--- title: "Oppenheimer: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/oppenheimer/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/oppenheimer" critics_score: 89 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Oppenheimer (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 89 from 16 reviews: 16 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly favourable, though the warmth runs from steady approval to outright rapture. Almost every critic singles out Cillian Murphy, whose quiet, watchful turn in the title role is treated as the film’s foundation, with Robert Downey Jr.’s antagonist the most frequently named support. The Trinity test sequence draws the next largest share of praise, admired for its intensity and for being staged without computer effects, and several critics note that Nolan keeps three hours of men talking in rooms unusually gripping. The reservations are scattered rather than shared. The Guardian is troubled by the film’s silence on the Japanese victims of the bombings; The i Paper finds the female characters thin; Variety thinks the Trinity test disappoints and the film loses intensity after it; The Independent finds it cleverer than it is moving. A handful of critics call the structure dense and the whole too sprawling. Nobody dislikes it. ## Empire — Dan Jolin Rating 5/5. 19 July 2023. The critic calls it a masterfully constructed character study from a great director operating on a new level, a film one must reckon with rather than merely watch. They single out Cillian Murphy’s compelling central performance and the intense, CG-free Trinity test sequence for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oppenheimer/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 5/5. 19 July 2023. Nolan’s three-hour biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer fuses courtroom thriller elements with epic scope and Kubrick-like sequences; it is anchored by Cillian Murphy’s stunning, award-worthy lead performance. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/oppenheimer-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 19 July 2023. Nolan’s epic about the Manhattan Project is flawed but extraordinary in its scale and intensity. It singles out the Trinity test and Oppenheimer’s personal torment for praise while noting the film’s failure to address the Japanese victims of the bombings. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/19/oppenheimer-review-nolans-atom-bomb-epic-is-flawed-but-extraordinary) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 5/5. 23 July 2023. Nolan’s portrait of Oppenheimer is a triumph that feels like witnessing history being split open. It singles out Cillian Murphy’s performance, especially his eyes and presence, for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/07/23/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-cillian-murphy/) ## The Times — Tom Shone Rating 5/5. 22 July 2023. Christopher Nolan’s portrait of the obsessive genius is close to a modern masterpiece and an epic to rival Citizen Kane. It singles out the film’s moral and political complexities alongside Murphy’s performance. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/oppenheimer-is-an-epic-film-to-rival-citizen-kane-bfkzqkprh) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 5/5. 19 July 2023. The critic describes it as Christopher Nolan firing on all cylinders and a colossal achievement, an old-school epic with blockbuster verve and ideas-rich substance. They single out the viscerally intense Trinity test sequence and Cillian Murphy’s magnetically complex lead performance for praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/oppenheimer-review/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 19 July 2023. Cillian Murphy gives a phenomenal, multi-layered performance as Oppenheimer in a ruthlessly authentic and gripping historical psychodrama for much of its three hours. The Trinity test is a letdown visually, and the film loses intensity afterward as it turns to a meditation on the bomb’s meaning and Oppenheimer’s later role. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-cillian-murphy-1235672159/) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 4/5. 20 July 2023. Nolan’s best and most revealing work, a profoundly unnerving story treated as a mathematical puzzle with craftsmanship and imagination. It excels intellectually but falls short of deeper emotional resonance. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/oppenheimer-review-release-nolan-cillian-murphy-b2378587.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 2023. The film is a hell of a sequence in its visual intensity, especially the Trinity detonation, with Cillian Murphy capturing Oppenheimer’s quiet inquietude and shock. It is structured around inquisitions and political paranoia that can feel glutted, though Downey Jr. delivers a standout performance. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/31/oppenheimer-movie-review-barbie) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2023. The critic finds the film breathtaking and singularly absorbing thanks to its sound and fury and Murphy’s masterful performance, but notes it is punctured by flaws including one-dimensional female characters. They praise the fascinating material and the might of the performances overall despite these issues. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-epic-write-women-2484242) ## Sight and Sound 20 July 2023. Nolan’s serious epic about the father of the atom bomb revolves around courtroom confrontations but is elevated by expressionistic flourishes and Cillian Murphy’s introspective performance, placing it among the director’s best. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/oppenheimer-nolans-dazzling-expressionistic-flourishes-bring-this-sombre-chamber-drama-life) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 19 July 2023. The critic calls it a brainy, brawny thriller that functions as both a probing character study and a sweeping historical account of the Manhattan Project and its aftermath. They single out the scathing depiction of political gamesmanship and Cillian Murphy’s performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-cillian-murphy-robert-downey-jr-1235539375/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 19 July 2023. Christopher Nolan’s complex, vivid portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer is a brilliant achievement in formal and conceptual terms. It condenses a titanic shift in consciousness into three haunted hours as a drama about genius, hubris and error. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/movies/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri 19 July 2023. The critic describes the film as a sprawling, rich tragedy of operatic grandeur centered on obsessive men and moral slippage. They highlight its uncompromising structure and the way it explores flawed humanity alongside genius despite many scenes of men talking in rooms. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/oppenheimer-review-a-tragedy-of-operatic-grandeur.html) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9.5/10. 19 July 2023. The critic calls it one of the best movies of the year, an intense thriller disguised as a biopic with masterful pacing that keeps three hours of dialogue exciting. They single out how the film drops vast information succinctly and thrillingly while posing tough questions without easy answers. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1343336/oppenheimer-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 9/10. 19 July 2023. The critic calls it Nolan’s most mature film yet and a culmination of his career, with exceptional storytelling, editing, and tension-building. Cillian Murphy delivers one of the best performances in a Nolan film as the complex title character, supported by a stellar cast. [Read the review](https://collider.com/oppenheimer-movie-review/) ## Polygon — Oli Welsh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2023. Nolan's three-hour historical epic is his most complex, powerful, and human film yet, shifting focus from abstract concepts to people and the terrifying forces they unleash. The critic praises its rich source material, meticulous design, and gripping procedural elements centered on the Manhattan Project and its consequences. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23800273/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-cillian-murphy) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Rating 4/5. 19 July 2023. The critic praises it as a towering achievement and unforgettable experience with a career-best performance from Cillian Murphy, though notes it is a bit too sprawling for its own good. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a44558844/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 July 2023. The review highlights the film’s massive scale and intricate double-helix structure, praising Murphy’s studied performance and Downey Jr.’s standout turn as a reptilian antagonist. It notes the ambitious scope can feel taxing and questions some horror elements. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/07/21/movies/oppenheimer-review) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 3.5/5. 20 July 2023. The critic finds it a magnificent but complicated film, praising the production, score, imagery, and performances (especially Murphy and Downey Jr.), but criticizing the dense, elliptical structure and failure to fully stick the landing in the final act. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-nuclear-nightmare/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 19 July 2023. Nolan has crafted his most impressive achievement to date and the most important motion picture of 2023. The critic singles out the unusual first-person approach in the stunning screenplay, which effectively conveys Oppenheimer's moral conundrum and haunted perspective on the bomb's consequences. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/07/oppenheimer-review-christopher-nolan-epic-thriller-atomic-bomb-frightening-brilliant-1235441243/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/oppenheimer.md