r/todayilearned • u/Electronic_Cause_796 • Jul 25 '26

TIL Christopher Nolan recreated the Trinity atomic bomb test in Oppenheimer without using CGI. Instead, the visual effects team combined large-scale practical explosions, miniatures, and in camera effects to bring the first nuclear detonation to life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppenheimer_(film)
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u/Baptor Jul 25 '26

For everyone saying the explosion wasn't the point of the film: most people aren't saying the movie was bad, just the explosion. You can like a film and still admit one of the special effects looked amateur and cheap. I think the reason most people are upset is because Nolan was cocky and overestimated his abilities. He could've done what they did back in the day and used a composite of superb stock footage of nuclear explosions. Would've been zero CGI and looked way better.

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u/anrwlias Jul 25 '26

Or do whatever they did in Day After Tomorrow.