Why Oppenheimer Is Rated R – Armessa Movie News

Christopher Nolan returns with a new movie about the creation of the atomic bomb, and here is why Oppenheimer is rated R. The acclaimed filmmaker known for the Dark Knight trilogy and original sci-fi stories like Inception and Interstellar is tackling his first true biopic with Oppenheimer. The movie stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man responsible for creating the atomic bomb and changing the course of World War II. From the very beginning of Oppenheimer‘s marketing, the darker tone and heavy subject matter have been evident, making audiences wonder how it will be different from other Christopher Nolan movies.

For most of Christopher Nolan’s career, he has found great success in making PG-13 blockbusters that can entertain a large percentage of moviegoers. He has become a huge proponent of the theatrical experience over this time, resulting in Oppenheimer playing in IMAX 70mm in select theaters around the world. However, this did not stop the prolific director from doing what he thought was best to tell J. Robert Oppenheimer’s story the best way. This meant a three-hour runtime and Oppenheimer‘s R-rating being the cut that Universal and Christopher Nolan are releasing. Here is why it received the more adult rating.

Oppenheimer’s R-Rating Explained: Sexuality, Nudity, & Language

It was officially confirmed in June 2023, roughly a month before its release, that Oppenheimer was rated R. The official announcement from Universal came prior to the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) detailing the reasons why the movie received a rating that means only those over 17 years old should see it. The MPAA later revealed that Oppenheimer‘s R-rating was due to “sexuality, nudity, and language.” The content of the movie made the 2023 blockbuster carrying a $180 million budget Christopher Nolan’s second-ever R-rated movie.

The crux of Oppenheimer‘s R-rating appears to come from the movie including graphic sex scenes. Star Cillian Murphy confirmed this detail in an interview with The Guardian pre-release, as he mentioned there is “prolonged full nudity.” The scene in question is part of a sex scene featuring J. Robert Oppenheimer and his first love Jean Tatlock, furthering the age gap debate about Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh participating in Oppenheimer‘s sex scene. There is also language used throughout the movie, as well as smoking.

Oppenheimer Is Christopher Nolan’s Most Adult Movie Yet

The reasons why Oppenheimer is rated R mean that it will be Christopher Nolan’s most adult movie to date. The only other R-rated movie he made came over 20 years ago with 2002’s Insomnia. The thriller included brief nudity, some language, and some violence. Insomnia‘s nudity came through an autopsy of a female victim, so Oppenheimer‘s sex scene means that its nudity will be far more graphic. In addition to the nudity and sexuality, the movie is said to be so dark that some have described it as a “horror movie” to Christopher Nolan, making it quite clear that Oppenheimer‘s R-rating is fitting.

While the subject matters of Christopher Nolan’s two R-rated movies are very different, the horrific aspects of Oppenheimer are understandable. Whereas Insomnia follows an intense murder investigation of a teenager, Nolan’s 2023 movie focuses on a man responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people due to his creation. Even if Oppenheimer does not show any of the disaster and devastation J. Robert Oppenheimer caused, the weight of the story itself is much larger and darker than Christopher Nolan movies typically deal with.