Oppenheimer Audiences Are Leaving Theaters 'Devastated'

Christopher Nolan has given some insight into the reactions to his biographical thriller, Oppenheimer, with viewers describing it as "devastating."

Talking to Wired, Nolan revealed early viewers' response to Oppenheimer. "Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated. They can't speak. I mean, there's an element of fear that's there in the history and there in the underpinnings. But the love of the characters, the love of the relationships, is as strong as I've ever done."

What Audiences Can Expect From Oppenheimer

Historian Kai Bird, who co-authored the inspiration for Oppenheimer, described the film as "a stunning artistic achievement" detailing "how to live with the bomb and about McCarthyism -- what it means to be a patriot, and what is the role for a scientist in a society drenched with technology and science, to speak out about public issues." Additionally, Nolan previously discussed showing Oppenheimer to another filmmaker, who described it as a horror film. "It is an intense experience, because it's an intense story. I showed it to a filmmaker recently, who said it's kind of a horror movie. I don't disagree," Nolan explained. "As I started to finish the film, I started to feel this color that's not in my other films, just darkness. It's there. The film fights against that."

Directed, written and co-produced by Nolan, Oppenheimer tells the biographical story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (portrayed by Cillian Murphy), the man credited as the "father of the atomic bomb." Oppenheimer later had his security clearance revoked for speaking out against the hydrogen bomb, a decision only revoked in 2022. Early projected success for Oppenheimer comes despite an uphill battle surrounding competition for IMAX screens with Mission: Impossible 7, as well as a packed theater schedule alongside MI:7 and Barbie. Additionally, Oppenheimer will be age-restricted, representing the first Nolan film to receive an "R" rating since 2002's Insomnia.

Joining Murphy in the lastest Christopher Nolan project comes and ensemble supporting cast of Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Emily Blunt and others. The film reportedly has a runtime of around three hours and will potentially be Nolan's longest film to date, surpassing Interstellar, which had a runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Oppenheimer is set to premiere in theaters in the United States on July 21, 2023.

Source: Wired