Christopher Nolan‘s three-hour-long thought-provoking exploration of the most complex figure of the WWII era is the pinnacle of cinematic experience. With groundbreaking visuals, mind-bending concepts, engaging storytelling, and meticulous acting, Oppenheimer is sure to go down as one of the masterpieces of contemporary filmmaking.
Early reviews of the Cillian Murphy-starring epic thriller have already declared Oppenheimer as an intellectually stimulating cinematic experience. The film brilliantly charts the turbulent life of the American theoretical physicist, considered the father of the atomic bomb. The authoritative 2005 biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, serves as the basis of the film’s fascinating screenplay, and the film has drawn comparisons to the best cinematic masterpiece of the previous decade.
How is Oppenheimer similar to The Social Network?
The highest praise for the Oppenheimer team has come from critics who have compared the movie to the Oscar-winning 2011 biographical drama The Social Network. Reviewers have called Oppenheimer, “the most definitive and important biopic since David Fincher’s Facebook film over a decade ago.”
The two share some obvious similarities: both are biographical dramas and have adapted their screenplays from books, with The Social Network being based on the 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires. But a closer examination reveals a striking resemblance in the urgency of their writing and editing. The Social Network was “modern filmmaking at its finest,” having won three Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing. If Oppenheimer really walks along the lines of The Social Network, a few Oscar nominations might be on the way for it too.
The reviews have particularly praised Nolan’s intense screenplay and awe-inspiring cinematography that chronicles various phases of Oppenheimer’s life. The film features powerful dialogues highlighting the ethical and philosophical dilemmas faced by Oppenheimer during and in the aftermath of the Manhattan Project. The movie is a masterful alchemy of storytelling. And just like The Social Network, the film merits conversations even after leaving the theatre.
The Social Network comparisons prove Oppenheimer to be an Oscar-worthy biographical thriller
Regarding films and metanarrative, The Social Network established the standard for the decade of the 2010s. Oppenheimer now has a similar opportunity to re-establish cinema as an immersive and thought-provoking experience and declare the 2020s the decade of the reawakening of profound storytelling.
The Social Network comparisons have already boosted interest in Oppenheimer among moviegoers, who all count Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-winning script among the best of its decade. The comparisons have raised expectations from the movie by rendering Nolan’s much-anticipated biographical thriller Oscar-worthy.
Since The Social Network, only 25 biographical films have won the Oscars. Only five of the 25 films have won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. And even among these five, only one was a biographical thriller: The Imitation Game.
If Oppenheimer stands true to its comparison with The Social Network in terms of a brilliant screenplay, it can join The Imitation Game in becoming the only two biographical thrillers winning the Best Adapted Screenplay in the last 12 years.
Catch Oppenheimer in cinemas on July 21.