Oppenheimer is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, which will explore the creation of the first-ever nuclear weapon. Helmed by Christopher Nolan, the films star some of the biggest names like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and many others who were revealed in the latest trailer recently.
The story is based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin and shows how J. Robert Oppenheimer’s contributions to the Manhattan Project in World War II led to the creation of the atomic bomb. While there’s some time before we get to see it on the big screen, we have curated a list of movies that deal with the subject of Nuclear weapons and how it affects the world around us in all aspects.
5 Movies Based on Nuclear Weapons to Watch Before Oppenheimer
Dr Strangelove
If anything, the films make it certain that various catastrophes are man-made creations that could be easily avoided if only, power doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Although it’s a satirical film, in today’s world even this comedy would feel like a reality, as it follows an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the President and his advisors try to stop the attack before it turns into a war.
Directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick and it stars Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and Slim Pickens. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
Starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro, it is a classic film that often tops the list of the best apocalyptic films of the era. It shows how the scientist tried to save the Earth when continuous nuclear tests by various countries disrupted the orbit of the planet and it was slowly spiralling in towards the Sun. In fact, many would find the film quite relevant to contemporary times as well, where the world is divided between two groups – one that thinks the planet is evolving for good and the other that thinks we are doomed.
The film is available to watch on Netflix in certain regions.
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The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project is something that you will be hearing about in Oppenheimer as well since the film is based on the World War II program that constructed the first atomic bombs. If anything, then this film is a great example that shows how unknown technology could become so destructive in the wrong hands, and also, how high school kids are sometimes absolutely dangerous beings.
The story follows an exemplary high school student who decides to create an atomic bomb on his own, for a national science fair. Evidently, he was successful in creating it but also finds his name in the list of criminals whom the Secret Service wouldn’t mind taking out in a second. Despite knowing the threats, he seems to pursue his experiment leading to more chaos. It is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Thirteen Days
This political thriller is set in October of 1962 and presents a dramatized version of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the perspective of the USA officials. Starring Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Steven Culp and Dylan Baker in prominent roles. When the US spy planes photograph the impending installation of Soviet missile sites in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy and his advisers have to run after the time to stop the activation of those missiles before the threat of war takes over.
The Thirteen Days capture all the chaos, urgency and impending doom that was looming on the world if anything went wrong. You can watch this film on Apple TV+.
WarGames
If you have ever come across the robotic sound asking ‘Shall we play a game’, then this is the film where it originated from. From hacking into the school system to changing his grades to other pranks, David Lightman finds himself on an unknown server, playing a game with very real repercussions. It turns out that he mistakenly accessed the United States military supercomputer which is programmed to simulate, predict and execute nuclear war against the Soviet Union.
An oblivious school student becomes a secret spy that sent two countries into a frenzy over a Nuclear war threat while playing a seemingly harmless game on his computer. The cast of the film includes Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy along with many others. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Oppenheimer is all set to release on July 21, 2023, in theatres worldwide.
Let us know which of the above-mentioned films will be you checking out before Christopher Nolan’s upcoming magnum opus is released.
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