Christopher Nolan is somehow a polarizing writer and director. A lot of people love his movies, because of their creativity, attention to detail, epic scores (usually from Hans Zimmer), reliance to practical effects, use of 70mm IMAX cameras, excellent casts and memorable moments. Others, however, roll their eyes at them; "pretension" is a word thrown out a lot, as is his lack of strong female characters.
But the résumé doesn't lie; compared to his contemporaries, Nolan has a staggering filmography that includes "Memento," the Dark Knight trilogy, "The Prestige," "Inception," "Tenet," "Interstellar" and "Dunkirk."
His latest is a biopic about Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the first atomic bomb, which subsequently ended World War II. It releases on July 21, 2023, and stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Gary Oldman, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine and Kenneth Branagh.
Here are a few select tweets from people who got to attend the premiere.
Early impressions
#Oppenheimer is staggering in every sense of the word. Might sound nuts to say this about a Chris Nolan movie that isn't INCEPTION, DUNKIRK, or even TENET, but this could be his most formally daring work yet. Sharp script, impeccable sound design, and Cillian Murphy is a *force*
— Jeremy Mathai (@Somthin_Tookish) July 11, 2023
I was skeptical, but Oppenheimer has stuck with me since seeing it last week. Yes, it's 3 hours, but in a dense-Scorsese way and the last 20 minutes (why Emily Blunt clearly took the role) bring its three narrative threads to a moving conclusion. (1) pic.twitter.com/dEC4hLlYiF
— Gregory Ellwood - The Playlist 🎬 (@TheGregoryE) July 11, 2023
Totally absorbed in OPPENHEIMER, a dense, talkie, tense film partly about the bomb, mostly about how doomed we are. Happy summer! Murphy is good, but the support essential: Damon, Downey Jr & Ehrenreich even bring gags. An audacious, inventive, complex film to rattle its audience
— Jonathan Dean (@JonathanDean_) July 11, 2023
#Oppenheimer left me stunned: a character study on the grandest scale, with a sublime central performance by Cillian Murphy. An epic historical drama but with a distinctly Nolan sensibility: the tension, structure, sense of scale, startling sound design, remarkable visuals. Wow
— Matt Maytum (@mattmaytum) July 11, 2023
OPPENHEIMER is...incredible. The word that keeps coming to mind is "fearsome." A relentlessly paced, insanely detailed, intricate historical drama that builds and builds and builds until Nolan brings the hammer down in the most astonishing, shattering way.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) July 11, 2023
Am torn between being all coy and mysterious about Oppenheimer and just coming out and saying it’s a total knockout that split my brain open like a twitchy plutonium nucleus and left me sobbing through the end credits like I can’t even remember what else.
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) July 11, 2023
#Oppenheimer is powerful stuff. Cillian Murphy’s flawless awards worthy performance is next level. Every player in this rich ensemble cast is at the top of their game. Christopher Nolan’s haunting opus is remarkable and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s execution of his vision is breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/oRFAVM64Kg
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) July 11, 2023
OPPENHEIMER is one of if not Nolan’s best work. And that comes from a huge Nolan admirer. I’ve see it twice. Impeccable immersive filmmaking of the highest order. Cillian Murphy gets the role he deserves. In love with Downey’s work. This one demands your attention.
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) July 11, 2023
It’s hard to talk about something as dense as this in something as silly as a tweet or thread but Oppenheimer really is a serious, philosophical, adult drama that’s as tense and exciting as Dunkirk. And the big moment – THAT MOMENT – is awe inspiring.
— Lindsey Bahr (@ldbahr) July 11, 2023
I think #Oppenheimer is Nolan’s JFK. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE JFK. Cillian Murphy mesmerizes in a star-studded moral quandary about Scientific Theory becoming deadly fact. The entire cast is outstanding, and while the history is DENSE, it’s Nolan’s most streamlined and accessible. pic.twitter.com/S8B2wAgzEb
— Sean O'Connell (@Sean_OConnell) July 11, 2023
Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is fantastic - big & bold w/ electrifying performances & an incredibly visceral pacing to it. It’s both quietly intimate & also a ferocious moviegoing experience at the same time. See it in IMAX 70mm & it’ll be among your favorite watches of 2023 pic.twitter.com/GAZWiPEgFW
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 11, 2023
#ChristopherNolan's #Oppenheimer is incredible. Every aspect of the film is worth talking about from the brilliant performances, to #HoytevanHoytema's amazing work behind the camera, to the way Nolan tells the story. The 3 hour run time flies by. See it in @IMAX 70mm if you can. pic.twitter.com/8mPVJGALKu
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 11, 2023
Watch the trailer:
