Oppenheimer first reactions out: Critics dub new Christopher Nolan movie his grandest ever

Looks like Christopher Nolan has another winner on his hands with his latest release, Oppenheimer. Based on ‘father of the atomic bomb’ J. Robert Oppenheimer, the film releases worldwide on July 21 but had its premiere in Paris on Tuesday. The first reactions have been nothing short of ‘explosive’. (Also read: Mission Impossible 7 live updates: Cruise surprises fans at theatre, review out)

Steve Weintaub of Collider called it ‘incredible’. “Christopher Nolan’s #Oppenheimer is incredible. Every aspect of the film is worth talking about from the brilliant performances, to #HoytevanHoytema’s amazing work behind the camera, to the way Nolan tells the story. The 3 hour run time flies by. See it in @IMAX 70mm if you can,” he wrote. Sucharita Tyagi of Film Companion also advocated watching the film in IMAX format. She wrote in a tweet, “Oppenheimer has been watched on the biggest IMAX screen possible and it sure is grander than I ever could have imagined, different from anything Nolan has done before, yet fitting right in with his filmography. Every frame of this movie is an exemplary achievement by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, if you can travel to an IMAX, do it.”

Bilge Ebiri wrote in a tweet, “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.” Critic Simon Thompson wrote, “#Oppenheimer is powerful stuff. Cillian Murphy’s flawless awards worthy performance is next level. Every player in this rich ensemble cast is at the top of their game. Christopher Nolan’s haunting opus is remarkable and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s execution of his vision is breathtaking.”

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.” Lindsey Bahr of AP wrote, “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.”

Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Nolan’s thriller Oppenheimer features a stellar cast including Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy in the titular role, portraying the man known as “the father of the atomic bomb”.