I think my first exposure to the history of Oppenheimer is through the famous Gita quote. “Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds”. I remember watching this clip of him via Youtube algorithm I think. I knew and heard about the making of the atomic bomb vaguely from multiple places.
I remember reading Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman (great book btw) and there were a few chapters about Feyman’s experience with working at the Manhattan Project. I enjoyed reading these chapters and found the whole thing fascinating. In fact, he mentions in the book that he saw the Trinity test through the truck windshield instead of using safety glasses. This exact scene is actually in the movie with Jack Quaid playing Feynman. I suddenly remembered the book scene and I was nerding out in the theatre.
There were also some moments when I was reading The Three-Body Problem series where there was discussion about Cold War Game theory with nukes, stalemate via Mutually Assured Destruction, dead hand defence etc., I got to know a bit more about the history of the first atomic bomb and then the effects of it like the arms race and the complicated peace situation we have currently.
I also started reading American Prometheus recently, the book this movie is based on. I finished about 30% of it. The film did such a good job that I’m not sure if I want to finish the book now.
I’ve been excited about the movie ever since it got announced. I thought Christopher Nolan was the perfect director for a complicated topic like this. All the stories about IMAX 70mm and no CGI and great actors added to the hype.
Having seen the movie, it’s fair to say he absolutely nailed it. It could be a recency bias but I think it’s his best work so far. Even though it’s more than 3 hours long, it didn’t feel like it. The writing and screenplay are top-tier as expected from Nolan. The cinematography was brilliant and the B/W scenes work really well. I regret that I was not able to see this in IMAX 70MM. Hopefully, I’ll be able to watch this in its full glory in the future.
The acting is brilliant in this movie and everyone brought their A-game. Cillian Murphy has always been brilliant and his eyes convey so much. I was pleasantly surprised by how good RDJ was. I enjoyed seeing so many scientists and the actors behind them. I had no idea Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, and Gary Oldman were in this movie. That goes for so many actors. I think this factor also contributed to making the movie's pacing feel tight.
Because I had the context and I knew the story already via American Prometheus, I had no problem following the screenplay. The non-linear storytelling is used really well and allows it to cover a lot in 3 hours. It should still be legible but I can see how the jumps might be jarring to people who are not familiar with the history at all. Another thing that’s admirable about Nolan is how he does not give a fuck about the general audience and makes whatever he wants. We need to back more artists like this.
The musical score was brilliant. Some of my favourite tracks include one that plays at the beginning during his flashbacks, another during the Trinity test, and the ending scene’s music. The scene after the Hiroshima bombing was masterfully done. The courtroom scenes were thrilling and as exciting as the Trinity test itself. It reminded me of another suspenseful masterpiece “12 Angry Men”. The ending scene was brilliant and haunting.
Finally, with the Russian-Ukraine war and AI having its Manhattan Project moment, I think this movie’s release is very timely. I couldn’t help but think of AGI development as well during the movie. If AGI is indeed possible in the next few years (5-50 years depending on who you ask), then it’s gonna have huge ramifications going forward on our entire civilisation. Some folks believe AGI and singularity will kick off a new utopia with infinite abundance. Some experts believe AGI will lead to global extinction. Who knows what’ll happen? It’s surreal to me that these things are not science fiction anymore and are actually possible in my lifetime.