Oppenheimer is a film that fulfills filmmaker Christopher Nolan's almost two-decade-long ambition itch, which began with his desire to put together a gripping biographical film that revolved around a contentious historical figure that had been roaming around creatively in his mind since his early post-Memento days.

What do I mean by that? The story goes that Nolan initially planned for his first post-Memento project to be a biographical drama centered on the enigmatic Howard Hughes, with Jim Carrey poised to play the lead role. However, as we all know, fate had other plans, and the film encountered unfortunate obstacles, leading it to get stuck in development hell. The reason behind this setback was pretty obvious: Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, another film delving into Hughes' life, received the green light as Scorsese's next project after Gangs of New York.

Undeterred by this setback, Nolan's unwavering determination and that unfilled creative passion that was to come of that project drove him to Oppenheimer, a captivating biographical picture about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the controversial mastermind behind the atomic bomb, or, when it comes to my own dumbass, the first person in history to have ever achieved a 25-kill streak during a Call of Duty online match.

Haha, I'm definitely going to hell, everyone.

Anyway, diving right into it, Oppenheimer impresses as a film that truly looked absolutely gorgeous from head to toe. Experiencing it in Dual Laser IMAX (unfortunately, Rhode Island is the closest with 70mm IMAX capabilities for me) was a mesmerizing visual treat. The magnificent shots, especially those captured in a 1.43 aspect ratio, were truly enthralling.

Among my favorite scenes shot in that ratio were those of Oppenheimer and his team riding out on horseback together, showcased in breathtaking long shots of the picturesque surroundings of Los Alamos. The visuals truly captured the essence of the location and added to the film's overall grandeur.

Still, as mesmerizing as the visuals were, courtesy of Nolan and his DP Hoyte van Hoytema, I couldn't shake the feeling that shooting the film in IMAX might not have been entirely necessary for this particular project.

Because, in contrast to some of Nolan's other movies, where IMAX seemed crucial to the plot owing to their action-oriented nature, Oppenheimer stands out as one of the most dialogue-heavy pictures, probably the most in his entire career (so far). As such, the grand visuals of IMAX didn't feel as essential to the overall experience as they had in his other films in the past. Instead, the focus on dialogue and character-driven storytelling took center stage, and the IMAX format didn't add as much value to the narrative as it had in some of his previous works.

On the opposite end to the visuals comes the film's narrative storytelling, which, in my opinion, stands as Nolan's most ambitious undertaking since Memento. Even more so than Dunkirk.

Throughout its entire 3-hour runtime, Nolan skillfully weaves a complex narrative filled with jumps in time, routine flashbacks, and flashforwards that circle around one another. The intricacy of this narrative, with its frequent shifts in time and perspective, along with the use of flashforwards and multiple viewpoints, initially took me a bit of time to get used to, to say the least.

It skillfully challenges the audience to piece together the enigmatic threads pertaining to the story, resulting in a highly rewarding and engaging cinematic experience.

One thing I truly loved, which was intricately tied into all of this, was Nolan's brilliant decision to separate the flashforward sequences of Oppenheimer's security hearing, artfully presenting those from Lewis Strauss's point of view in captivating black-and-white, in sharp contrast to the vividly colored ones from Oppenheimer's perspective. This deliberate choice added depth and complexity to the narrative, emphasizing the contrasting viewpoints and contributing to the film's overall creative brilliance.

For the final section of my review, I believe it would be best to focus on a handful of the numerous performers in this film who left a lasting impression on me. As I watched the movie, a certain number of actors (among many actors) truly stood out, and I want to highlight their performances.

Cillian Murphy: He delivers the best performance of his career in this film. He truly embodies his character, exuding an overwhelming sense of dread and sorrow through his on-screen expressions alone in every one of his scenes. I mean, the guy looked like one of the Ghouls from the game Fallout with some skin on him. Haha.

Emily Blunt: Her performance in this film was good but, in my opinion, not particularly one that stands out. She only really has one substantial, memorable moment that lets her chew on the sequence. You'll know exactly which one I'm talking about if you've seen the film. Why didn't she have any more standout scenes? Who knows? Maybe some of it is, in part—and I'd say the same about Pugh—a result of Nolan's alleged problems writing about women. Who knows? I'm not going to think too much about it, though.

