‘Oppenheimer’ premiere reactions: ‘Incredible’ Christopher Nolan drama is a ‘spectacular achievement’
Now it has become “Oppenheimer,” the destroyer of doubts.
On Tuesday, Christopher Nolan’s drama debuted in Paris, meaning the lid has been officially raised on one of the year’s most-anticipated projects. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the early response from those critics and journalists who have seen “Oppenheimer” is effusive.
“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,” Lindsay Bahr from the Associated Press wrote 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.”
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.
— Lindsey Bahr (@ldbahr) July 11, 2023
Here’s Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri: “‘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.”
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.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) July 11, 2023
MTV’s Josh Horowitz with a bit of a brag: “‘Oppenheimer’ is one of if not Nolan’s best work. And that comes from a huge Nolan admirer. I’ve seen it twice. Impeccable immersive filmmaking of the highest order. Cillian Murphy gets the role he deserves. In love with [Robert] Downey’s work. This one demands your attention.”
OPPENHEIMER is one of if not Nolan’s best work. And that comes from a huge Nolan admirer. I’ve see it twice. Impeccable immersive filmmaking of the highest order. Cillian Murphy gets the role he deserves. In love with Downey’s work. This one demands your attention.
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) July 11, 2023
“Oppenheimer” is Nolan’s three-hour epic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man often referred to as the “father of the Atomic bomb.” Murphy plays the title character, his first major lead role in a Nolan project despite numerous previous collaborations, with Downey and Damon in major supporting roles. The expectations for the film are high, both in terms of its box office and awards prospects.
Universal will release “Oppenheimer” on July 21. Some more reactions to the premiere can be found below.
Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is fantastic – big & bold w/ electrifying performances & an incredibly visceral pacing to it. It’s both quietly intimate & also a ferocious moviegoing experience at the same time. See it in IMAX 70mm & it’ll be among your favorite watches of 2023 pic.twitter.com/GAZWiPEgFW
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 11, 2023
#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
— Matt Maytum (@mattmaytum) July 11, 2023
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
— Jonathan Dean (@JonathanDean_) July 11, 2023
I was skeptical, but Oppenheimer has stuck with me since seeing it last week. Yes, it's 3 hours, but in a dense-Scorsese way and the last 20 minutes (why Emily Blunt clearly took the role) bring its three narrative threads to a moving conclusion. (1) pic.twitter.com/dEC4hLlYiF
— Gregory Ellwood – The Playlist (@TheGregoryE) July 11, 2023
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.
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) July 11, 2023
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