Eight Observations On "Oppenheimer"

On Saturday night, I went to see Oppenheimer at the Somerville Theater. Here are some observations.

1. A Long Line & A Large Crowd

Oppenheimer opened last weekend and, by the looks of it, its ignition has not dissipated. The line to the Somerville Theater extended beyond the Davis Square T station. 

Although I have been going to the movies fairly regularly since returning to the Boston area more than two years ago, this is by far the biggest crowd I've been a part of for a movie since before the COVID pandemic. So, I must admit I felt a little uneasy being around so many people jockeying for seats. My uneasiness wasn't so much the emerging COVID surge which at least one prominent virologist is blaming on the popularity of Oppenheimer and Barbie (a.k.a. Barbenheimer). I just generally to prefer to keep my distance and, for the most part, I have been able to do so because for some of the movies I have seen I have been able to count the number of audience members on one hand. Just over a year ago, I had an entire theatre to myself when I went to see the documentary Gabby Giffords: Won't Back Down. In a few days, I plan to see a 50th anniversary screening of Serpico at The Brattle Theatre. I am sure I will have all the space I need.

2. Imagine Everything, Everywhere All at Once Set in the 1940s

At the conclusion of the film, a young woman who had seen the film a few seats away from me with her boyfriend randomly asked me what I thought of the film. I told her it reminded me of Everything, Everywhere At All Once set in the 1940's and both of them understood where I was going. 

Don't get me wrong. Oppenheimer is a great film with stunning visuals. However, these visuals were at times overwhelming and the way in which director Christopher Nolan structured the story was difficult to follow. At times, there was too much going all at once. It was kind of bombardment. Then again, given this was in part the story of the development of the atom bomb I suppose it is fitting for Oppenheimer to feature heavy bombardment of images and dialogue. 

Oppenheimer differs from Everything, Everywhere All at Once in one respect. Notwithstanding its Best Picture Oscar, I thought Everything, Everywhere All at Once was at least 30 minutes too long and that the last third of the film was weak. Conversely, the last third of Oppenheimer was at its best. 

3. Cillian Murphy Shines as J. Robert Oppenheimer, But Robert Downey, Jr. Became Lewis Strauss

Irish actor Cillian Murphy's portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer will be a career defining role. No doubt he will be nominated for an Academy Award along with Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon but especially Robert Downey, Jr. who portrayed Lewis Strauss, the Chair of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission who was the driving force in having Oppenheimer's security clearance revoked due to alleged Communist sympathies and unsubstantiated ties to the Soviets. Yet in doing Oppenheimer dirty, his actions ended up costing him Senate confirmation for Secretary of Commerce. 

For starters, I did not recognize Downey, Jr. He looked so old. I remember him when he had spiked hair in the 1980's and can only ask where has all the time gone. Aside from his appearance, his portrayal of Strauss went from being a friend of Oppenheimer to a man who quietly engineered his downfall to the ultimate revelation of a man so full of hate.

4. Florence Pugh Reminds Me of AOC

British actress Florence Pugh portrayed Jean Tatlock, a Communist Party member with whom Oppenheimer had a romantic relationship. Ultimately, Tatlock would take her life. 

Yet what stood out about Pugh (aside from her nude scenes) was how much she reminded me of AOC and not because she was portraying a Communist. Well, you be the judge.

5. Oppenheimer Might Have Created The Capacity For Us To Destroy The World, But We Have Always Been Able To Destroy Ourselves

In designing the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer developed the capacity to enable humanity to destroy ourselves and end life as we know it. Yet at the same time, humanity has had the innate capacity to destroy other human beings just as Strauss did with Oppenheimer and ultimately to himself. 

In this country, we have a political party led by a man who does not believe in democracy and a critical mass ready to go along with him. That critical mass believes a virus which killed more than 1 million Americans is a hoax. America could very well destroy itself from within in a way no nuclear weapon could. 

6. If Oppenheimer Hadn't Designed The Atom Bomb Then The Nazis Would Have

And while Oppenheimer created the capacity to destroy life as we know it, if he hadn't done it then someone else would have. Indeed, The Manhattan Project was conceived to develop an atomic weapon before Nazi Germany could. If the Nazis were prepared to kill 6 million Jews and millions of other people, then imagine what they would have done with an atomic bomb?

Of course, two atomic bombs were deployed in Japan rather than Germany. While the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed hundreds of thousands of people, there is little doubt millions more would have died as Japan was not prepared to surrender. Who knows how many years WWII would have lasted if not for President Truman's decision to deploy the tools Oppenheimer designed for the U.S. military.

7. Oppenheimer's Efforts to Stop The Hydrogen Bomb Were Futile

Oppenheimer's opposition to the development of the Hydrogren Bomb was sincere and not motivated by any allegiance to the Soviet Union or to communism. Yet even if his opposition was understood in those terms, it was ultimately futile. Once the genie is out of the bottle there is no going back. More destructive weapons were sure to follow. 

While it is true that arms control agreements can mitigate the proliferation of nuclear weapons, such agreements are only as good as the actors who negotiate and implement those agreements. It goes back to humanity having the innate capacity to destroy others even while pretending to be friends. 

8. Oppenheimer Has Been An Explosive Success But Will It Spark in Interest in American History?

Oppenheimer has been an explosive success at the box office, but I doubt will spark an interest in American history or at the very least American history concerning WWII and the Cold War. 

For all of the box office success of Oppenheimer, Barbie grossed more than twice as much in its opening weekend. To the extent Americans are interested in history most will consume it through documentaries and in Hollywood films rather than in books. In stimulating interest in American history, Oppenheimer will be a dud.