Oppenheimer Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs
6. Surprisingly, It Doesn't Feel Overly Long
Oppenheimer could be a hard-sell for some, due to its staggering run-time. Watching a 180-minute movie is no easy task, especially when it's a complex historic drama with black-and-white scenes, that regularly discusses quantum mechanics. (Also, viewers will have no better understanding of quantum physics when the movie ends.)
Against the odds, Oppenheimer never fails to be enrapturing. The film details the visionary scientist's college years, his time as a teacher, his rise to stardom in the physics world, his failed relationships, his ties to Communism, the trials, his life after World War II, his relationship with Albert Einstein, and his fall from grace.
While all these subplots are playing out, Nolan also has to find time to cover the period where the prized physicist built the world's first nuclear weapon.
Since there's so much content to get through, most scenes have rapid-fire dialogue and cut to the chase immediately. Not only does the expeditious line-delivery stop the movie from becoming boring, the injected dynamism intensifies every actor's performance.