Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan tells four very interesting stories:

• The emergence of quantum mechanics and its philosophical and practical implications. It did an OK job of telling this story.
• The creation of the atom bomb, in a truly existential race against Nazi Germany. It did a great job of telling this story.
• The persecution of Oppenheimer as an alleged communist, and potentiality of Oppenheimer (or at least his team) helping the Soviet Union to get the bomb. It did a pretty poor job of telling this story.
• The race towards the hydrogen bomb. It did an OK job of telling this story.

The two most important stories here are obviously the creation of the atom bomb and the McCarthy-era persecution (and the serious and potentially true allegations that come with it). So, over all, the movie was OK.

Only a TV series could’ve tackled all of these stories in a comprehensive and satisfying way. It’s a shame they didn’t take this approach, as an Oppenheimer series could’ve been fantastic.

The worst part of this movie was the use of the Senate confirmation hearings of Lewis Strauss as a plot device. It was entirely unnecessary to use this as a way to segue into the story of Oppenheimer’s persecution, added complexity to an already convoluted tale, and stretched the length of the film.

I think Nolan captured interesting perspectives on the necessity of the race, and the fact that it’s way too soon to reflect on the long-term consequences. The overall message of the film was nuanced, pragmatic, and well executed.