MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | OPPENHEIMER

“𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵…” | 𝗠𝗝𝗕 “𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥” 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

Three firsts this week! Longest script (197 pages), first script review of a film I haven’t seen yet (yeah, yeah, I know. It’s on my list…) and first time reviewing something that’s actually come out this year (2023 at time of writing). So let’s get into the behemoth that is 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓.

Plot in a nutshell: American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer leads a group of some of the greatest minds in science to develop the world’s first atomic bomb. But as success looms, doubts emerge…

Straight off the bat, this script has been written from the first person perspective of Robert Oppenheimer, whenever he is on the page. Which is almost always. Which was a complete surprise to me. Though it took a bit of getting used to on my part, I have to admit, the technique grew on me, intrigued me and has stayed with me long after I reached the end. Much like Nolan’s script. Christopher Nolan is on full writing duties here (no sign of brother Jonathan, but assisted by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin for historical reference), crafting a solid piece of historical drama, mixed with some thrilling elements on the build up to the inevitable first bomb test (definitely reminded me of a similar piece; The Imitation Game, a future classic review). All the while mixing in a court hearing as we watch the government take apart the figurehead that gave them what they wanted in the first place.

There are masterful strokes at play everywhere in this script. Nolan is juggling fifteen balls and spinning ten plates and you are none the wiser, so immersive is the story. I put this script down multiple times and came back to it regularly, immediately drawn right back in where I left off. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, each with their own agenda, but they each maintain their own personality (even if a lot of them show little to no growth across the whole story) and you can feel the cross purposes in the slightest of asides. But the science never feels too bewildering, interspersed with ADs of blistering explosions, horrific scenes of people suffering and fantastical, elemental events that help keep the tough stuff relatable (or at least visually interesting).

So what did I learn from 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓?

Quite a bit actually…

1) Page 1 is an absolute barnstormer. These days, it is strongly recommended that your opening page be an absolute attention grabber. The Americans first atomic bomb test is a cracking example and this is one of the most definitive ways of not only writing a nuclear explosion, but of writing a page 1. Essential.

2) Overlapping voice-overs between scenes, to both link events and carry over new meaning to the following scene, is a must see here. A brilliant tool for showing an alternate means of transition between scenes, locations or events.

3) Jumping between events in the distant past, recent past and present, whilst utilising and rotating around one character as the anchor between all these events. A fascinating way of keeping the events grounded and looking at multiple events simultaneously, whilst also linking them.

4) Action Directions that reference a characters situation in simple terms; “he looked hurt” “I say nothing”. So simple and yet so effective, it’s a lovely letter of permission from Nolan to the rest of us that we can do this.

5) The politics on show here are both essential and important to the moulding of this story. They combine the double edged purpose of message and mechanism to bolster the storytelling and are used SO effectively. Anti-semitism, communism, patriotism, McCarthy-era witch hunting. Take your pick.

6) I was daunted by the page count and I’m a fan of reading scripts AND I knew this was going to at least be good. This is Christopher Nolan and he can write a 197 page script. Until I’m at his career level (yeah, I wish), think it’s probably best for me to keep my drafts to between 80-100 pages.

It’s going to need a few more reads and I WILL discover more down the line. But I could feel this script and what it wanted me to see. Justice. Injustice. War. Horror. Egotism. And the unflinching need for humans to keep pushing the boundaries. That’s hell of a story right there.

Link to the script;

https://app.studiobinder.com/.../65331362b4dfb6d323af0c18...