‘Oppenheimer’ Earns Christopher Nolan His First R Rating Since ‘Insomnia’
“Oppenheimer” has dropped a major bomb: The Christopher Nolan historical epic is rated R.
Variety reported that Nolan’s first film with Universal since parting ways with longtime distributor Warner Bros. has received an R-rating and clocks in at just under three hours. That’s Nolan’s first R rating since his 2002 thriller “Insomnia” and 2000’s “Memento” before it. “Oppenheimer” follows the emotional implosion behind the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), as he creates the ultimate weapon amid World War II.
The ensemble film also stars Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, James Remar, Josh Hartnett, and Alden Ehrenreich.
Shot in IMAX and film, “Oppenheimer” uses “11 miles of film stock” that weighs close to 600 pounds, as Nolan told the Associated Press.
“The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled,” the director said. “The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you’re really letting the screen disappear. You’re getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You’ve got a huge screen and you’re filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You’re immersing them in the world of the film.”
Nolan added of the recreation of the atomic bomb without CGI, “We knew that this had to be the showstopper. We’re able to do things with picture now that before we were really only able to do with sound in terms of an oversize impact for the audience — an almost physical sense of response to the film.”
Nolan previously said that “Oppenheimer” is “one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer’s story.”
The “Tenet” director shared, “There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges. But I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we’re finished. But certainly as I watch the results come in, and as I’m putting the film together, I’m thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve.”
“Oppenheimer” premieres in theaters July 21, sharing the same release date as “Barbie.” For all the details on “Oppenheimer,” click here.