About that Oppenheimer movie by Christopher Nolan. Simply put … Spectacular film.

In the way of filmmaking, my only (minor) qualm is initially the score was too pervasive and intrusive. Later in the film it’s revealed to be a stylized primer. Just a minor qualm.

I admit to bated breath relief that writer/director Christopher Nolan – wisely and decidedly – avoided that modern trope of inflicting woke presentism on historical characters and events. This is a study in the man Oppenheimer, as is the name of the movie. It’s not a condemnation of atomic weapons, it’s not retrograde moralizing of the decision to use atomic weapons, and it’s not a toss at manipulating the audience into feeling guilty about being American. I had faith Nolan would be intelligent enough to stay clear of such History Channel sensational weakness and make the movie to fit his vision. And he did just that from the comfortable and rarified position of a successful filmmaker who has full authority to create an immersive experience and not a woke feelgoodery spectacle. Bravo, Christopher.

Amazing acting and actors, fully on board with Nolan’s vision.

The film perfectly conjures the claustrophobic, insular isolation of both geography and personnel, separated from society and the world by design. Not only is this a study in Oppenheimer as the most isolated human being in the project, it’s also a study in the necessity of purposeful amorality to build a device crucial to ending immorality. And to accomplish this without contemporary justification or coerced apology accurately envisions what the Manhattan Project must have been, in tone and tangibility. Build the world, tell the story, explore the study, and avoid the easy error of asking, “What would Oppenheimer think of the Manhattan Project if he was alive today?”

Stellar film done correctly. Bravo, Christopher.