Last night, amidst much excitement and endless Barbie-related debates, the world premiere of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer unfolded in Paris.
The three-hour epic will tell the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the late American theoretical physicist who is credited as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II, and the subsequent bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the cast of the film – including Cillian Murphy as the man himself, alongside Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. – were out in force at Le Grand Rex cinema in the French capital, a selection of guests also had the chance to watch what is being heralded as one of Nolan’s best ever films.
While the official reviews of the movie aren’t out just yet, critics and viewers at the premiere were free to tweet there first thoughts, and here’s a selection of their views.
Lindsey Bahr from AP said: “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. 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.”
Robbie Collins from The Daily Telegraph said: “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.” He added: “And for all those who’ve groused about the lack of sex in Christopher Nolan’s earlier work…boy oh BOY, are you getting some sex as only Nolan could stage it in this one.”
Jonathan Dean from The Sunday Times wrote: “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.” But he added: “The downside? The women are badly served – Emily Blunt only once gets out of her stressed mother role. But it’s straight into my Nolan top three, alongside Memento & The Prestige.”
Bilge Ebiri from Vulture thought: “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.”
Total Film’s Matt Maytum said: “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.”
Oppenheimer is on general release on 21 July.
