Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer is one of the best films of 2023. If you didn’t know who J. Robert Oppenheimer was before the film, you will be fascinated with his story. He is the father of the atomic bomb, and this film highlights two important sides of this story. The films on this list are all important biopics that explore extraordinary humans with brilliant minds and how they were treated. They saw themselves in one way, while others had a different perception of them entirely.
10 Movies like Oppenheimer
Hidden Figures (2016)
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae all starred as mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. The three women impacted the space program, but their names were never mentioned in history.
Katherin Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson deserved more recognition for what they did.
The Theory of Everything (2014)
This is a look into the life of Stephen Hawking, which got Eddie Redmayne his first Oscar. It does highlight his life’s work, but it also shows the story of his wife (Felicity Jones) and the love they had for one another.
This is a beautiful film exploring love, humanity, and science. How one’s mind has the power to move past all the odds that are against them.
The Imitation Game (2014)
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, and Matthew Goode have strong chemistry together to bring this fascinating story to life.
Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan has always taken obscure concepts and layered them with human emotion and morally complex decisions. Interstellar is still his finest work to date.
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft and a team of researchers to find a new planet for humans. It’s an emotional film with an incredible score by Hans Zimmer.
The Social Network (2010)
David Fincher took on the story of Mark Zuckerberg, the man who created Facebook. As a Harvard student (Zuckerberg) created the social networking site that would later become known as Facebook, he was sued by the twins, who claimed he stole their idea, and by the co-founder, who was later pushed out of the business.
Jesse Eisenberg gave an incredible performance as Zuckerberg, and it is probably his most well-known film to date. On top of that, the star that is Andrew Garfield was on the rise and also gave a memorable performance as Eduardo Saverin.
Dunkirk (2017)
Another Nolan film that pushes the boundaries of space and time is Dunkirk. Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France were surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. This film does not work without the editors because of the way the story is structured.
Nolan places three different locations in time, and it is edited to show three fronts of the war while they were stuck there.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Russell Crowe stars as John Nash, a beautiful but associal mathematician who accepts secret work in cryptography.
His life then takes a turn, and he has to adapt to this new journey while trying to hang onto his old self. His work and his home life fade together, and he loses himself along the way.
Philadelphia (1993)
When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small-time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks have excellent chemistry here, and the journey their two characters go on in this film is interesting to watch. Even though the two of them start at odds, they are able to settle their differences and fight for what’s right.
Radioactive (2019)
Director Marjane Satrapi takes on the incredible true story of Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her Nobel Prize-winning work that changed the world. Rosamund Pike takes on the role of Marie Curie and gives an excellent performance that captures her spirit.
Tesla (2020)
A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan’s daughter Anne, and his breakthrough in transmitting electrical power and light. Ethan Hawke stars as the famous Tesla and gives a strong performance.
Do you have any other recommendations for movies like Oppenheimer? Let us know in the comments.
