Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 20th across Brazil as one of the most anticipated films of 2023 — and not just because of its rivalry with Barbie. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the biopic about the socalled “father of the atomic bomb” has a starstudded cast and the daunting task of luring vacationing audiences to cinemas for threehour drama about such a sensitive subject.
The film has the director of The origin at the helm of a cast that includes Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) like the physicists Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr (Avengers: Endgame) as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt (A quiet place) as Kitty Oppenheimer and Matt Damon (goodwill hunt) as Lieutenant General Leslie Groves. More than heavyweight actors, they play important historical figures who, in one way or another, helped shape the 20th century as we know it.
The film is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy by J. Robert Oppenheimer and shows how the physicist excelled in his field and completely changed the world, as he was called, because of his project.
The man who changed the world
Oppenheimer follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American physicist specializing in theoretical physics, who returns to teach at the University of California after a tour of Europe during which he met some of the great minds of the continent. There he learned of the advance of Nazi Germany in World War II while seeing the discoveries of nuclear fission.
Recruited by the American government, Oppenheimer directed the Manhattan Project, in which scientists raced against time before the Nazis to develop the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan’s film addresses this period in the physicist’s life as well as the postwar years and how the use of the atomic bomb affected his life.
The film, as revealed in the trailers, goes far beyond the conspiracy to create a weapon of mass destruction and focuses heavily on Oppenheimer’s controversial personality, the consequences of his decisions, possible ties to the Communist Party and the impact his invention had. made him famous as the father of the atomic bomb.
The nonlinear film cuts out excerpts from the life of the physicist and thus creates a tense atmosphere for the historical drama. And all without portraying the scientist as a hero, but rather by working precisely on his contradictions and how these make him such an interesting character.
The simulation of an atomic bomb
Like every Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer brings all the technical care to become a great experience. This has already become a trademark of filmmakers and is present here. The feature film was filmed using IMAX cameras and was also the first production to capture scenes using the company’s black and white photographic film. According to the director, this means the biopic is best viewed in an IMAX room, preferably a room where the film can be reproduced on 70mm celluloid.
The problem with this requirement for maximum film quality is that there are only 30 cinemas in the world with projectors that meet these requirements Oppenheimer in this format. Unfortunately, none of these rooms are located in Brazil.
However, what Brazilian viewers can see is the replica of the atomic bomb blast. Instead of following the expected path and recreating the Trinity test, which marked the first detonation of an atomic bomb in history, Christopher Nolan decided to use practical effects in the filming.
A special explosive made of gasoline, propane, aluminum powder and magnesium was detonated in a miniature environment. Scott R. Fisher, special effects supervisor, said in an interview with Total Film magazine that the replica used in the shooting used the largest possible models to best represent the bomb that changed the world. Perhaps for this reason, many people believed that Nolan actually caused his own nuclear explosion during the recording Oppenheimer which he absolutely wanted to deny.
The conflict with the Barbie film
The most unlikely fight in cinemas in 2023 is not between superheroes or action stars, but between them Barbie It is Oppenheimer. The film, which will launch the Mattel doll, will be released on the exact same day as the physicist’s biopic, causing a great deal of internet buzz.
It didn’t take long for memes to emerge and the Barbenheimers to take the world by storm. The phenomenon eventually drew attention to the two films despite being completely different.
It remains to be seen who will win this fight. Most likely it will be the public.
Oppenheimer hits theaters across Brazil on July 20th.