History Awesome / Oppenheimer

* Creator/ChristopherNolan's commitment to practical effects reaches its zenith here, with he and special effects supervisor Andrew Jackson somehow ''recreating a nuclear explosion without CGI''.
** The trailers show off these effects in all their glory, with ghostly particles, electric bands, flying sparks, and big clouds of fire turning a subject as dry as subatomic physics into a big screen spectacle.

* At the end, with his confirmation to commerce secretary on the rocks after multiple damaging revelations about his treatment of Oppenheimer, Strauss pins all of his hopes on testimony from scientist David Hill, who he brags is not part of the "Cult of Oppie". So it's immensely satisfying when Hill gets up on the stand and ''completely eviscerates'' Strauss, accusing him of ruining Oppenheimer's reputation out of pure pettiness.

* The Trinity detonation itself deserves its own bullet point. All the tense preparations, the countdown beginning, the seconds ticking by as detonation inches closer. The amount of anxiety and anticipation is ''palpable'', especially when the test was close to being cancelled due to the weather. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then the final countdown, and then... detonation. A blinding flash fills the vision of all watching behind their protective goggles and lenses, like a second sun, only brighter. No sound is heard. The flash fades... and in its place is a massive fireball, the power of the atom unleashed. All who behold the sight are shocked silent, but Oppenheimer's words ring in his thoughts, the infamous line: ''"I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."'' And then, only then, does the shockwave and sound of the detonation hit. A ''massive'' blast that knocks people off their feet and rattles the buildings, a sound no man has ever heard before. They've done it. ''By God, they've done it.''

* The Trinity detonation itself deserves its own bullet point. All the tense preparations, the countdown beginning, the seconds ticking by as detonation inches closer. The amount of anxiety and anticipation is ''palpable'', especially when the test was close to being cancelled due to the weather. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then the final countdown, and then....detonation. A blinding flash fills the vision of all watching behind their protective goggles and lenses, like a second sun, only brighter. No sound is heard. The flash fades...and in its place is a massive fireball, the power of the atom unleashed. All who behold the sight are shocked silent, but Oppenheimer's words ring in his thoughts, the infamous line: ''"I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."'' And then, only then, does the shockwave and sound of the detonation hit. A ''massive'' blast that knocks people off their feet and rattles the buildings, a sound no man has ever heard before. They've done it. ''By God, they've done it.''

* Kitty [[SilkHidingSteel standing her ground]] against the [=McCarthy=]-esque assault from the prosecutor in defending herself and Robert. She also was the most prominent, and often only, voice in his circle who said to fight Strauss's campaign to discredit him.

* Despite Strauss having Oppenheimer's background as a communist, setting up a KangarooCourt, and succeeding at ruining his rival, Oppenheimer, with nothing but the truth and especially his wife, takes Strauss's career with his.

** The trailers show off these effects in all their glory, with ghostly particles, electric bands, flying sparks and big clouds of fire turning a subject as dry as subatomic physics into big screen spectacle.
* The Trinity detonation itself deserves its own bulletpoint. All the tense preparations, the countdown beginning, the seconds ticking by as detonation inches closer. The amount of anxiety and anticipation is ''palpable'', especially when the test was close to being cancelled due to the weather. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then the final countdown and then....detonation. A blinding flash fills the vision of all watching behind their protective goggles and lenses, like a second sun, only brighter. No sound is heard. The flash fades...and in its place is a massive fireball, the power of the atom unleashed. All who behold the sight are shocked silent, but Oppenheimer's words ring in his thoughts, the infamous line: ''"I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."'' And then, only then, does the shockwave and sound of the detonation hit. A ''massive'' blast that knocks people off the feet and rattles the buildings, a sound no man has ever heard before. They've done it. ''By God, they've done it.''
* At the end, with his confirmation to commerce secretary on the rocks after multiple damaging revelations about his treatment of Oppenheimer, Strauss pins all of his hopes on a testimony from scientist David Hill, who he brags is not part of the "Cult of Oppie". So it's immensely satisfying when Hill gets up on the stand and ''completely eviscerates'' Strauss, accusing him of ruining Oppenheimer's reputation out of pure pettiness.
* Kitty [[SilkHidingSteel standing her ground]] against the [=McCarthy=]-esque assault from the prosecutor in defending herself and Robert. She also was the most prominent, and often only, voice in his circle that said to fight Strauss' campaign to discredit him.

