John Carpenter is an acclaimed American filmmaker who is generally known as a master of the American horror genre. Having an experience of decades in the film industry, Carpenter indeed has a keen eye for perfection. However, John Carpenter’s recent opinion on Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning film “Oppenheimer” has put him in the minority, among those who did not like the film. Whenever we consume varied content, it’s obvious to form some opinion regarding that. Sometimes those opinions align with the majority. But other times they do not, making you stand out as a ‘black sheep.’ In this case, by labeling Oppenheimer as an average film and calling it overrated, Carpenter has indeed taken a stance that contrasts with the widespread acclaim the film has received.
John Carpenter claims that he didn’t find ‘Oppenheimer’ worth the hype
The 2023 film “Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy in the titular role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II, has been called an ‘overrated’ film by filmmaker John Carpenter. During a conversation with Last Donut of the Night, the filmmaker revealed that, despite how many positive reviews “Oppenheimer” has, he himself thought the movie’s praise was overrated. Carpenter said it was an “alright” film, and it didn’t live up to his expectations given the level of hype surrounding it. Rather there was another film that he regarded as “terrific“. The 76-year-old auteur said
“I don’t want to talk about things that I haven’t enjoyed. I liked Maestro a great deal. I thought that was terrific. Oppenheimer was OK. It was alright. Everyone’s praising it as the movie of the century—I don’t know about that.”
Like “Oppenheimer,” “Maestro” is also a biographical movie, but it falls in the romance drama genre. The film centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer.
While Carpenter didn’t like Nolan’s film, one statement can’t deny the fact that the film was a masterpiece on its own. However, there could be multiple reasons one cannot like what the rest does.
“Oppenheimer” won seven of the 13 Oscar nominations it received. It also did well at the box office, earning $974.3 million worldwide against a $100 million budget. While it garnered widespread acclaim, it also generated mixed opinions among viewers. Upon its major Oscar win, a faction remarked that awarding such a film was a way to promote war. While the rest appreciated the nuanced work of Nolan’s storytelling and the ensemble cast noteworthy performance.
While every remark, good or bad, counts, the artistry of the film can’t be denied.
“Oppenheimer” is available to stream on Peacock.
