Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has finally unspooled for its first public audience at its Paris premiere. The three-hour historical drama stars Cillian Murphy and like any Nolan release, is one of the more anticipated films of the year.
Now first reactions are coming in, both from the premiere as well as from journalists who saw early screenings and can now share their social media reactions. Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the head of the World War II-era Manhattan Project that was responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb. The A-list cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt Matt Damon and Florence Pugh.
Formal reviews will come at a later date, but the early takes on social media suggest Nolan has delivered the goods with Oppenheimer.
“Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is truly a spectacular achievement, in its truthful, concise adaptation, inventive storytelling and nuanced performances from Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and the many, many others involved —- some just for a scene,” wrote AP film writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter. “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.”
Tweeted film and TV journalist Simon Thompson, “#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.”
Added Telegraph film critic Robbie Collins: “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.” He also addressed headline-making revelations that the film would feature nudity and sex scenes, something Nolan has largely avoided: “And for all those who’ve groused about the lack of sex in Christopher Nolan’s earlier work…boy oh BOY, are you getting some sex as only Nolan could stage it in this one.”
Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri opined, “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.”
Total Film‘s Matt Maytum tweeted, “#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.”
The Sunday Times‘ Jonathan Dean wrote, “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.” He added, “The downside? The women are badly served – Emily Blunt only once gets out of her stressed mother role. But it’s straight into my Nolan top three, alongside Memento & The Prestige.”
Oppenheimer‘s bow comes two days after Barbie debuted in Hollywood to solid reactions. Both open July 21 in North America, sparking jokes about competition between the films, and even inspiring 20,000 moviegoers to buy tickets for screenings on the same day, according to AMC.
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