Oppenheimer is expected to make a big impact when it drops into cinemas next month, as the new film from Christopher Nolan boasts a star-studded cast alongside Nolan’s signature flare for large-scale cinematic spectacles. Following reports that Oppenheimer’s IMAX film stretches a staggering length of 11 miles, weighing 600 lbs, audiences are sure to have a cinema-going experience to remember; Cillian Murphy, who stars in the film as its titular character certainly thinks so, as he told Empire he thinks “it’s a truly essential cinematic experience.” As theater-goers brace themselves for impact, a new image from the film shows Benny Safdie’s Edward Teller doing the same.
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Murphy assured that his encouraging of audiences to watch the film in theaters wasn’t merely press junket glib, saying “I know that’s what I’m supposed to say, that’s the studio line. But you have to see this in the cinema on the biggest fucking screen possible. There are moments in it that will blow people’s lids off.”

The new image of Safdie, who appears in the film as the Hungarian physicist who played a role in the creation of the first hydrogen bomb, certainly alludes to this, decked out in protective eyewear. Murphy’s comments are unsurprising considering that Oppenheimer was shot entirely in IMAX, a tool usually used for action. While the film’s cast is eager for audiences to witness the film in theaters, those with a weak bladder may be less than thrilled considering the film is confirmed to have a runtime of 3 hours.

Image via Universal

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Nolan Wanted to Capture the Magnitude of the Event
Of course, if any biopic were to utilize IMAX, few would be more worthy than one exploring the creation of the atomic bomb, an event that undoubtedly changed the landscape of warfare, and the world, forever. In order to aptly capture the magnitude of the event, Nolan even went as far as to shoot a recreation of the Trinity test of the bomb in the New Mexico desert, opting to rely on practical work rather than CGI.

The director said “I mean, I’ve done a lot of explosions in a lot of films, but there is something very unique and particular about being out in a desert in the middle of the night with a big cast, and really just doing some enormous explosions and capturing that.” He added, “you couldn’t help but come back to this moment when they were doing this on the ultimate scale, that in the back of their minds they knew there was this possibility that they would set fire to the atmosphere. It was pretty amazing to engage in that kind of tension.” The film not only utilizes practical effects to enhance its story but also switches between color and black-and-white scenes to convey differing perspectives.

Joining Murphy and Safdie in the hotly anticipated film will be Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh Jack Quaid, Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Josh Hartnett, Matthew Modine, Kenneth Branagh, David Krumholtz, Michael Angarano and Alden Ehrenreich. Oppenheimer will be released into cinemas on July 21. Check out the trailer for the film below: