Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer could be the filmmaker’s perfect return to the screen after Tenet, its predecessor, received mixed reviews and the filmmaker’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes score to date. Set to release in the summer of 2023, the historical drama and biopic will follow theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), often cited as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Oppenheimer was known to quote the Bhagavad Gita after the first detonation of the bomb in the Trinity Test: “Now I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Beyond the fact that it faced the challenge of a pandemic release in August 2020, Nolan’s Tenet was seen by many as divisive and confusing, ultimately sacrificing character development to compensate for a dense, high-concept plot. Furthermore, a sound-mixing issue within Tenet left some audiences unable to hear the film’s dialogue. This isn’t the first time Nolan’s films have received this kind of criticism. The epic scale of Nolan’s spectacles has often been paired with characters that come across as distant or cold. Oppenheimer offers Christopher Nolan a unique opportunity to tackle these issues while keeping his uniquely powerful voice and style intact.
Oppenheimer Is The Opposite Of Nolan’s Tenet
Many aspects of Oppenheimer can be seen as core elements and staples of all Nolan Films. There is a focus on high-concept scientific ideas, the recognizable dark-tone aesthetic, and, in the craft of the film, a focus on practical effects. It was recently disclosed that in recreating the Trinity Test nuclear blast without the use of CGI, Oppenheimer could be Nolan’s wildest achievement yet in this regard.
However, the story of Oppenheimer presents a clear departure from the things that are the primary focuses of Tenet. In many ways, the nature of the film as a biopic creates a strong contrast from Nolan’s past work. It is presumably going to be a more straightforward story that might constrain Nolan’s narrative experimentation. Though, as the chronology mixing of Dunkirk attested to, Nolan will likely still make Oppenheimer formally complex in some way.
Why Oppenheimer Can Fix Nolan’s Tenet Mistakes
Rather than being preoccupied with high-concept ideas, losing character value in a sprawling cast like many of Nolan’s previous films, Oppenheimer will be based around the perspective of one character. Audiences should be optimistic that Oppenheimer can recover from Tenet‘s missteps. Naturally, the central importance of nuclear physics is no easy task, but providing limitations on perspective will likely help to build a cleaner narrative. This provides Nolan with a unique challenge. Even with franchises as massive as The Dark Knight, Nolan’s work seems to thrive when the story is deeply character driven.
In a recent interview with Total Film, Nolan commended Cillian Murphy’s work in the titular role, saying, “I’ve always known since I first met him… that he is one of the great actors, not just of his generation, but of all time.” Nolan and Murphy have an established relationship, having worked together before on Inception, Batman Begins, and Dunkirk. However, Oppenheimer creates a dynamic that potentially stands apart from these past collaborations, promising a unique and exciting return for one of the past decade’s most celebrated filmmakers.
