While most science today aims to solve societal problems (think COVID vaccines, pharmaceutical drugs, and space exploration), the work of 19th century physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer created one. Oppenheimer is a name almost unheard of. Indeed, he never won a Nobel Prize. Nonetheless, his legacy looms large as the “father of the atomic bomb” in “Oppenheimer.” Christopher Nolan’s flashy and grandiose autobiographical film retells the tumultuous life of a scientist carefully navigating a complex landscape of physics and politics.
Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus, the film follows Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he attempts the first-ever creation of the atomic bomb. The creation in itself is a polarizing affair, prompting self-reflection and fierce criticism from both scientists and politicians alike: “I don’t wish the culmination of three centuries of physics to be a weapon of mass destruction.” But Oppenheimer has no choice, for he knows if he does not create the weapon first, the Nazis will. And such a weapon, if in the wrong hands, can prove to be disastrous.
Nolan paints an abstract portrait of Oppenheimer, exemplifying the qualities of a commanding leader — not pure skill or genius, but rather the clever use of people and resources. When 22-year-old Oppenheimer, clumsy and homesick, fails in his experimental physics class, he leaves his professor a poisoned apple. He then introduces quantum mechanics to America, recruits the era’s most prominent scientists and builds a town from the ground up.
By portraying Oppenheimer’s internal conflict, Nolan draws on aspects of his personal life. In an intimate scene with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), he famously says, “Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.” The film does not shy away from the moral weight that Oppenheimer carries and the constant scrutiny that follows him. He strongly opposes the creation of the stronger hydrogen bomb, fearing an arms race, while his past associations with Communist Party members during the Red Scare raise questions about his national loyalty. In a calculated effort by Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) to diminish Oppenheimer’s role through a controversial hearing, this black-and-white sequence, skillfully presented by Nolan, exposes Oppenheimer’s troubling private life. It further underscores how even today, politics is at the center of all science, from nuclear weapons to artificial intelligence.
Despite the fiery explosions and cinematic wonder, the movie, at just over three hours, can at times feel fragmented, disorienting, and difficult to follow. “Oppenheimer” marks an era of innovation and fierce competition where physics meets politics, creating a profound film replete with intimate reflection and vivid action. Oppenheimer’s work, though initially innocent in intention, carries lasting ramifications that continue to influence our globalizing world.