Oppenheimer appears in an aspect ratio of 2.20:1 on this Blu-ray Disc - much of the time. The filmmakers shot a lot of the movie with IMAX 65mm cameras, and that used a theatrical ratio around 1.43:1.
On the Blu-ray, we see the IMAX shots at 1.78:1. The rest of the film used that 2.20:1 frame.
I expect Nolan films to look great, but Oppenheimer’s use of 65mm IMAX meant it fared well. It helped that the 2.20:1 material also featured 65mm film, so Oppenheimer didn’t suffer from any obvious degradation when it shifted between ratios.
Sharpness remained top-notch from beginning to end. This meant the movie boasted tight, accurate visuals.
I saw no signs of jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. The image also lacked any forms of print flaws.
Despite the period settings, Oppenheimer went with a fairly standard mix of teal and amber/orange. Limited as the colors seemed, the disc delivered them with nice range and clarity.
Blacks appeared deep and dense, and shadows showed fine clarity and smoothness. This became an excellent visual presentation.
Although I wouldn’t expect much from a character-based film like this, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Oppenheimer worked well. Unsurprisingly, scenes related to nuclear physics and similar domains became the most involving.
Of course, bomb detonations created the most punch, but the film used other scientific areas to create a vivid soundscape. The rest of the film created an engaging sense of place that didn’t consistently dazzle but that suited the story.
Audio quality seemed terrific, with music that appeared full and rich. Speech came across as natural and concise as well.
Effects offered top-notch reproduction, as I noticed clean highs with no distortion along with deep, firm bass. All of this combined for a strong sonic experience.
All the sets’s extras reside on their own separate Blu-ray, and we open with a documentary called The Story of Our Time. It spans one hour, 12 minutes, 55 seconds and offers info from writer/director Christopher Nolan, producers Charles Roven and Emma Thomas, director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Ruth De Jong, executive producer Thomas Hayslip, IMAX consultant David Keighley, film loader Bobby Pavlovski, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, first assistant camera Keith Davis, editor Jennifer Lame, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, special effects supervisor Scott Fisher, visual effects producer Mike Chambers, IMAX camera technician Scott C. Smith, researcher Lauren Sandoval, supervising art director Samantha Englender, stunt coordinator George Cottle, Los Alamos Historical Society executive director Elizabeth Martineau, IAS Communicationa and PR manager Lee Sandberg, IAS COO Janine Purcaro, head of makeup and prosthetic department Luisa Abel, composer Ludwig Göransson, and actors Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz, Gustaf Skarsgard, David Dastmalchian, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, and Dylan Arnold.
“Story” looks at the film’s background and path to the screen, history, adaptation, and Nolan’s approach to the material, cast and performances, photography and the IMAX format, various effects, sets, locations and period details, costumes and makeup effects, music and general thoughts.
Like other documentaries about Nolan movies, this one mixes lots of useful information with lots of praise. I’d prefer less happy talk but we still find a pretty good view of the production and its challenges.
Innovations In Film runs eight minutes, 21 seconds. It brings info from Van Hoytema, supervising digital colorist Kostas Theodosiou, chief color scientist Joseph Slomka, project supervisor Andrew Oram, senior digital finishing producer Steven Celniker, supervising lab color timer Kristen Zimmermann, and 65mm negative cutter Simone Appleby.
“Innovations” discusses issues related to the movie’s use of 65mm black and white film. Some worthwhile material ensues but a lot of this feels self-congratulatory.
Next comes a Meet the Press Q&A Panel. Hosted by Chuck Todd, it lasts 34 minutes, 46 seconds and involves Nolan, biographer Kai Bird, physicists Dr. Carlo Rovelli and Dr. Kip Thorne, and Los Alamos Laboratory director Dr. Tom Mason.
The chat covers why Nolan chose this topic for a film, the experts’ views of the film, facts vs. liberties, and scientific and political perspectives. This becomes a much more insightful and less promotional piece than I’d expect.
An NBC News production, To End All War goes for one hour, 27 minutes, 18 seconds. It provides remarks from Bird, Nolan, Los Alamos scientist’s daughter Ellen Bradbury Reid, filmmaker Jon Else, science educator Bill Nye, historians Gregg Herken, Alex Wellerstein, Martin J. Sherwin, Jennet Conant, Robert S. Norris, David Eisenbach, Alan Carr and Richard Rhodes, nuclear security expert Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, theoretical physicists Robert Christy and Dr. Michio Kaku, Hiroshima survivor Dr. Hideko Tamura, and grandson Charles Oppenheimer. We also get archival clips of Oppenheimer and a few others.
“End” looks at the life of Oppenheimer as well as the development of the atomic bomb and its aftermath. It becomes a pretty tight overview as well as an appealing complement to the feature film.
The package ends with five trailers. We get one teaser, two theatricals, an “IMAX Exclusive” and “Opening Look” that provides a montage of film scenes.
An epic that exceeded all box office expectations, Oppenheimer delivers a brisk and ambitious piece. Christopher Nolan makes the story tight and freewheeling all at the same time in this dramatic and absorbing semi-biopic. The Blu-ray comes with excellent visuals, very good audio and a generally positive set of bonus materials. Oppenheimer doesn’t become my favorite Nolan movie but it continues the director’s winning streak – and might finally earn him some Oscar love.