Christopher Nolan is back. That statement alone is enough to whip the internet into a frenzy of lust and desire, which (in a weird way) is understandable given the man's track record - except you Tenet, and The Dark Knight Rises - but the allure of a Nolan film is near-undeniable. Oppenheimer presents possibly his most straightforward narrative outside of his Batman trilogy, that’s not to say it's linear and suddenly conventional, because it isn’t, but this biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer is fairly faithful to what is known of the man - alongside some subjectivity, of course. Oppenheimer, the creator of death and the destroyer of worlds, the man behind the creation of the atomic bomb, but what of the man himself? This is the story Oppenheimer strives to tell - what was his life like? What was the creative process behind the bomb? What were the ramifications on Oppenheimer pre and post-World War II? The film strides headfirst into the mind of Oppenheimer (Murphy) to deliver a superb drama diving into the psyche of the man who provided the world with the weapon needed to destroy itself. Now, the film is three hours long, that’s a long time on anybody’s watch, and, admittedly it took me a while to get into Oppenheimer, the first third covered his life and romances mostly outside of the scope of the Manhattan Project which, whilst interesting, carried little emotional weight. Once he was recruited as Project Director of Manhattan by General Groves (Damon), the film went off. The ticking clock technique created real tension, despite the audience knowing the outcome, and Nolan crafts some terrifically tense scenes during the creation process, and later some truly abhorrent scenes involving politicians and their inhumane indifference to the ramifications of their actions. This story is interweaved with black-and-white footage focusing more on Robert Downey Jr’s Lewis Strauss - a Senior Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) member who holds ill will towards Oppenheimer for perceived slights across the years - in his attempts to gain a coveted seat on the US Senate and tarnish Oppenheimer’s legacy simultaneously through rigged hearings (Nolan has since stated that the scenes in colour represent subjectivity, and the black-and-white scenes represent objectivity). These methodical scenes are powered by intense political maneuverings and fabulous performances from all involved, which can be said for the film overall. Cillian Murphy is simply excellent in the lead role, exuding calm, sheer anxiety, charm, and menace all at once in his portrayal of Oppenheimer, and the same can also be said for Downey Jr. who delivers his finest performance since Zodiac. These two superb performances nestle alongside a list of excellent supporting performances including Blunt, Damon, Hartnett, and Ehrenreich - though the who’s who cast all bring their finest to the table. The problem with such a stacked cast is that means lots of characters that you NEED to memorise. Outside of Oppy and Strauss, many of the characters were lacking in depth and emotion - despite the performances - leaving it hard at times to recall just who was who and what they meant to the story overall. This felt most prominent after the Physicist Avengers had been assembled and there was never a shortage of characters on screen contributing at any point. The film, also, is dialogue heavy, and dialogue has often been used as a stick to beat Nolan with, but there are no issues with the screenplay here, it’s the audio mix that again plagues proceedings. Some of the dialogue is incomprehensible at times which is unforgivable in a film of this stature, especially given the sound FX throughout resonates and booms with such clarity and Ludwig Göransson’s layered score soars majestically amongst the mix. It’s not an aspect that will necessarily kill the experience but it does impact it somewhat. That, alongside the weighty dialogue and long runtime, may turn off the casual audience, but honestly, the runtime wasn’t an issue aside from the opening forty-five minutes or so, the film is paced extremely well and the sharp editing really helps to ensure that the conjured energy remains. Though rewatchability may not be as fervent as some of his previous works, Oppenheimer will stand amongst Nolan’s greatest achievements - a powerful and profound film that looks beyond the bomb and at the man behind it. A man who couldn’t bring himself to watch the outcome of the destruction caused by his creation, a man racked with guilt, and a man tossed aside by a rotting government - but, ultimately one of the most important people to ever walk the Earth.