Oppenheimer is a 2023 biographical drama film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist who was pivotal in developing the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, and thereby ushering in the Atomic Age. Cillian Murphy stars as Oppenheimer, with Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
The film premiered at Le Grand Rex in Paris on July 11, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States and United Kingdom on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures. Its simultaneous release with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie led to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon on social media, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. The film has grossed over $266 million worldwide and received critical acclaim, with praise for its cast, visuals, score, Nolan’s direction and screenplay.
If you are interested in history, science, or the Cold War, then Oppenheimer is a film that you should definitely check out. It is a well-made and thought-provoking film that will stay with you long after you have seen it.