Christopher Nolan’s 12th film ‘Oppenheimer‘ is all set to release in theaters soon, with many claiming this will be the best of Nolan yet. The movie is based on the life of theoretical physicist, Robert J. Oppenheimer, who helped the United States of America develop their first nuclear weapons. The movie is all set for a theatrical release on July 21, 2023.
Cillian Murphy plays the role of Robert J. Oppenheimer. This is his 6th film with Christopher Nolan and the first in which he will be playing the lead role. Alongside, Cillian, the cast of Oppenheimer is full of Hollywood A-listers. Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek are just some of the few names.
Christopher Nolan – A Visionary Storyteller
Christopher Nolan is well renowned for his intricate story-telling and stunning cinematography. When you are watching a Nolan movie, you are watching it from his perspective. He is not just a director, he is one of the greatest storytellers of our generation.
The British-American filmmaker was born on July 30, 1970, in London. Christopher developed a passion for filmmaking early and began experimenting with his Father’s Super 8 camera. He graduated from University College London with a degree in English Literature. Following (1998) was the first movie directed by Nolan.
Throughout his career, every single Nolan movie has had a unique aspect to them. Every Christopher Nolan movie is different from the previous one. For e.g, Oppenheimer is the first movie to be shot using IMAX 65MM and 65MM Wide Format lenses. Here’s a look at all the remarkable things Nolan has achieved in his movies.
1. Crashing an Actual Plane in Tenet
You read that correctly, in ‘Tenet’ (2020) Nolan crashed a real Boeing 747 plane into a airport hangar. He found that it was much cheaper to crash a decommissioned plane than use props and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). This added an element of realism and authenticity to ‘Tenet’. Nolan challenges the boundaries of practical filmmaking by delivering unforgettable moments on the big screen.
2. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The stunts in the finale of the Batman Trilogy would put any of the recent Fast and Furious movie stunts to shame. From hijacking a plane in mid-air to triggering an explosion in a football stadium, the finale for Gotham’s infamous hero got the ending it deserved. Another one of Nolan’s movies that had very minimal use of CGI. The only time the CGI was used was to hide the safety cables and other minute details.
3. Dunkirk (2017)
For this war thriller, Christopher Nolan hired over 3000 extras to play the role of the British soldiers that were stranded on the beach. Of course one could have added some CGI and minutes later, you’d get an entire army, but would that make it authentic? Nolan says No! Apart from the extras, Nolan used actual fighter planes and warships from the World War II era.
4. Interstellar (2014)
The only movie which involved slightly more visual effects compared to other Nolan movies, but for good reason, it was to put Mathew McConaughey and Anne Hathway in Space. Apart from that, Nolan created an actual real-life spaceship in the movie. Nolan and his team spent hours trying to better understand astrophysics and space, and implement them as accurately as possible in the movie.
From shooting his movies on ‘film’, Christopher Nolan sticks to the fundamentals of film-making with a modern twist. He is an exceptional visionary and his contributions to the world of cinema leave a mark on the audiences. Very few directors come close to Christopher Nolan’s legacy. Nolan’s movies have been used as blueprints for many blockbuster films of today.
With 11 movies to his name, each of which has won numerous awards, Oppenheimer is highly anticipated by fans. Known as the director who uses ‘Practical Effects’ in his movies, it will be interesting to see how Christopher Nolan recreates the Trinity Explosion. Who knows, maybe Christopher Nolan did actually detonate a nuclear bomb, somewhere in New Mexico.
Only time will tell, Grab your tickets to the nearest IMAX screens for Oppenheimer, releasing on July 21, 2023.
Source – MUBI
