is worth criticizing.

As I said, I have believed that Christopher Nolan has been overrated. This, however, is a brilliant movie with unbelievable filmmaking. I think this is probably Nolan’s greatest movie ever. While I personally prefer The Dark Knight, there is no denying that this is a one-of-a-kind movie with phenomenal acting, special effects off the chart, a complex and well-organized story and a score that does exactly what you want a score to do.

This is one of the best movies of the year.

5 stars