However, Shin Kamen Rider relies on the viewer being familiar with the original franchise to a much greater degree than the other Shin films - and I have very little knowledge of Kamen Rider. Like Shin Ultraman, Shin Kamen Rider can feel like a tokusatsu parody, albeit by someone who clearly loves the genre. And now with Shin Kamen Rider, Hideaki Anno completes his trilogy of rebooting his childhood favorites. Damon stands out amidst the film’s packed cast, and his scenes with Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer crackle with an energy that’s sorely lacking elsewhere.įirst, there was 2016’s Shin Godzilla, followed by 2022’s Shin Ultraman. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Matt Damon’s standout performance as Leslie Groves, the general in charge of the Manhattan Project. That said, Nolan’s films are often growers (e.g., Tenet), so I wouldn’t surprised if I become more appreciative after repeated viewings.

It’s a bit of a mess, frankly, on this first viewing, and Nolan’s exposition-heavy dialog doesn’t help. Subtlety isn’t Nolan’s strong point, and so he reminds you - over and over - that Oppenheimer was complicated he inspired scientists around the world and oversaw one of humanity’s most ambitious projects even as he failed his wife and children. Nolan’s film walks a fine line between lionizing Oppenheimer’s brilliance and ambition and excoriating his pride and moral failings, and I’m not sure it does so successfully.

Which might explain why the actual Trinity test, which the first two-thirds of the film inexorably builds up to, feels surprisingly anticlimactic, especially when compared to the surreal visions that often plague Oppenheimer. Robert Oppenheimer’s public fall and political disgrace as it is about the atomic bomb, if not more so. It’s technically impressive, but what else would you expect from Christopher Nolan? It’s helpful, though, to realize that Oppenheimer is as much about J. As I left the theater, I wasn’t sure I liked Oppenheimer at all.

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