Honestly, what is there to say about Oppenheimer that hasn’t been plastered all over Twitter (currently rebranded to X) and Letterboxd ad infinitum? The last movie Christopher Nolan did without involvement from Warner Bros. Pictures was 1999’s Momento. During the Hollywood hold on theatrical releases early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolan and WB disagreed over the release of Tenet. There’s been skepticism ever since about whether or not a different studio could understand and market projects from Nolan as successfully as Warner Bros. did for such a long period of time. Universal Pictures not only took on the challenge, but with the onus of a three-hour long, R-rated, $100 million biopic about the man who pioneered the invention of the atomic bomb, not exactly making their new jobs easy. And yet, with those odds against them, a combination of effective marketing from Universal and this little thing called Barbenheimer making a splash in pop culture, Oppenheimer went on to gross $951 million at the worldwide box office, becoming Christopher Nolan’s highest grossing film outside of films from the Dark Knight trilogy (only trailing by about $135 million, which, given its context, is incredible). This unlikely pairing with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie made moviegoing an event again, and made wondrous use of the IMAX format for those who sprang for the upcharge. Now, four months after its theatrical bow, Oppenheimer comes home, and good luck finding a copy of it anywhere, because just as when it was in theaters, Oppenheimer is the hottest ticket in town on 4K Blu-ray.
L-R: Benny Safdie as Edward Teller and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures.
Since the plot hasn’t changed, here’s my synopsis from my review of the theatrical release in July:
“As America plunges into the seemingly unending depths of World War II, on both the European and Pacific fronts, its leaders have become antsy in creating a machine of war that would act as the proverbial trump card for Allied Forces. Following the discovery of the process of nuclear fission, American forces begin assembling a team of nuclear scientists to help utilize nuclear energy to create a weapon of mass destruction the likes of which the world has ever seen, and to do so faster than the German forces, who have a considerable head start on the Allies. Despite misgivings from superiors about his left-wing political ideations, the control of the now famous (or infamous) Manhattan Project is remitted to the control of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), a brilliant, but tortured nuclear physicist, further tortured by the eventual dealings that come with giving humans the power to truly destroy themselves.”
L-R: Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures.
While my feelings on the film remain firmly the same as when I saw the film for the first time, on my third viewing of the film (first viewing was in Digital IMAX, second viewing was in standard 70 mm, third viewing was on 4K Blu-ray), what I’m constantly impressed by is how much more I get with each subsequent viewing. I knew this was a content-rich film the first time I watched it, but revisiting the film both very soon after my first viewing and four months down the line from it, drove home just how truly detail-oriented Nolan is with both his storytelling and with his historical framing of so many events. As the puzzle pieces of the film fit into place for the first time, so much of what you’ve just seen suddenly makes sense, and so many directorial choices Nolan has made over the course of the 180-minute runtime pay off, but to revisit these choices with an understanding of how they all play out in the grand scheme of the big picture is when your appreciation and awe of how meticulous Nolan was with crafting this story sets in, and the grandeur and importance of a film like this takes its firm, unyielding hold.
Obviously, watching Oppenheimer, even in a glorious 4K master on a 65-inch television, will never compare to watching the film in 70 mm on a 65-foot screen. This is still a truly wondrous achievement in home media excellence on a technical standpoint, even with one key omission that, while intentional, I will forever wonder what could’ve been of it.
The video transfer of the film, unless you have a problem with changing aspect ratios (in this case, between 2.20:1 and 1.78:1), is unimpeachable in pretty much every single way. From the wonderfully accurate transfer of the deep richness of the film’s 2.20:1 scenes shot in 65 mm, to the grand, unparalleled clarity of the 1.78:1 (cropped from IMAX 70 mm’s native 1.43:1) IMAX 70 mm sequences, to the even more stunning sequences of Oppenheimer’s bright, explosive, destructive fantasies of the end of days, there is truly nothing here that has even the slightest flaw.
As for its audio mix, things are also as unimpeachable all around, but with a strange caveat. A recent fact I’ve learned is that Nolan mixes his films only in 5.1 as it is a universal mix where every viewer has the opportunity to experience the soundscape he desires of his films, and not solely just in premium formats. That means that Oppenheimer’s home media release, both on standard Blu-ray and 4K formats, is locked to a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Make no mistake, this is an absolutely amazing audio mix that proves that with the right amount of panache in the mixing process, one doesn’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles that would come in a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X mix. Still, there’s that little bit nagging me in the back of my mind about how an Atmos mix of this film would sound. Would it really sound that much better than what is on offer here? What would it add? The possibilities are both endless, and also, strangely limited in my thinking here. I feel like if it were truly better, Nolan would utilize it, but if not, maybe we’re exactly where we need to be. In any regard, it’s a beautifully well-rounded, verbose, hearty audio mix that’s hard to find flaws in without delving into hypotheticals.
