Universal has released the first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” In what is sure to be a cinematic epic, the film follows physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who works with a team of scientists during the Manhattan Project, leading to the development of the atomic bomb. But this isn’t your average trailer. Instead, the trailer counts down to the day the film hits theaters next year.
“Oppenheimer” marks the first time that Nolan has released a film under the Universal Studios banner. The director had a falling out with Warner Bros., who released Tenet on their HBOMax streaming service during the pandemic. It was a move that he publicly admonished the studio for and, as such, decided it was best to part ways.
The trailer opens to a low-pulsating bombastic sound with Emily Blunt’s Katherine Oppenheimer narrating, “The world is changing, reforming. This is your moment.”
The fiery imagery in the trailer escalates in power as it opens with soft glowing embers and becomes something even more ferocious with the swirling power of the sun, and explosions. And the music swells in correspondence to these changes.
The next piece of dialogue asks about Oppenheimer’s ignorance of the weapon he was creating. “How could a man, who’s seen so much, be so blind?” Another man says, “The force from which the sun draws its power has been loose” indicating the Oppenheimer’s scientific achievement that could forever change the world.
And another destructive line, “You gave them the power to destroy themselves,” is juxtaposed with a contrasting “He may be the most important man who ever lived!”
In between these shots of fire are black and white shots of a fedora and Oppenheimer who is seen walking down a corridor surrounded by a crowd of reporters and photographers. Honestly, I would have no problem if the film was presented this way with the hot fire of orange and yellow being the only color and everything else being black and white. Though the trailer may be short, it is effective in its use of sight and sound.
Other cast members include Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Michael Angarano and Kenneth Branagh.
“Oppenheimer” is scheduled to be released on July 21, 2023.
Here’s the very brief plot synopsis:
The film follows theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project and his contributions that led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
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