I think what's a little strange is the Strauss confirmation hearing stuff. It's mostly there so that the movie isn't a total downer.
Film Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'
- Thread starter Salt Bailly
- Start date
I thought the movie was very good overall. But I can also see why people might find it too long.
A major reason why the movie is so long is that Nolan chose to write dozens of speaking roles, cast recognizable actors for most of them, and gave them all a little time to shine. That kind of stuff adds up even if the scenes aren't bad.
An obvious example is that scene where Oppenheimer goes to meet Einstein. The scene is a bit pointless, they barely talk, and it's just setup for the final scene. But then Einstein also happens to be walking with Kurt Godel. So we are made to hear a bit of expository dialogue about him too. It's a bit much.
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Really looking forward to this, but I'm not sitting in a cramped cinema for three hours 
Have to wait for the digital release.
Have to wait for the digital release.Loved it!
Ok yeah that was pretty good.
Should have made the post bomb film a bit longer, so fecking good. RDJ with probably his career best performance.
Should have made the post bomb film a bit longer, so fecking good. RDJ with probably his career best performance.
Really looking forward to this, but I'm not sitting in a cramped cinema for three hours
I normally prefer the home option but I really enjoyed watching this on the big screen with huge comfy chairs and great sound.
If possible, try to watch it in one go as breaking it up would lose much of the impact I suspect.
Where do you live that your cinema feels “cramped”?Really looking forward to this, but I'm not sitting in a cramped cinema for three hours
Small town Norway!
How would you all rank these in terms of suitability to cinema experience (as opposed to steaming at home)?
Barbie
Oppenheimer
MI : Dead Reckoning
Barbie
Oppenheimer
MI : Dead Reckoning
Oppenheimer: Don't need IMAX but a proper cinema sound system makes it a better experience.
MI: Probably can be ranked ahead of Oppenheimer, this is definitely more enjoyable on a big screen given it is essentially a sequence of different action set pieces. Despite the length, if you like action movies then you won't find it long.
Barbie: Watching this in cinema is more about a communal experience.
Thanks!
Makes sense, as MI is all about the action spectacle which should be lovely on the big screen and give that extra sense of scale. Fallout was an absolutely blast at the halls.
I’m thinking Oppenheimer might be the one to definitely watch at home. As it’ll be a more solitary, attention demanding-experience.
Having said that, getting out to watch even one seems an accomplishment
I enjoyed the movie a lot, I didn’t really know much about it so that probably helped. Brought the missus and she found it dull and missing loads of important information including his relationship with Jean Tatlock was undersold.
Got it! I haven’t been into a cinema in Ireland in a while so I don’t know how they are there but we went to our local cinema in the US and I couldn’t believe how spacious it was. Recliner seats and everything. And each seat has a little table and a cup holder. Nothing like the numbers you could fit in back in the day of course.
This was soo good. Masterful filmmaking, great performances all around, wonderful script. Nothing felt out of place, and I seriously don't get the comments about it being too long - if anything, it felt quite condensed in places. I could have easily watched a 4h version with certain scenes expanded upon (I feel his scene with Bohrs when he came to the US was too short for example, would've been great to have a bit more of their conversation about how he would deal with the aftermath.
It looks and sounds gorgeous, and is just a wonderful cinematic experience. I loved every second of it, and will look forward to seeing it again in a few months.
So happy for Cillian Murphy too, really cool he gets such a prominent role in a massive blockbuster and boy did he deliver. An Academy Award nomination awaits!
It looks and sounds gorgeous, and is just a wonderful cinematic experience. I loved every second of it, and will look forward to seeing it again in a few months.
So happy for Cillian Murphy too, really cool he gets such a prominent role in a massive blockbuster and boy did he deliver. An Academy Award nomination awaits!
Only the bolded from your list is better than Oppenheimer - JFK is a particularly annoying film, taking so many liberties it's just Stone's conspiracist wet dream. Doesn't hold up at all when you start pulling at its threads. 13 Days was an ok film, but such a bland, paint by numbers exercise. The kind of thing you find cool at 14 and then go back to and realise it offers nothing from a filmmaking perspective.
You have to admit though, having 15 posts in a thread about a film you don't want to see is a bit weird
They're all worth a trip to the cinema, Oppenheimer first and foremost, Barbie to enjoy the beauty of the set design, and MI might be the one the least worthy of a trip. It's a bit underwhelming/disappointing overall.
You have to admit though, having 15 posts in a thread about a film you don't want to see is a bit weird
Not at all. Most of my posts were probably when I was discussing a movie I was interested in and/or other movies by the same director. Standard stuff in any thread about a film.
16 posts now.
