Oppenheimer: A Cinematic Masterpiece Unveiling the Secrets of History

Oppenheimer was released on July 21, 2023. The movie is based on the biography of an American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. It represents the history that was created in World War 2. It was written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer earned 321.2 million dollars at the box office. Its total run time is 3 hours and 9 seconds. 

The main lead, Oppenheimer’s role was performed by Cillian Murphy. Some other cast members are:

·        Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer

·        Robert Downey as Lewis Strauss

·        Matt Damon as Leslie Groves

·        Rami Malek as David Hill

·        Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock

·        Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer

·        Benny Safdie as Edward Teller 

Oppenheimer was a scientist and one of the greatest physicists of his time. He was the director of the atomic mission at Los Alamos. Oppenheimer managed everything in Los Alamos and built a laboratory there under his supervision. He met all the great scientists and gathered all the great minds to make an atomic bomb. 

The story revolves around the making of an atomic bomb in World War 2. World War 2 was started when Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. The Great Britain and France got united for this war. It is considered the deadliest war in history where millions of soldiers and civilians died. Germany was powerful at that time and started the war which ended in mass destruction. During the war, Lieutenant General of the USA Leslie Grooves thought of making an atomic bomb to defeat their enemy. The research was already going on to make a fission reaction from uranium and the great achievement was already made by splitting the uranium atoms.

So, Leslie Grooves met with Oppenheimer and convinced him to start working on the project of making an atomic bomb. He put Oppenheimer in charge of weapon development. It was thought that if Russia made it before them, it would bring a great loss for Americans. Oppenheimer was convinced and the laboratory was built in Los Alamos. Robert Oppenheimer convinced other scientists to take part in this mission to save the country. Research was carried out by testing the theories again and again. At last, they gained success in making the originally designed first atomic bomb.

They all knew if the chain reaction couldn’t be controlled, it would destroy the whole world. It was a great risk to test the atomic bomb while putting the whole world at stake. Oppenheimer says, ‘world will remember this day” but when the start button was pressed, Oppenheimer said to himself “Inside, it is hard on the heart”. The test was a success. There was a great blast and the clouds of fire rose towards the sky. The intense shockwave was felt after. It was overall a magnificent scene to watch and live in, but they still don’t know the after-effects of the bombing. A standing ovation was given to Oppenheimer for this achievement.

After the victory, Oppenheimer was praised by every American and considered a national hero. He was proclaimed with the title of “Father of the atomic bomb”.

But the climax is still to come. The successful testing was done on July 16, 1945. Germany had already surrendered on May 8. But Japan was still at war. So, Great Britain decided to use atomic bombs on Japan. Two cities in Japan were selected. Atomic Bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There was a mass range destruction and everyone in both cities died sooner or later with injuries. They were also declared ‘dead cities’ of Japan. As a result, Japan also surrendered on September 2, 1945

Every hero is a villain in someone’s story. Oppenheimer was also guilty of making the deadliest weapon that destroyed the whole two cities. Robert started getting hallucinations. He heard people cry and saw them get burned. He started getting glimpses of bombs hitting his people. Seeing genocide made him regret inventing the atomic bomb. “Wish to win at any cost, make you lose.”

They came to know that the bomb was not the last act of World War 2 but the first act of the Cold War with Russia. His guilt and talking against the use of atomic bombs also made him face consequences. Their moral conviction against hydrogen bombs made him face allegations and investigations. He was accused of speaking about national security matters, where all his character, respect, and credibility came at stake. But he kept standing affirmably on his beliefs. Oppenheimer's wife Kitty also told him in one scene, “You think if you let them talk, the world will forgive you? It won’t”

Oppenheimer was a blockbuster and earned a pretty good amount at the box office. There are great reviews on rotten tomatoes about Oppenheimer. 93 percent of people loved the movie and top critics also praised this history-based movie in great words. They considered the movie phenomenal to watch saying that everything about this latest movie is massive and breathtaking. 

Making atomic bombs puts all the world at risk of nuclear war. The invention of this deadliest weapon was never considered as betterment for humanity. Even if it saves the lives of one country’s fellows, it is also a cause of massive genocide in another one. Atomic bombs not only destroy lives and lands, but they also cause everything near the ground to vaporize. The survivors of the atomic bomb also died with injuries and internal bleeding. Thermal radiation emitted from blasts can cause cancer and gene mutations. Even radioactive material contaminates the land, air, soil, and environment. It also emits tons of carbon dioxide, and the overall effects are horrible. In the last scene where Oppenheimer met Einstein, he says” When I came to you with calculations and thought we might start the chain reaction that would destroy the entire world, I believe we did” 

Finally, it is a spectacular movie that unfolds history in front of your eyes. It is a great pick if you love history and science. Even if you don’t get quantum physics and the process of designing an atomic bomb, you will also be bombarded by the emotions and great acting of Cillian Murphy. All the actors played their roles very well. Overall, it is a recommended one.