Florence Pugh: She is only present for approximately five minutes of the runtime, four of which are entirely spent in the nude. So, um, yeah, her participation in this film was very interesting. Her scene where she gives Oppenheimer the book with the "quote of all quotes" had me smirking so hard, I would say.

Robert Downey Jr.: Easily the man's best role in years. However, I must admit that while Oppenheimer is a fantastic film, it does make me sorry to say that his best movie with up to a 3-ish hour runtime still remains Short Cuts, as my man Altman is always king.

Benny Safdie: My man's decision to retire from directing may mark the end of an era, but it allows him to continue taking on roles like this one that showcase his incredible talent by delivering accents so sharp they could cut through wood. I am completely okay with that.

Matt Damon: Regarding him, all I can say is that I believe Nolan missed out on having his character remark "hot dog" in the aftermath of at least one of the explosions that occur at some point during the film.

David Krumholtz: His character generated some of the film's most powerful verbal exchanges, providing a richness and sensation that stood out in Oppenheimer, out of all the other film actors, I would say.

Olivia Thirlby: I loved her in Dredd and Juno, so seeing her pop up in something like this was quite nice. While she didn't end up having many lines, she did retain a presence that felt on par with all of the other characters in Los Alamos, including those with much more dialogue, like Krumholtz, Safdie, and Damon.

Josh Zuckerman: Even if he only appeared for two minutes close to the beginning, I couldn't help but feel an amazing sense of nostalgia and excitement when I saw the lead from one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies as a kid, Sex Drive, in a Nolan picture. I mean, I never imagined I'd see this day. Thank the lord.

Gary Oldman: Um, what the fuck was that? Gary Oldman's cameo-like portrayal of Truman in the film filled me with many conflicting emotions. I couldn't determine whether I loved it or despised it. I guess I liked it; however, I couldn't help but experience a few Darkest Hour PTSD' Nam flashbacks while watching it.

Josh Peck: His role in the film was incredibly small, with only one line to deliver. And damn, it was quite the missed opportunity for Nolan not to have him say "spherical." Like you had one job, my dude.

Macon Blair: Without a doubt, Macon Blair was the film's MVP in my mind. Being a fan of his since his standout performance in Blue Ruin while also admiring his directorial debut, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, it was a true delight to see that Nolan granted him a lot more screen time than I expected him to, portraying Oppenheimer's attorney during his security clearance trial. On a side note, I can't help but wonder when the Toxic Avenger remake he's directing will finally be released. The anticipation is real!

So, I think that's all for today. All in all, Oppenheimer undoubtedly stands as one of Nolan's finest works to date. He fearlessly pushes the boundaries of storytelling while presenting a thought-provoking and ambitious narrative.

Despite my personal quirks about its narrative upon this first watch, I can still wholeheartedly recognize that this film is a remarkable feat in tremendous filmmaking. I genuinely believe it will be heralded as one of the best in Nolan's illustrious career in making movies that will make your ears bleed while watching that one way or the other.

Still, what matters most is that I had an absolute blast watching Oppenheimer, and I'm unapologetic about it. The film was an enjoyable experience through and through, and with Nolan at the helm, my expectations were high, and he delivered as always.

Personal Note: Before I conclude my review today, there's one more thing I want to say: Today, I'm announcing my retirement from writing longer reviews for this website. Moving forward, I aim to make them much shorter, around 200 to 400 words, as opposed to the 700 to 1,500 words I've been doing for the last 5 years.

The reasoning for my decision in this regard, I believe, stems largely from my desire to recapture the joy and fulfillment I initially found in writing these reviews in the first place. Lately, these longer-type reviews have become burdensome and time-consuming; as such, I yearn for the simplicity and impact of concise and snappy writing, which is what Letterboxd is mostly all about in the first place, aside from those ones that involve people professing their desire to have sex with the actors in the film.

Of course, I won't be aiming for my future reviews to be as short as Karsten Runquist's famous one for Mean Streets, where he wrote, "Those streets sure are mean," and called it a day. My main goal is to keep things simple and enjoyable since I write these reviews for fun. And I'll begin with Barbie.

So I think that's all for today. And with this, I bid farewell to the longer reviews and embrace a new approach. Short and sweet is the way to go.

Which is very much the opposite of what this film is about. So, it's fitting for me to end this chapter of my life.

BOOM