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This was soo good. Masterful filmmaking, great performances all around, wonderful script. Nothing felt out of place, and I seriously don't get the comments about it being too long - if anything, it felt quite condensed in places. I could have easily watched a 4h version with certain scenes expanded upon (I feel his scene with Bohrs when he came to the US was too short for example, would've been great to have a bit more of their conversation about how he would deal with the aftermath.
It looks and sounds gorgeous, and is just a wonderful cinematic experience. I loved every second of it, and will look forward to seeing it again in a few months.
So happy for Cillian Murphy too, really cool he gets such a prominent role in a massive blockbuster and boy did he deliver. An Academy Award nomination awaits!
Only the bolded from your list is better than Oppenheimer - JFK is a particularly annoying film, taking so many liberties it's just Stone's conspiracist wet dream. Doesn't hold up at all when you start pulling at its threads. 13 Days was an ok film, but such a bland, paint by numbers exercise. The kind of thing you find cool at 14 and then go back to and realise it offers nothing from a filmmaking perspective.
You have to admit though, having 15 posts in a thread about a film you don't want to see is a bit weird
They're all worth a trip to the cinema, Oppenheimer first and foremost, Barbie to enjoy the beauty of the set design, and MI might be the one the least worthy of a trip. It's a bit underwhelming/disappointing overall.
JFK is an odd comparison. It's fun, but ultimately a pretty silly, irreverent film. I can see how thematically these films are all linked, but I'd agree that only All Presidents Men is comparative in terms of quality. Each to their own, but putting Thirteen Days and Oppenheimer in the same sentence is like comparing The Dark Knight to Spawn.
In other news, Baddiel is fecking mental.
I thought it was really good. Cillian Murphy was fantastic, as was Robert Downey Jr. It looked and sounded incredible and if anyone's unsure whether to bother with the cinema experience I'd say 100% go for it. I saw it at the Odeon iSense thing and it was stunning.
I enjoyed the use of the hearing as a framing device, but maybe just me being interested in the history rather than it being good filmmaking or whatever. People will come down on different sides as to whether they think it was too kind to or too harsh on Oppenheimer, but I think it did a good job of putting everything on the table. At times I think that came at the cost of some clunky dialogue and shallow characterisation for some of the supporting cast (particularly Kitty), but I think to an extent that's unavoidable in a biopic.
I enjoyed the use of the hearing as a framing device, but maybe just me being interested in the history rather than it being good filmmaking or whatever. People will come down on different sides as to whether they think it was too kind to or too harsh on Oppenheimer, but I think it did a good job of putting everything on the table. At times I think that came at the cost of some clunky dialogue and shallow characterisation for some of the supporting cast (particularly Kitty), but I think to an extent that's unavoidable in a biopic.
I'm a film heathen, haven't been to the cinema in probably 10 years and only watch a handful at home each year. For some reason I've decided to go see Oppenheimer in a cinema. Is it worth the bit more time-effort to go see it in an IMAX cinema, or would a 'normal' cinema be good enough? I presume the latter.
What's Odeon iSense?
If something was actually filmed in IMAX, I'd always go and see it in IMAX if possible. That said, if you've not been to the cinema in 10 years, you'll probably just be impressed by how much better digital projectors are these days.
I found it really hard to gauge what sort of film this was going to be prior to seeing it. Seemed a bit odd from my point of view why Nolan would attach himself to this project as it didn't seem like an obvious fit. The cast is very impressive and it's gone hard with the production values, cinematography, and music and sound. I'm a huge Nolan fan and love all of his work, so I was no doubt going to see this and I went in with no expectations.
I fecking loved every second of it. What a film. The film works well when broken into halves or thirds. The first third is frantic with its set up and it had me hooked. The second third with the testing was just sublime, especially that scene which will no doubt be talked about for a long time. I found myself getting really tense during that part. The final third of what came after was another level of stress. I imagine it's the final third which is going to divide some, but I personally thought it was great storytelling. The final 10 minutes were brilliant, in their own brutal way.
Hats off to the cast and crew for pulling this off in style. I'm not a Robert Downey Jr. fan really, I think he's a good actor but I came away from this film thinking that he really pushed himself in this role. He was amazing in all of his scenes, really deserves his praise.
Florence Pugh.
I fecking loved every second of it. What a film. The film works well when broken into halves or thirds. The first third is frantic with its set up and it had me hooked. The second third with the testing was just sublime, especially that scene which will no doubt be talked about for a long time. I found myself getting really tense during that part. The final third of what came after was another level of stress. I imagine it's the final third which is going to divide some, but I personally thought it was great storytelling. The final 10 minutes were brilliant, in their own brutal way.
