I first came across the name ‘Oppenheimer’ a few years ago in a YouTube video that briefly told a fraction of his compelling story. Then last year, the infamous Oscar-winning movie on his legacy featuring the supremely talented Cillian Murphy was released in a summer that was iconically marked by the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon. The Oppenheimer story is truly fascinating for various reasons. For those unfamiliar with who Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer was, he was the director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory and the developer of the first atomic bombs.

The atomic bomb is a weapon of destruction, but initially, it was seen almost solely as a weapon of power. This isn’t a surprise given that the nuclear weapon was invented then utilized at the end of the Second World War and haunted the world throughout the Cold War. However, given that nuclear weapons still exist, not merely as a shadow of the Cold War, but as an embodiment of 'deterrence' in international conflict, this movie is incredibly relevant. It’s easy to see the atomic bomb as a weapon of power if our perspective is restricted to politics, but if we look through the perspective of humanity, it is destruction, nothing short of it. The stretches and might of humanity are truly fascinating. I mean, our species has invented something capable of literally destroying the world in unthinkable ways, then made a Hollywood movie about it. Oppenheimer’s story is a reminder that as humans, we are capable of creating something bigger than ourselves, bigger than we can even comprehend. The entire movie, without giving much away, is basically what it means to be burdened by intelligence. It makes me wonder how many times we’ve done things and then later realized its very real and consequential consequences when it was too late. What happens when we’re insatiable for something and then finally achieve that which we desired to achieve?

The movie itself was spectacular. Yes, I know it was released last year and the hype was seemingly confined to last summer, but art has no expiration date! I think it’s in many ways thought-provoking as it tells a story of power, intelligence, and destruction. It’s not a political film, it’s not even really a science film, in my view. I think it’s a tale of urge, conscience, and consequence. The cinematography, music, directing, and acting were all brilliant. It’s a must-watch.

Until the next one

-C