Wasn't a fan, American military propaganda at it's finest. The struggle between ego and morality wasn't developed enough & the human impact of nuclear warfare was told in in the most egotisical way.

The acting was good but I was not invested in the characters. The Oppenheimer characterisation feels one dimensional compared to what I imagine the real one would be like but the acting of this character I can't fault.

Cinematography, dialogue & atmosphere was good but I didn't find it emotionally riveting as it felt too much like propaganda. The glorification of the military industrial complex. Apart from the occasional jarring sounds I liked the cuts between scenes and the use of black and white as it helped with the storytelling.

The internal psychological struggle of Oppenheimer in evaluating the implications of his work and the realisation of the impact of his creation would have been much more interesting to explore rather than the way he was backstabbed. I wanted to be inside Oppenheimers brilliant but conflicted & devastated mind more. What it's like to have three centuries of scientific innovation become a tool for global warfare? What's the psychological impact of realising your contribution towards that?

They forwent the true tragedy of the human impact that nuclear warfare has. They mentioned the death tolls in Japan and there was the skin melting off from the American audience but it felt like it was trying to tell a good story rather than be a deep psychological insight in to the mind of Oppenheimer. Little empathy for the Japanese experience.

What I was hoping for was a deeper psychological exploration into how one of the most brilliant minds of our times, well aware of the devastating impact that nuclear weapons can have on the world, intellectually and morally justifies his involvement & then their inevitable development. It didn't delve deep enough on this but chose to focus the last third of the movie on the faux hearing, political backstabbing and how he was treated.

With any high technology it can be a double edged sword, used to empower or enslave. Perhaps Oppenheimer believed in the development of nuclear fission as a fossil free, clean energy source. It is doubtful that the only application he could think of was an atomic bomb, but then again he was well aware of who he was commissioned by. Instead we get a one dimensional story.

To me it didn't live up to its potential & I was counting down the time. Technically decent I just wasn't moved. If you like war movies then you might like it. If you want a deep philosophical, psychological thriller, a deep insight in to the human condition, this isn't it. Maybe I should have watched Barbie instead.