So I’ve had major grievances with Universal Pictures designating every single standard home media release of their films as “Collector’s Edition” (perhaps a threat that physical media is endangered), particularly when the releases themselves offer little in the way of special features. Ironically, for whatever reason (my guess is a stipulation by Nolan), this release of Oppenheimer, both on standard Blu-ray and 4K, lack the “Collector’s Edition” moniker, which holds deep irony in both the fact that this release contains copious amounts of special features and it’s sold out nearly everywhere, making owning a copy truly feel like an actual collector’s item at the moment. Universal has treated Oppenheimer like the event and the achievement it is, and has spoiled those who can get their hands on a physical copy of the film with many special features delving into the production of the film, and seeing these, much like repeat viewings of the film, truly put into perspective the amount of care and dedication Nolan, as well as the entire creative team both behind and in front of the camera, put into the creation of this film. To see such huge stars like Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow), Matt Damon (Dogma), Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice), Robert Downey Jr. (Weird Science), and literally dozens more melt in a sea of humility in talking about being able to work with Nolan is the type of thing I want to see when digging into special features of a film. They’re special in a way that it’s simultaneously special footage you wouldn’t see without owning a copy of the film, but also special in how it really portrays what makes Oppenheimer special to begin with and the elements that made it the event it is along the way.
The full suite of special features included on a separate Blu-ray disc on both the standard and 4K release are as follows:
- THE STORY OF OUR TIME: THE MAKING OF OPPENHEIMER
- NOW I AM BECOME DEATH – The cast, crew and producers join Christopher Nolan in sharing the personal stories that made them passionate about the project’s ambitious design for bridging multiple genres.
- THE LUMINARIES – OPPENHEIMER’s all-star cast discusses how they synthesize the script’s dramatic narrative with the real lives of historical figures to embody their complex characters.
- THE MANHATTAN PROJECT – To visualize Oppenheimer’s ability to see different dimensions and to recreate the historic Trinity test, filmmakers developed unique techniques to craft stunning effects without using CGI.
- THE DEVIL OF DETAILS – A look at how production designer Ruth De Jong and team recreated the entire town of Los Alamos with period-accurate props, spectacular sets and painstaking attention to authenticity.
- WALKING A MILE – Costume and makeup craftspeople populate OPPENHEIMER’s immersive environments with iconic figures by utilizing thousands of pieces of clothing and cutting-edge prosthetic applications.
- CAN YOU HEAR MUSIC? – Working closely with Christopher Nolan, Ludwig Göransson composes a deeply personal, historically expansive score ranging from the organic to the alien to accompany the visual landscape.
- WE CAN PERFORM THIS MIRACLE – Christopher Nolan’s closest collaborators demonstrate how his artistic vision creates camaraderie that drives his talented crew to continue breaking new ground in filmmaking.
- TRAILERS
- INNOVATIONS IN FILM: 65MM BLACK-AND-WHITE FILM IN OPPENHEIMER – FotoKem opens the door to its film labs, where new technologies are invented for using color and black & white 65mm film to visualize OPPENHEIMER’s dual timelines while pushing the format further forward.
- MEET THE PRESS Q&A PANEL: OPPENHEIMER – Chuck Todd moderates a conversation where Christopher Nolan, author Kai Bird, and physicists Dr. Kip Thorne, Dr. Thom Mason and Dr. Carlo Rovelli reflect on the fascinating science and doomsday concerns OPPENHEIMER illustrates onscreen.
- TO END ALL WAR: OPPENHEIMER & THE ATOMIC BOMB – Explore how one man’s relentless drive and invention of the atomic bomb changed the nature of war forever, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and unleashed mass hysteria.
L-R: Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of OPPENHEIMER. © Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
I think it could’ve been very easy for Universal to have simply placed Oppenheimer on a Blu-ray disc, included a digital copy code, and shipped it to stores without anything added to the release. And, honestly, much like the bare-bones Blu-ray release for Tár (my favorite film of 2022), I probably wouldn’t have complained about it too much since having access to such a wondrous film until the end of time is more than enough for me. Luckily, I don’t have to settle for that, and I can relish in both the film itself, with its wonderful A/V transfer, as well as the delicious collection of special features that only illuminate the sheer spectacle of the whole ordeal with stunning clarity even more. This is a special movie, with a special theatrical release, and, in turn, Universal has given its home release the red carpet treatmen; something, if we’ve learned anything from Universal Blu-rays, that they don’t do particularly often. Is it because they want to win the Best Picture Oscar? Absolutely. Is it because they want to retain Christopher Nolan as an in-house filmmaker of theirs so he doesn’t go back to Warner Bros.? Most assuredly. But I also think that this was made because they really believed in the project and wanted to shower it in the praise and breadth of content it deserves…or at least I hope so. Regardless, we got something very good here.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital November 21st, 2023.
For more information, head to the official Universal Pictures Oppenheimer website.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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