Hats off to the cast and crew for pulling this off in style. I'm not a Robert Downey Jr. fan really, I think he's a good actor but I came away from this film thinking that he really pushed himself in this role. He was amazing in all of his scenes, really deserves his praise.
Florence Pugh.
Naked Florence Pugh? Agree, will talk about it forever.
Wonder if Duolingo has a Sanskrit course.
I think it’s the biggest and best quality screen Odeon has to offer(Along with high quality sound). It’s not Imax size but bigger than the average cinema screen.
I think it's just their version of iMax, there are probably differences in the specifics and doubtless someone better informed will tell me I'm wrong, but in essence it's a similar thing of more/better speakers, bigger screen, better quality image.
Only in imax can you glean the meaning of life whilst Cillian gazes with his nuclear eyes through the absurdity of the human condition; plus Florence Pugh gets naked.
Other than that, some have complained about the audio so in that regard perhaps it'd be worth the up-charge.
Yeah although the complaints about the sound have been mixed. I personally saw it in non-IMAX, decent cinema but not top notch, and the sound was perfect. And I think I read some IMAX goers complain about it. Maybe better to go get your ears checked really.
When he's on it he really is a wonderful actor. The film has problems, but his performance in Chaplin is so fecking good
I don't care if you watch it or not but my advice is to go as it is not at all a typical Nolan film. I loved this and hated Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar.
A strange but worthy film, that.
A real return to form. Finding a decent time to go for a piss was the only struggle.
the sex scene during the hearing was unnerving. The gym crowd scene with the unexpected scream was horrible to watch.
Totally agree with the taking a piss timing.
Seeing this tomorrow. Haven’t got high hope as I’ve never been a Nolan fan but still it’s a interesting story.
I disagree with this. It's Nolan to a tee - visceral, busy, bombastic, extremely Hollywood and dramatic. That doesn't necessarily make it bad, but it felt very Nolan to me (I do like Memento, though. Which is probably the least Nolan of all the Nolan's). I didn't connect with it but I'm going to watch it again at home and see if I take to it.
I don't care if you watch it or not but my advice is to go as it is not at all a typical Nolan film. I loved this and hated Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar.
I think this film is incredibly different from almost everything else he has done, other than Dunkirk, although you can still tell it is a Nolan film I guess. Except Dunkirk was a terribly dull film, as it missed the human drama of the story. This did not.
TBH I can't imagine a Nolan film less similar to Memento (which I also like, unlike many of his other films).
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A little too long and Murphys accent threw me constantly. I sort of wish it was Downey as Oppenheimer, but Murphy was right for it just a terrible accent.
I saw it and really enjoyed it. For me it was pitch perfect for the story it was telling and the cinematic work was incredible. I've seen a lot of people say it didn't cover the history properly or just glossed over it for the human drama considering the length of the film but you can always just read the book that this was inspired by and other historical/scientific works that properly discuss this.
Amazing film, masterful. Nolan is probably my favourite director at the minute. Best film I’ve seen at the cinema for some time.
He did miss a trick by not casting Bryan Cranston as Heisenberg though.
He did miss a trick by not casting Bryan Cranston as Heisenberg though.
So saw this tonight and yeah oddly it’s very similar to the Barbie film. The good bits are incredible and the bad bits are laughable awful.
Somewhere in the edit there is a 90 minute film that would be one of the greatest of all time. Currently it’s far too long and bloated. Nolan has such a odd world view that he can never really get to the core of an issue(The last hour is like a very boring and long twitter thread from Carole Cadwalladr). Although it’s probably the most left wing big budget Hollywood film since the first Avatar. Still it’s easily worth seeing at the cinema.
Also
Somewhere in the edit there is a 90 minute film that would be one of the greatest of all time. Currently it’s far too long and bloated. Nolan has such a odd world view that he can never really get to the core of an issue(The last hour is like a very boring and long twitter thread from Carole Cadwalladr). Although it’s probably the most left wing big budget Hollywood film since the first Avatar. Still it’s easily worth seeing at the cinema.
Also
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Where you the guy sat next to me checking his phone every 20 minutes?So saw this tonight and yeah oddly it’s very similar to the Barbie film. The good bits are incredible and the bad bits are laughable awful.
Somewhere in the edit there is a 90 minute film that would be one of the greatest of all time. Currently it’s far too long and bloated. Nolan has such a odd world view that he can never really get to the core of an issue(The last hour is like a very boring and long twitter thread from Carole Cadwalladr). Although it’s probably the most left wing big budget Hollywood film since the first Avatar. Still it’s easily worth seeing at the cinema.
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Disappointing review though SS.
I liked it.
Cinema experience was good too. Would go again.
Cinema experience was good too. Would go again.