Student Film Reviews

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1. Mia Velazquez 02.28.24 / 10pm

   Ville, this was an awesome review of Oppenheimer! I also enjoyed the complexity of the film and the suspense of the musical score brought interest to me. I attended the Variety Artisan Awards and saw both Ludwig Göransson and Jennifer Lame which was very inspirational to hear about their work on the film. In both music and editing, these two amazing filmmaker/composer brought so much to Oppenheimer when it finally released in theaters! This was a very tragic, suspenseful, and action packed film about the creation of the first atomic bomb.
2. B Pyle 02.29.24 / 10am

   Hey Ville, Your descriptions were fantastic and well thought out. Christopher Nolan definitely succeeded in giving the emotional impact and consequences of the creation in this film.
3. Riley McCaffrey 03.02.24 / 5pm

   Hi Ville, I also watched Oppenheimer at the festival and think this is a really well done write up of the film. I particularly liked your closing paragraph which i think really captures the essence of the film; which is not just about the life of Robert Oppenheimer, but about the ethical concerns that arise with scientific progress.
4. Dylan Gallagher 04.01.24 / 6pm

   Hi Ville, I agree with how the film making the audience consider how science and the ethical concerns that come with it is a key point of “Oppenheimer”. Something that I also noticed was how Christopher Nolan used lighting and shadows to depict a lot of Oppenheimer’s conflicting thoughts about his actions. I really like how you talked about how the audience was “considering the ethical consequences of scientific discovery while praising the brilliance that changed the course of history” because it gave the audience a lot of mixed feelings about the work of Oppenheimer and him as a person as a result of his decisions.
5. Natalie Nash 06.22.24 / 4pm

   Oppenheimer’s ability to make the audience think about moral consequences while still adhering to the historical story was done in a perfect way, as this review highlights. Cillian Murphy shines in his leading role in addition to the supporting cast, with Robert Downey Jr. being the standout for me. The 3-Act structure of the film, broken into different parts of Oppenheimer’s life, really allowed the audience to see into the story with both the dramatic and quiet moments. As this review also states, this film creates a lasting impression sure to leave the audience thinking about the impact of the bomb on human civilization.
6. Alejandro Vargas 07.20.24 / 10pm

   Hi Ville, thank you for your insightful comment. I completely agree that the film leaves a lasting impact, as the film forces you to feel the consequences of creating the atomic bomb. The use of mise-en-scene, in particular the performance done by Cillian Murphy was very strong. Its through the 3 act structure in which this film is told that we are given an insight into the mind of someone who’s research took hundreds of thousands of lives. Allowing for as the the comment mentions the audience to contemplate the morality and ethics of scientific progression as well as the consequences and conspiracy of any actions that follow.
7. Caius Moreno 10.01.24 / 8pm

   This was a great review of the film Oppenheimer, and truly captured what made this film so special. It begins with a young Oppenheimer, haunted by dreams of a microscopic, parallel universe. As he makes his journey through live, he meets people and forms complex relationships (Emily Blunt’s character is the standout) and eventually finds himself in the middle of the top secret Manhattan Project. The visuals and soundtrack of this film are unmatched, competing with the likes of Bladerunner 2049. With a stellar cast of actors at its back, we see Oppenheimer go from the most important man on earth, the destroyer of worlds, to a disgraced and blacklisted pariah. Yet by the end, in his old age, he is exonerated from the lies that were lobbed on to his name.
8. Lila Homes 10.20.24 / 9pm

   This is a beautifully written review. Your language and diction create an incredibly thoughtful review that makes me even more invested in your thoughts and opinions. I appreciate your acknowledgment that lighting creates a mood, influencing what we as viewers are supposed to feel and take away from specific scenes. I also like that you touched on how important and influential the supporting cast was to the film. This is a star-studded film and every single character is vividly brought to life, bringing the viewer deeper and deeper into the storyline. Lastly, I am moved by your psychological analysis of the film’s deeper meaning and what it tells us about human nature and our internal conflicts and struggles between our own ethics and what the world is influencing us to think or feel.
9. Jonah Askew 11.10.24 / 1pm

   Hey Ville,
   I absolutely loved this movie, and I absolutely loved this review. Cillian Murphy is the obvious star, but you mention how important the supporting cast is and I completely agree. It is star-studded with big names, but it doesn’t feel over the top at all. We all know how impressive Christopher Nolan can be, but it was made into a massively relevant and influential success through camera work, writing, and a passion to tell the story the right way. Many people before seeing it thought it would be some sort of glorification of the bombing or of Oppenheimer himself, but in truth it was exactly as you say: a profound investigation on the human condition. The ethical realities behind creating the bomb had been discussed thouroughly, but Oppenheimer’s passion was in the science, not in the destruction. Through his passion and curiosity, he was put on a pedestal, whether it be good or bad.

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