* Despite Strauss having Oppenheimer's background as a communist and setting up a KangarooCourt, and succeeding at ruining his rival, Oppenheimer, with nothing but the truth and especially his wife, takes Strauss' career with his.

* The Trinity detonation itself deserves its own bulletpoint. All the tense preparations, the countdown beginning, the seconds ticking by as detonation inches closer. The amount of anxiety and anticipation is ''palpable'', especially when the test was close to being cancelled due to the weather. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then the final countdown and then....detonation. A blinding flash fills the vision of all watching behind their protective goggles and lenses, like a second sun, only brighter. No sound is heard. The flash fades...and in its place is a massive fireball, the power of the atom unleashed. All who behold the sight are shocked silent, but Oppenheimer's words ring in his thoughts, the infamous line. ''"I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."'' And then, only then, does the shockwave and sound of the detonation hit. A ''massive'' blast that knocks people off the feet and rattles the buildings, a sound no man has ever heard before. They've done it. ''By God, they've done it.''

* Oppenheimer says that Niels Bohr is the only person who can help them solve certain problems, but he's in Denmark under Nazi occupation. During Christmas, General Groves announces that he's given the team an early present: Niels Bohr, who they smuggled out of Europe at great risk.[[note]]The operation to smuggle him out of Denmark is not mentioned in the movie, but was awesome in and of itself, involving a harrowing escape from Denmark by sea just as the Gestapo began arresting Jewish families in Denmark (which Bohr's family was considered through his mother), and then being spirited to Britain ''in the bomb bay of a Mosquito bomber'' and passing out during the journey due to not turning on his oxygen.[[/note]]

* Oppenheimer says that Niels Bohr is the only person who can help them solve certain problems, but he's in Denmark under Nazi occupation. During Christmas, General Groves announces that he's given the team an early present: Niels Bohr, who they smuggled out of Europe at great risk.

* Kitty [[SilkHidingSteel standing her ground]] against the McCarthy-esque assault from the prosecutor in defending herself and Robert. She also was the most prominent, and often only, voice in his circle that said to fight Strauss' campaign to discredit him.

* Kitty standing her ground against the McCarthy-esque assault from the prosecutor in defending herself and Robert. She also was the most prominent, and often only, voice in his circle that said to fight Strauss' campaign to discredit him.

* At the end, with his confirmation to commerce secretary on the rocks after multiple damaging revelations about his treatment of Oppenheimer, Strauss pins all of his hopes on a testimony from scientist David Hill, who he brags is not part of the "Cult of Oppie". So it's immensely satisfying when Hill gets up on the stand and ''completely eviscerates'' Strauss, not only accusing him of being a poor scientist but also claiming that he entrapped Oppenheimer and ruined his reputation out of pure pettiness.

* The Trinity detonation itself deserves its own bulletpoint. All the tense preparations, the countdown beginning, the seconds ticking by as detonation inches closer. The amount of anxiety and anticipation is ''palpable'', especially when the test was close to being cancelled due to the weather. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then the final countdown and then....detonation. A blinding flash fills the vision of all watching behind their protective goggles and lenses, like a second sun, only brighter. No sound is heard. The flash fades...and in its place is a massive fireball, the power of the atom unleashed. All who behold the sight are shocked silent, but Oppenheimer's words ring in his thoughts, the infamous line. ''"I have become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."'' And then, only then, does the shockwave and sound of the detonation hit. A ''massive'' blast that knocks people off the feet and rattles the buildings, a sound no man has ever heard before. They've done it. ''By God, they've done it.''

* Creator/ChristopherNolan's commitment to practical effects reaches its zenyth here, with he and special effects supervisor Andrew Jackson somehow ''recreating a nuclear explosion without CGI''.

* Nolan's commitment to practical effects reaches its zenyth here, with he and special effects supervisor Andrew Jackson somehow ''recreating a nuclear explosion without CGI''.
** The trailers show off these effects in all their glory, with ghostly particles, electric bands, flying sparks and big clouds of fire turning a subject as dry as subatomic physics into big screen spectacle.

* Nolan's commitment to practical effects reaches its zenyth here, with he and special effects supervisor Andrew Jackson somehow ''recreating a nuclear explosion without CGI''
** The trailers show off these effects in all their glory, with ghostly particles, electric bands, flying sparks and big clouds of fire turning a subject as dry as subatomic physics into big screen spectacle

* Nolan's commitment to practical effects reaches its apotheosis here, with he and special effects supervisor Andrew Jackson somehow ''recreating a nuclear explosion without CGI''