Oppenheimer review: Christopher Nolan's magnum opus is engrossing, tough watch

Early on in Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) explains to a student that physics can often be paradoxical. Christopher Nolan's latest movie is also paradoxical — it is probably Nolan's masterpiece, as the acclaimed director is at the top of his game, but when movie fans look back on his career it doesn't seem likely anyone will claim it as their favorite of his work.

Nolan has taken his trademark ability to weave together multiple timelines in the story to reveal the life of Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, and combined it with an extra layer of artistry to effectively portray the tormented soul of the man who made one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs ever that at the same time resulted in so much death and fear of future destruction. Entertaining is not the right word to describe Oppenheimer, but it is a truly engrossing movie that you won't be able to look away from for its entire three-hour run time.

No time is wasted on diving right into the story. We meet a young Oppenheimer as he works on his studies and role in establishing the field of quantum physics, while also learning about his flirtation with communism and close association with more actual communists in the late 1920s/early 1930s. Simultaneously we see Oppenheimer put under the microscope for his past affiliations years after the events of the Manhattan Project and Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) speaking in front of Congress trying to be confirmed for a Cabinet position where Oppenheimer is a key subject. It's at least half-an-hour into the movie before we even get to Oppenheimer becoming involved with the atomic bomb.

There is a lot to take in and it comes at you fast, leaving the chance that some details or lines of dialogue can be missed (be warned, stepping out for a bathroom break could result in you missing quite a bit). All of this means that multiple viewings are required to grasp every nuance of the story and Nolan's depiction of it, but that's standard procedure for a Nolan movie. To be honest, despite its overall dour message, I would willingly sit down to watch Oppenheimer again right now.

A big reason for that is because there are few filmmakers who are as skilled craftsmen as Nolan is right now. Oppenheimer is a stunningly beautiful movie to look at. The screening I saw in 70mm was incredible, but the work of Nolan and cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema will undoubtedly look great in any format. And the much hyped, non-CGI explosion of the bomb is a sight to behold; a fraction of what it must have been like for those scientists in real-life but jaw-dropping and humbling in this recreation.

There are a number of stylistic choices as well employed that add to the complexity of Oppenheimer's character and what he goes through. Playing around with the background shaking, audio cues of explosions and screams, blinding light and more help emphasize the turmoil of Oppenheimer and what his work has wrought.

Of course, all of that can only reach its full potential in tandem with the performance of Murphy, which is some of the Irish actor's best work of his career. Emily Blunt is also exceptional in the role of Kitty Oppenheimer. Still for my money, the standout performance belongs to Downey, who effectively manages to serve as a kind of narrator while also portraying a gripping character in his own right; it's the first great non-Iron Man performance from Downey in a long time.

There is a massive ensemble beyond those three. Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz and Jason Clarke have a bit more to work with for their characters, while others — Tony Goldwyn, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Rami Malek, Olivia Thirlby, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman and more — have what basically amount to little more than cameos, but they're contributions to the movie are no less appreciated.

Oppenheimer is clearly a story that Nolan felt he needed to tell. The departing message is not subtle, but because Nolan is in pique form, everything that came before prevents that from cheapening the moment. An apt comparison is probably Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, as each director stepped away from the more popcorn-centric fare they are known for but used their incomparable skills to deliver powerful true stories that needed to be told.

Very few people are going to be rewatching Oppenheimer for the fun of it like they do Nolan's The Dark Knight, Inception or The Prestige; even Dunkirk had more thrilling, crowd-pleasing moments. Still, this is one of the movies that Christopher Nolan is going to be remembered for, further cementing him as one of the greatest directors of his generation. There's been nothing else like it in movie theaters for quite some time and there probably won't be again for a while, so you won't want to miss it.

Oppenheimer plays exclusively in movie theaters worldwide as of July 21.