"Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this, he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity."

J. Robert Oppenheimer. The American Prometheus. Father of the atomic bomb. A mere mortal taking the Godly destructive magnitude of nuclear warfare into his own hands, gifting the annihilatory power of fissionable proliferation to the superpowers of the world. The Atomic Age was born. Wars won, lives lost. Radioactive evisceration that would change the military modernity of every country on the planet. Oppenheimer thought he was saving America, but instead he lost himself. Years of theoretical quantum physics, conceptual nuclear fusion and abstract molecular wave functions all hurtling towards the Manhattan Project - a program that would change the very fabric of warfare forever. Oppenheimer became Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.

Nolan choosing to observe and examine the man who founded modern theoretical physics in the United States makes total sense. The thermonuclear scale and destructive magnitude of Oppenheimer's life matches Nolan's tendency for enormously intricate yet profoundly complex designs. To put it simply, Oppenheimer is a staggering technical achievement in cinema. It's almost flawless in its execution. Near-perfect in its production. An epic biopic that seeks to imitate the dynamism of nuclear fusion. Hoytema's magnetic cinematography - utilising the first instance of IMAX black-and-white photography - elicits cautionary dread from the desolate vistas of Los Alamos. Göransson's heightened score astonishingly building up anxiety and tension to the infamous Trinity Test. Lame's unchronological editing breathtakingly splicing Oppenheimer's life for a climactic third act indictment that microcosmically uses himself and Strauss as warring countries. Nolan's direction impenetrably balances the theoretical science with the geopolitical history while retaining Oppenheimer's unscrupulous personal life. Embedding integral McCarthyism Red Scare politics with the global threat of war, rounded off by Oppenheimer's womanising traits that would soon see his moral convictions develop into a cautionary tale of power abuse. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Murphy becomes Oppenheimer. For a feature that is three hours long, Murphy is nearly in every single scene. It becomes a journey for us as it does for him. Starting off in Cambridge as a budding physicist only to end as an exhausted martyr for the scientific community - where science is controlled by politics. It's a transformative performance that has so many nuances to the characterisation of Oppenheimer, you forget Murphy is even acting. Especially towards the end when Oppenheimer soon realises that he has catalysed armageddon. RDJ puts in his best supporting performance in years. Blunt has some scene-stealing moments, particularly during the indictment. Pugh's small yet significant role throws thematic electrons into the mix. The relentless injection of cameos throughout can be somewhat reductive, but you can't argue it assists in freshening the insane pace of Nolan's feature. Three hours flew by. The only gripe upon my initial watch was the underdevelopment of the Oppenheimer and Tatlock affair. Was reduced to a physical relationship rather than anything emotional which made Oppenheimer's visceral reaction when he's made aware of Tatlock's fate undeserved.

Is Oppenheimer Nolan's best film? Almost, but not quite. Is Oppenheimer one of the best films of the year? Absolutely. In fact, it may just be the best. A cinematic event that should not be missed.