Overview
A gripping portrayal of ambition and moral conflict in the face of unprecedented scientific achievement.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- intellectually intense
- ominous
- serious movie night
- historical film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Christopher Nolan's formally ambitious biography for its intensity, historical scale, dense writing, sound design, cinematography, and commanding performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oppenheimer's scientific achievement is inseparable from the human and political consequences of the atomic bomb.
The film alternates Oppenheimer's subjective account with Lewis Strauss's political and security-hearing perspective.
Quantum imagery, the Trinity test, large-format cinematography, and explosive sound design render nuclear science as both beautiful and terrifying.
J. Robert Oppenheimer is presented as brilliant, politically engaged, emotionally volatile, and ethically conflicted.
Films like Oppenheimer, and why
The Imitation Game
ambitious historical drama about scientific power, ethical responsibility, and the destructive consequences of technological progress
The Aviator
grand-scale biographical drama centered on a brilliant, morally complicated figure amid political and institutional pressure
Judas and the Black Messiah
intense historical drama about state power, ideological suspicion, and the personal cost of public controversy
Dunkirk
formally ambitious war-era drama that combines personal conflict with large-scale historical consequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Release Date
- 2023-07-19
- Runtime
- 181 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (12578)
Cast
- Cillian Murphy
- Emily Blunt
- Matt Damon
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Florence Pugh
- Josh Hartnett
- Casey Affleck
- Rami Malek
- Kenneth Branagh
- Benny Safdie
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Oppenheimer about?
- A brilliant physicist leads a wartime race to build the atomic bomb, then confronts the political and moral consequences of changing history.
- What is Oppenheimer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Oppenheimer as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Oppenheimer violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Oppenheimer as mild.
- What did critics think of Oppenheimer?
- Critics broadly praised Christopher Nolan's formally ambitious biography for its intensity, historical scale, dense writing, sound design, cinematography, and commanding performances.
- Which films are like Oppenheimer?
- Films with a similar feel include The Imitation Game, The Aviator, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Dunkirk.
- How long is Oppenheimer?
- Oppenheimer runs 181 minutes.
- Where can I watch Oppenheimer?
- In United States, Oppenheimer streams on Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus.
