In recent times, Christopher Nolan has become one of the most discussed and celebrated directors. All thanks to his magnum opus Oppenheimer. The movie collected $958 million worldwide making it Chris Nolan’s 3rd highest grossing film of 2023. The movie got positive reviews for the performances of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon & Emily Blunt. The movie is especially known for detonating an actual atomic bomb as part of the film and has received praise for it. As of now it has been not only nominated for Oscars but has also got several nominations. Now let’s see how far the movie goes, on what points it stands strong, and what chance it has to win an Oscar. Oppenheimer is Nolan’s 12th feature film and has got 13 nominations so far and also leads the list of nominees.
Remaking the biography genre
Biopic-based films are one of the most challenging to make. Christopher Nolan is best known for his unique storytelling, superb cinematography, and practical effects that make his films stand out in the crowd of commoners. The screenplay of the movie is written based on the book “The American Prometheus”. The story is split into two parts Fission & Fusion relating to the working principle of an atomic bomb. This is yet another innovative and creative form of storytelling that will make the audience think about the movie. This approach is very rare and it might probably first movie being made in this way.
Becoming the movie that has received most number of nominations in 2024
One of the biggest indicators of a movie winning an Academy Award is the number of nominations it gets. Oppenheimer has garnered a total of stunning 13 nominations. With this number, it has joined the likes of Gone With The Wind (1939), Shakespeare In Love (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), Chicago (2002), Mary Poppins (1964), The Lord Of The Rings (2001), The Shape Of Water (2017) and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008). The only movies that are ahead are with 14 nominations and they are All About Eve (1950), La La Land (2016), and Titanic (1999).
Incredible Performance By A-List Actors
One of the best things about this movie was the performance of the main characters. They have inhibited the essence of the characters and have gracefully portrayed them on the screen. Cillian Murphy was at his career’s best with this along with Rober Downey Jr and Emily Blunt. RDJ & Matt Damon’s performance was worth watching as the antagonist vibe of RDJ was unmatchable along with the military discipline vibe of Matt Damon. Side characters that complemented the film like Rami Malek, and Casey Affleck made the impact of the movie more profound.
Practical Effects Over CGI
Nolan has been one of the most traditionalist and passionate moviemakers of our time. His aversion to using practical effects over green screens is visible from the fact that he crashed a Boeing Cargo Aircraft in Tenet. In Oppenheimer, the real atomic bomb was detonated to give a real effect. He’s probably the only director who would make a movie with practical effects look much better than a movie with VFX and CGI. Nolan’s fetish with shooting the movie on film only and that too without any special effects is a feat only a handful of people could achieve.
Crisp Editing and Accurate Pace
Making a three-hour movie bearable to watch is not an easy task and requires an immaculate sense of editing and a correct sense of the pace of the movie. There are many movies with a long duration that make movie watching an uphill task. It is very difficult to keep the audience engaged throughout the movie. Oppenheimer has that ability to keep the audience engaged and it never wanders off track. Editor Jennifer Lame excels in achieving this feat by editing the movie in a way that no scene feels irrelevant.
Winner Of Golden Globes & Critics Choice Award
Oppenheimer has started this journey of Academy Awards by having Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards on its side in the category of Best Picture. As history has it the movie that wins the aforementioned awards also goes on to win Oscar. But that isn’t the case every time. Previous movies to set this trend were Nomadland in 2020, 12 Years A Slave, and Argo in 2012. With all the best things in order, Nolan’s Oppenheimer might get the Oscar this year.