Christopher Nolan Reveals Oppenheimer Early Reactions: 'People Were Absolutely Devastated'

If there’s one thing that director Christopher Nolan gains popularity for is his passion for playing with big ideas. With larger-than-life sets and remarkable concepts, the filmmaker is all about making viewers’ trips to the theatre a worthwhile process. Creating magic with his unique cinematographic style, the storyline remains crucial to his shooting process and his upcoming project Oppenheimer appears to be no different. Nevertheless, Christopher Nolan has now issued a warning for fans who might be eager to watch the biographical movie on the big screens.

The cautionary statement came after the director observed fans’ reactions during the early screening of the movie. It seems many were left “devastated” upon watching Oppenheimer centering the deadliest weapon ever known to humanity. The story retraces the life of theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer dubbed the “father of the atomic bomb”, also marking the filmmaker’s debut biographical flick. Now, during an interaction with Wired, Christopher Nolan stated how Oppenheimer ended up leaving audiences in a deep-rooted thought process of reflection. He believes the feelings might have stemmed from the element of fear the plot brings.

“Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated. They can’t speak. I mean, there’s an element of fear that’s there in the history and there in the underpinnings. But the love of the characters, the love of the relationships, is as strong as I’ve ever done,” he said. The director cautioned fans for being ready for an “intense experience” while also adding the reaction of another filmmaker who he showed the film beforehand.

“It is an intense experience because it’s an intense story. I showed it to a filmmaker recently who said it’s kind of a horror movie. I don’t disagree,” he explained. When it comes to the titular character, the physicist is known for his contribution to the development of the first-ever nuclear weapon. With actor Cillian Murphy leading the story, the cast of the biographical thriller also includes Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Emily Bunt, Rami Malek, and Matt Damon, among others. Previously, Cillian Murphy also asserted how some scenes in the movie are sure to “blow people’s lids off.”

The upcoming film is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 21.