After an apparently long wait, I enthusiastically watched
two movies back-to-back, in the theatres: Oppenheimer and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Or should I say, the Hollywood remakes of Rocketry:
The Nambi Effect and Pathaan? After a good night’s sleep, the aftertaste of
popcorn still lingers but I am having to make an effort to remember the movies.
Before you diagnose movie overdose to be a reason for
this, I will tell you why.
*Moderate spoilers alert*
Oppenheimer was a somewhat sober (compared to Tenet) take on the biography, as it should have been. Making it more twisted, just because it was a Nolan’s film, could have taken focus away from the story and money away from the box office. Subscribing to the filmmaker’s signature, the screenplay was non-linear, reminiscent of Memento, with alternating sequences of color and monochrome. However, the creative anomaly was that the past timeline was shown in color, whereas flashbacks are usually depicted in monochrome. Göransson’s background tracks were ominous and tense, comparable to Zimmer’s, uplifting Nolan’s storytelling. I am sure there would be Oscar nominations for the Best actor and Best Supporting Actors, as well as for Makeup and Hairstyling. Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Jason Clarke were terrific, while also very naturally looking their screen age.
Although the movie was pretty lengthy, even for the
Indian audience, the plot gracefully and unhurriedly unravels the rise, fall
(and resurrection?) of Oppie’s life, career and reputation, with a tinge of
suspense throughout. I liked that the more famous Einstein did not steal the
limelight and held his place, as did Abdul Kalam in Rocketry. Oh, did I already
mention Oppenheimer seemed like a remake of Rocketry? Well, biographies are
biographies; if it happened in India, it could as well have happened in the US.
The “it” here was a beautifully kept secret till the end of the movie, making
us guess and long and give up, before delivering as a parting gift. “It” was also
a synopsis of the movie, of the life of Oppenheimer, Einstein, Nambi, and perhaps
of several others. “It” is also the realistic result of differential tensile limits
of science, politics and conscience.
So, overall, it was an appreciable Nolan’s narration of a controversial biography that might have delivered a similar impact in the comfort of my living room couch, but for the A-bomb test scene. The cherry on the cake was that the explosion was not CGI.
Mission: Impossible 7, on the other hand, was a disappointment
for me. Or was it perhaps unable to fill the wake after the hype about the jump-off-the-cliff
stunt? I have been a fan of Tom Cruise, his insane commitment, and the MI
franchise; well, I also liked the initial Fast and Furious movies. But has
there been an effort to break the monotony? Like in all MI movies, you will
find the (outdated) trick of a 3D-printed impersonation face mask, voice
changer, random hacking + navigation, a bike chase and Ethan’s signature running.
Well, the running is substantially more this time, that it also reflects in the
increased runtime of the movie. There were scenes that could literally have
been cut in half. Never mind, that miscalculation of balance happens.
But where is the creativity? Where is the rigged vault whose alarms go off with the pressure of a drop of sweat? Where is the underwater server that needs Ethan to hold his breath to swap cards? Where is the iris-tracking holographic screen that recreates the hallway and the statue? Where are the Burj Khalifa gloves that indicate Blue as Glue and Red as Dead? Where is the cabinet that can teleport apples? Oh wait, that was from Harry Potter.
The one scene I looked forward to was obviously the
one where Tom Cruise jumps off the cliff, for real. Well, believe me, it was
not necessary in the scene. It was almost as if the scene was re-written to force-fit
the jump. Compared to the duration he runs in the film, this jump gets over in
a flash. After that, it is only the train sequences; nothing I have not already
seen in Sholay, Enthiran, Pathaan, Kaappaan, Radhe Shyam or Balaiyya’s Palanati
Brahmanaidu (oops; ignore the oversimplification).
I really admire the dedication and stunts he performs
at his age. He is probably making money and retirement plans with his production
house. But me, I am worried there is a part two of the part seven and hoping it
has a better plot and screenplay, because I want to be able to remember more than just the popcorn but also only regret the popcorn money.
