The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
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The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
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Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#2Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#3There’s a lot of bits in the Oppenheimer film that seem simplified. For example that Los Alamos appears to be a fairly small operation, a bunch of shacks in the prairie, a kind of physics camp for a team of nerds.
In reality the Manhattan project at Los Alamos was a huge operation, like 8000 people living there in 1945, a kind of university/research campus and town, but the movie doesn’t really show the scale. Also, the Trinity test was actually done 4h away from the Los Alamos site, and just the test was also a huge operation.
The way Groves and Oppenheimer decide important matters, while standing in the prairie or sitting on a train or on the way out of some meeting makes it seem they‘re planning an Oceans Elevens style heist, not one of the biggest techno-scientific projects of the 20th century.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#4There’s a lot of bits in the Oppenheimer film that seem simplified. For example that Los Alamos appears to be a fairly small operation, a bunch of shacks in the prairie, a kind of physics camp for a team of nerds. In reality the Manhattan project at Los Alamos was a huge operation, like 8000 people living there in 1945, a kind of university/research campus and town, but the movie doesn’t really show the scale. Also,…
Every picture I have seen indeed shows it was a bunch of shacks and hastily built buildings. I'm not for sure a tour of Los Alamos was necessary. An overhead shot might have worked.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#5I did not like this movie. That must be an unpopular opinion, given all the movie’s success. And specifically what I didn’t like was that the film makers could have gone in many directions in telling a story about Oppenheimer, but chose to make the RDJ villain central to the plot. The conflict in the film felt forced and unnecessary for telling a good story.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#6There’s a lot of bits in the Oppenheimer film that seem simplified. For example that Los Alamos appears to be a fairly small operation, a bunch of shacks in the prairie, a kind of physics camp for a team of nerds. In reality the Manhattan project at Los Alamos was a huge operation, like 8000 people living there in 1945, a kind of university/research campus and town, but the movie doesn’t really show the scale. Also,…
Take it for what it is: a mediocre Hollywood flick.
Sure, the movie contains elements or mentions of real life people and events, but its Hollywood after all.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#7I did not like this movie. That must be an unpopular opinion, given all the movie’s success. And specifically what I didn’t like was that the film makers could have gone in many directions in telling a story about Oppenheimer, but chose to make the RDJ villain central to the plot. The conflict in the film felt forced and unnecessary for telling a good story.
Some people like watching documentaries, some like a bit of drama. This movie catered to the masses, but it catered very very well.
Don't expect movie about scientists with complex story span over decades to get much better than this, they have to cut away important stuff and modify characters slightly.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#8Having read "Now it can be told" by Groves, I can testify to other commenters on how much the Manhattan Project was an enormous logistical problem - Elon's manufacturing prowess pales in comparison to what Groves had to grapple with.
On a different note, I liked how the movie portrayed the world of quantum mechanics and somehow didn't try to make Oppenheimer a hero or something more than what he was.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#9I did not like this movie. That must be an unpopular opinion, given all the movie’s success. And specifically what I didn’t like was that the film makers could have gone in many directions in telling a story about Oppenheimer, but chose to make the RDJ villain central to the plot. The conflict in the film felt forced and unnecessary for telling a good story.
While Nolan is a one of a kind director, his lack of research shows. He essentially adapted the book "American Prometheus" but didn't engage with any material beyond it.
Personally, I think the movie is too dramatized to be a documentary and too linear to be true drama. I'd rather have him stick to directing and get an A-class writer instead.
Re: The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' villain
#10I did not like this movie. That must be an unpopular opinion, given all the movie’s success. And specifically what I didn’t like was that the film makers could have gone in many directions in telling a story about Oppenheimer, but chose to make the RDJ villain central to the plot. The conflict in the film felt forced and unnecessary for telling a good story.
I think Oppenheimer was kept an enigma on purpose. I didn't exactly like the movie but I was somehow very impressed nevertheless. I don't regret seeing it but I might never watch it again.