Oppenheimer: how to watch, reviews, awards, cast and everything we know about the Christopher Nolan movie (2024)

Christopher Nolan does not do small. The director's latest movie, Oppenheimer, looks to be no different, as he has assembled a massive, star-studded cast to tell the story of one of the most pioneering figures of the 20th century and his revolutionary yet devastating work.

Whenever Nolan has a new movie it is an event. With the cast and a prime summer 2023 release date already lined up, Oppenheimer has already established itself as one of the tentpole movies of that year and is one of WTW's most anticipated summer blockbuster movies of 2023.

Here is everything that we know about Oppenheimer right now.

How to watch Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is now available to watch at home via streaming, digital on-demand and physical DVD/Blu-rays. Get everything you need to know about how to watch Oppenheimer right here.

Oppenheimer plot

Based on the book from Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer is going to tell the story of the famed American physicist who held a large role in the Manhattan project during World War II and is often referred to as the father of the atomic bomb. Nolan wrote the script.

In an interview with Total Film, Nolan offers some additional tidbits about the movie, including that their recreation of the first atomic bomb testing was done with all practical effects (as is his usual MO).

Oppenheimer cast

The cast for Oppenheimer is massive, but leading the way as J. Robert Oppenheimer is Cillian Murphy. Perhaps best known for his role as Tommy Shelby on Peaky Blinders, Murphy is a regular collaborator with Christopher Nolan, having appeared in the director's trilogy of Batman movies, Inception and Dunkirk. Oppenheimer marks the first time Murphy is playing the leading man in one of Nolan's movies.

Where to start with the rest of the cast though. The top-billed names on the poster include A-listers Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh. Here are other names being reported as part of the Oppenheimer cast:

• Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea, Interstellar)
• Michael Angarano (This is Us, Sky High)
• Kenneth Branagh (Death on the Nile, Tenet)
• Jason Clarke (Winning Time, Zero Dark Thirty)
• David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight, The Suicide Squad)
• Dane DeHaan (The Staircase, Chronicle)
• Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hail Caesar)
• Tony Goldwynn (Scandal, King Richard)
• Josh Hartnett (Penny Dreadful, Blackhawk Down)
• Rami Malek (No Time to Die, Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Full Metal Jacket)
• Gary Oldman (Slow Horses, The Darkest Hour)
• Josh Peck (How I Met Your Father, Drake & Josh)
• Jack Quaid (The Boys, Scream)
• David Rysdahl (No Exit, Nine Days)
• Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Good Time)
• Matthias Schweighöfer (Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves)
• Olivia Thirlby (Goliath, Dredd)
• Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)

Oppenheimer reviews

The reviews for Oppenheimer are in, including What to Watch's very own Oppenheimer review; read why we gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.

We're not the only ones who liked the movie. Oppenheimer has a "Certified Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, with many critics calling it among "the best films of the decade" (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times) and "the most important motion picture of 2023, and maybe far beyond" (Pete Hammond, Deadline).

Oppenheimer awards

Here is a rundown of the major awards that Oppenheimer has been nominated for and won to date:

Oscars

• Best Picture (winner)
• Best Director — Christopher Nolan (winner)
• Best Actor — Cillian Murphy (winner)
• Best Supporting Actor — Robert Downey Jr. (winner)
• Best Supporting Actress — Emily Blunt (nominee)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
• Best Cinematography (winner)
• Bets Costume Design (nominee)
• Best Editing (winner)
• Best Makeup and Hairstyling (nominee)
• Best Production Design (nominee)
• Best Score (winner)
• Best Sound (nominee)

BAFTA Film Awards

• Best Film (winner)
• Best Leading Actor — Cillian Murphy (winner)
• Best Supporting Actor — Robert Downey Jr. (winner)
• Best Supporting Actress — Emily Blunt (nominee)
• Best Director — Christopher Nolan (winner)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
• Best Cinematography (winner)
• Best Editing (winner)
• Best Costume Design (nominee)
• Best Makeup & Hair (nominee)
• Best Original Score (winner)
• Best Production Design (nominee)
• Best Sound (nominee)

