As time ticks down to the release of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated Oppenheimer, press coverage has shown promises of everything audiences could expect from the explosive new film from one of Hollywood’s most daring directors. From a rare R-rating to an ensemble cast that rivals all his movies combined, everything points to Oppenheimer being one of the filmmaker’s biggest enterprises to date. With a resume as grand as Nolan’s, it’s no wonder expectations are reaching monumental proportions.

Oppenheimer, which chronicles the creation of the atom bomb and J. Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement in the Manhattan Project during the height of World War II, is notable for being a Nolan-first. Though the British-American filmmaker has delved into history via 2017’s Dunkirk, he has yet to explore a dramatic biopic surrounding a singular person. Most of his filmography has resided in originally written think pieces like Inception (2010) and Interstellar (2014), as well as Nolanized adaptations such as The Dark Knight (2008) and The Prestige (2006). If there was a true story worthy of the Nolan treatment, Oppenheimer certainly fits the bill.
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Led by Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer is a story that allows Nolan to explore themes and filmmaking practices already familiar to him. While there is a sense of comfortability with this project, the upcoming film also presents its own set of challenges familiar to the Nolan Cinematic Universe. Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, Oppenheimer will hopefully deliver something as ground-breaking as the trailers and sneak previews suggest.

Questioning Time & Morality

Warner Bros. Pictures

One consistent aspect found throughout Nolan’s films is thematic explorations of time and morality. Between his early indie hit Memento (2000) and his blockbuster standout Tenet (2020), Nolan has nearly exhausted the limits of what time can do in narrative filmmaking.

Though some critique this as merely a gimmick, films like Inception and Dunkirk offer fortified examples which prove Nolan’s ability to pull off time tricks cleverly. Like a couch potato holding a remote, Nolan presses fast forward, reverse, and slow down in such a meticulous manner it often hints at an implied authorial control. As Nolan told NPR, “Time is the most cinematic of subjects … I always harbored this desire to create a story in which the characters would have to deal with that as a physical reality.”

Despite being subjected to Nolan’s string-pulling storytelling style, his characters resemble people who struggle with control in their lives. Nearly all the protagonists and antagonists populating Nolan’s films come to question the morality and ethics behind their daily choices, or, as Vox’s Alissa Wilkinson notes, “Nolan is fascinated by how ethical questions can be part of the blockbuster experience.” This is best exemplified in The Dark Knight, where the vigilante and the villain square off in a battle between Yin and Yang.

Oppenheimer appears to follow the timed traditions of Nolan’s filmmaking interests as the movie documents Oppenheimer’s experiences during different stages of the Manhattan Project. There’s the period of rushed anticipation as the scientists were pressured to create the weapon before their Nazi counterparts. This is juxtaposed by Oppenheimer’s regrets and wishes to turn back time, as he opposed the use of nuclear weapons once he recognized the potential dangers it presented. These contrasting sensibilities found within Oppenheimer also align with the list of other Nolan protagonists who exhibit ambiguous moralities.

Throughout his filmography, Christopher Nolan has utilized the mechanics of time to prod and test the boundaries of morality, and Oppenheimer looks to continue this trend in big ways.

Blowing Up the Image

Universal Pictures

Those familiar with Nolan’s cinephilic obsessions understand why the writer/director chooses to shoot on IMAX film. The larger-than-life landscapes offer an image size expansive enough for one of Nolan’s story ideas, and the image quality is satisfactory enough for the world’s most impassioned film enthusiasts. With Nolan’s habit of filling the frame with massive practical effects and memorable set pieces, Oppenheimer looks to be another exciting theater experience for moviegoers this summer.

In the tradition of “going big or going home,” Oppenheimer seems to be another case example of great world-building. Although Nolan has been criticized for being too expositional, his masterful ability to construct story worlds is unquestionable. Following Hollywood’s trend to leverage star-studded ensemble casts to theater audiences, Oppenheimer populates its own world with a laundry list of recognizable names and faces, such as Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon.

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The underlying question threatening Nolan’s future work is whether he has gone too big with his story ideas. A major letdown of his recent title Tenet was the film’s convoluted storyline and oversaturated exposition. With Oppenheimer expected to be Nolan’s longest film, there’s room to doubt if the untouchable director has enough magic tricks and plot twists to retain the audience’s attention for three hours.

Whether the film skyrockets to the top or completely bombs, Oppenheimer will surely be a maximized cinematic treat.