Before going to the cinema hall to watch the movie, I kept my mind like an empty curd because I knew that director Christopher Nolan’s film was going to turn the brain into curd rather than lassi.

But I was surprised to see that the film not only broke this old tradition, but this time I understood the film after watching it for the first time, which is a surprising thing. If you’re not familiar with Christopher Nolan’s work, let me tell you that his films “light the brain” without consuming any special bubble gum.

The film may not rise above the base of the importance scale for the average viewer and if it does, it will be because too much ‘hype’ of the film was created on social media before its release. Then the movie is full three hours long and it doesn’t even have any ‘item songs’ for the general public. But for regular moviegoers and critics, this movie is something special.

The film is based on the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sharon, about the American scientist Julius Robert Oppenheimer, also known as the ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’.

The film deals with the development of the atomic bomb, as well as Oppenheimer’s personal life and his investigation into the accusations of being a communist.

Oppenheimer had been associated with some communist parties in his past, including his wife and brother, which made the Americans suspicious of him, and despite his hard work and success, they put Oppenheimer under strict scrutiny.

Oppenheimer’s character doesn’t make much of a dent in the film. What he does talk about is the sting injury that later causes him to come clean, the same words that Strauss uses against him to make a flurry of accusations.

The film explores whether Oppenheimer was really a hero or a villain. Was this investigation a propaganda against him or was there really any truth in these allegations?

The film shows that Oppenheimer made a mistake, however, in not correctly predicting the effects of the destruction caused by the atomic bomb. So did he become a villain?

In one scene of the film, Oppenheimer’s meeting with the famous scientist Einstein is also shown and the dialogue is historical as you will know when you watch the film.

The background music of this movie is good but some scenes feel extra. Almost every scene has continuous music playing in the background but in the atomic bomb testing scenes, the background music is used in a very dramatic way which adds to the enjoyment of these scenes.

47-year-old Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who plays Oppenheimer in the film, needs no introduction. The role of Thomas Shelby in the series ‘Peaky Blinders’ which ran for 6 seasons from 2013 to 2022 has brought him to the heights of fame.

He is one of director Christopher Nolan’s favorite actors and this sixth film of the duo is a clear proof of that. This role in the film is undoubtedly going to bring Cillian Murphy an Oscar.

The supporting actors of the film are also not less than none, in which the name of actor Robert Downey Jr., who played the role of Iron Man in the Marvel Comic Universe, is at the top. Robert played the role of Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the American Atomic Energy Commission in this film. Different layers of this character unfold over time.

The only actor I felt was miscast in this film was ‘Matt Damon’ who plays General Leslie Groves. In my opinion, the role could have been given to George Clooney or some other mature senior actor.

Many scenes of the film are also black and white, so don’t think of it as a full color film. It was director Christopher Nolan’s decision to film the narrative of the film in two perspectives. One is when Oppenheimer is busy trying to build the atomic bomb, and the other is when Oppenheimer’s main antagonist in the film, Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), appears before the Senate to defend himself against Oppenheimer’s impeachment.

The film has a rating of 9.8 out of 10 on IMDB and the Rotten Tomatoes website gives the film a 93% success rate.

It is a historical period film and it has a lot of dialogues which can make the average moviegoer nervous. On the other hand, the editing, script, acting, music and direction of the film are mesmerizing which is a complete cinematic experience.