CASE wrote: ↑

August 13th, 2023, 6:30 pm

Nicolaslabra wrote: ↑

August 12th, 2023, 11:03 pm

CASE wrote: ↑

August 11th, 2023, 9:20 am

To be honest, sadly for me, the last scene didn't hit me at all. To paraphrase: "in a way we did destroy the world, you need to bear it somehow, etc."
No new information whatsoever. No revelation.
And it's not that such thoughts/interpretations popped to my mind during watching and I just "guessed" what is it about -- we hear such stuff almost verbatim throughout the movie.

(Watched it two times.)

for me its all about the film stating that all the scientists where so worried about wether or not the bomb was going to trigger an atmosphere igniting chain reaction, that they forgot about the other chain reaction, the one that putting this weapon in the hands of the goberments would trigger, one that you cant calculate with physics, and one that might already have started with no going back, and to this day we still cant be sure if it did or not

Sure -- "In a way they destroyed the world" to quote somebody...
But again, nothing new to chew for your brain -- what you have specified, of letting this invention to the hands of others, is in the hotel lobby scene when Oppie is on his way to Truman. No revelation.

I know that chronologically speaking (in "real" time of the movie) Einstein and Oppie don't repeat themselves so to speak but to us (or only me) as viewers by putting this scene as such it does feel like repeating. EMOTIONALLY this scene doesn't work for me.

Or to put it even simpler:
The moral of the story is well known way before we literally hear this moral.
And the fact that we are so eager to find out what the hell they were talking about rise expectations so high that maybe this is why it didn't hit me.

i think the film was never trying to reach any moral conclusion that we didnt reach ourselves about the topic already, its about the journey of the characters, my heart sank the moment Robert confesses to his beliefs to Einstein, his personal journey was the revelation if you please, its different form his other films, where we do reach some sort of catharsis, but not here, this is easily the darkest ending since Memento.

The more Nolan makes films, the more he becomes pursues his obsessions and the more he will turn the mainstream people off. A large part of the population still expects Inception and The Dark Knight type of projects from him but those days are gone and I am glad. He trades mainstream appeal for critical acceptance, like Quentin Tarantino randomly coming out of the woodwork and claiming his 2nd favourite film of the 2010’s is Dunkirk.

@Nicolaslabra
I see your point. I agree.
And to be clear to everybody: But I'm starting to repeating myself

@Retskrad
If you alluded to me -- you're just wrong.

Saw it second time, digital imax. 4.5/5

I def caught more things and the story than first viewing. Presentation was much improved too (first viewing was in regular theater). Maybe not quite as "thrilling" as Nolan's action films in Imax, but still worth the upgraded experience to drive farther and pay more for a ticket (this imax used to be 70mm during the Dark Knight films, so screen size was still pretty big). More immersive for sure.

Hard to imagine how special effects team did all those visual scenes of "Oppie's mind" in camera, but they sure felt visceral and real.

Still think it's great overall. Krumholtz, Salfdie, Clarke, Oldman, and even Hartnett stood out in supporting roles. Blunt and Pugh make the most of their limited screen time. Murphy and RDJ shoe-ins for noms.

Perhaps the clearance hearing scenes, and some of of RDJ's scenes with Aldren could've been trimmed a bit, but off the top of my head I cannot think of what parts I would've cut.



Cannot wait for my next viewing when I make the long trek to a 70mm Imax

Batfan175 wrote: ↑

August 13th, 2023, 5:43 pm

Finally watched it. One of my favourite Nolan films. The ending in particular is haunting because it recontextualises EVERYTHING else and why everything was happening, whilst ending on a level of melancholic dread that I'm not sure I've seen from any other of Nolan's films so far.

Yeah, for me, one aspect of what that scene communicated was that after all that was said and done to Opp, all the bs from the government and media and whatnot, the thing that plagued him the most seemed to be his inner guilt about bringing the atomic bomb to humanity.

Finally got to see Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX for my fifth viewing; I happened to look this morning at the seats at my local IMAX theater, and there was a single open seat dead-center in a sea of taken spots, so I immediately grabbed it. I don't think I fully realized in advance that the aspect ratio was essentially square (or at least looked square; I know it isn't really), and that was a wonderful surprise. Somehow it seemed like the dialogue came through more clearly during this viewing versus the other four at regular theaters, although there were a couple times when the audio was clipping or peaking when characters were yelling. But overall, it was a pretty great experience, and I probably would have regretted not seeing it this way otherwise.

This must be how you're feeling right now:

Oku wrote: ↑

August 23rd, 2023, 9:31 pm

This must be how you're feeling right now:

Haha, more or less I think! It truly is incredible that a film about a physicist, and arguably an unlikeable one at that, where the drama primarily comes from just characters talking, is this successful. I'd personally have wanted the film to be many hours longer, but then it certainly wouldn't have achieved that same success. Clearly what this means is that the moviegoing public wants to see more movies about historical physicists, and that other directors need to make these biopics at once!

Also I think it helps that I'm not a historian but merely an "avid fan," since I'd imagine I'm more easily forgiving of what the film gets wrong, leaves out, or misinterprets, and much more focused on all the bits of dialogue and events included in the film that I've read or encountered in various books and other sources. I'm still waiting for an actual nuclear historian whose blog I follow to come out with their review of the film, to see what they think.

Well, I think I'm realizing, after my sixth viewing and my second in 70mm IMAX, that I'm at the point where there are diminishing returns for subsequent viewings. The film is still as engaging and entertaining as ever, but I'm not getting anything new out of it, aside from a line or two of dialogue that I can now understand better.

physicshistoryguy wrote: ↑

September 3rd, 2023, 12:53 pm

Well, I think I'm realizing, after my sixth viewing and my second in 70mm IMAX, that I'm at the point where there are diminishing returns for subsequent viewings. The film is still as engaging and entertaining as ever, but I'm not getting anything new out of it, aside from a line or two of dialogue that I can now understand better.

It seems to me like you are tired. Sixth viewing… maybe you are right, or maybe not. Maybe let it sit for a while because I get the impression you are looking for more hidden details, ambiguities to ponder about or whatever. Let it breathe.