Golden Globes

• Best Motion Picture Drama (winner)
• Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Cillian Murphy (winner)
• Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture — Emily Blunt (nominee)
• Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture — Robert Downey Jr. (winner)
• Best Director — Christopher Nolan (winner)
• Best Screenplay (nominee)
• Best Original Score (winner)
• Cinematic and Box Office Achievement (nominee)

American Film Institute

• Top 10 Motion Picture of the Year

Critics Choice Awards

• Best Picture (winner)
• Best Actor — Cillian Murphy (nominee)
• Best Supporting Actor — Robert Downey Jr. (winner)
• Best Supporting Actress — Emily Blunt (nominee)
• Best Acting Ensemble (winner)
• Best Director — Christopher Nolan (winner)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
• Best Cinematography (winner)
• Best Production Design (nominee)
• Best Editing (winner)
• Best Hair and Makeup (nominee)
• Best Visual Effects (winner)
• Best Score (winner)

London Critics' Circle Awards

• Film of the Year (nominee)
• Director of the Year — Christopher Nolan (nominee)
• Screenwriter of the Year — Christopher Nolan (nominee)
• Actor of the Year — Cillian Murphy (nominee)
• Supporting Actor of the Year — Robert Downey Jr. (nominee)
• British/Irish Performer of the Year — Cillian Murphy (nominee)
• Technical Achievement Award — Visual Effects (nominee)

Los Angeles Film Critics Awards

• Best Picture (runner-up)

National Board of Review

• Top 10 Films of the Year

New York Film Critics Awards

• Best Director — Christopher Nolan (winner)
• Best Cinematography (winner)

SAG Awards

• Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (winner)
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role — Cillian Murphy (winner)
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role — Robert Downey Jr. (winner)
• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role — Emily Blunt (nominee)

Oppenheimer trailer

After a teaser trailer (which you can also see below) that gave us a running (and updating) countdown clock, the official trailer for Oppenheimer is here. In it, Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer gives the foreboding warning that people won't understand the true magnitude of his defining work until they've used it, but it sure seems like he and everyone who worked on it that is featured in the trailer does. Check it out below.

Another trailer for the Christopher Nolan movie was released on May 8, which you can watch here:

And here is the previously released teaser trailer.

How long is Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer has a runtime of three hours.

What is Oppenheimer rated?

Oppenheimer is rated R in the US and 15 in the UK for "some sexuality, nudity and language."

Oppenheimer posters

Take a look at the posters for Oppenheimer right here:

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See Also

Oppenheimer gets a February streaming release date – and it's a huge win for Peaco*ck users

Christopher Nolan movies

Nolan has become one of the most recognized directors in Hollywood, in large part thanks to his work on The Dark Knight trilogy with Christian Bale. He has also come up with a number of original movies that have been heralded by critics and fans alike. Here’s Nolan’s complete filmography and where you can watch each movie right now:

• Following (1998): available on AMC Plus & IFC Unlimited (US), not available online in the UK
• Memento (2000): available on HBO Max (US), Virgin TV Go (UK)
• Insomnia (2022): available on HBO Max (US), not available online in the UK
• Batman Begins (2005): available on HBO Max (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• The Prestige (2006): available via digital on-demand (US), Virgin TV Go (UK)
• The Dark Knight (2008): available on HBO Max (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• Inception (2010): available on HBO Max and Netflix (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012): available on HBO Max and Netflix (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• Interstellar (2014): available on Paramount Plus (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• Dunkirk (2017): available on HBO Max and Netflix (US), Prime Video and Virgin TV GO (UK)
• Tenet (2020): available on HBO Max (US), Sky Go, NOW TV and Virgin TV GO (UK)