How Oppenheimer’s Atom Bomb Explosion Was Created Without CGI Finally Revealed

Oppenheimer VFX supervisor Andrew Jackson breaks down just how the film’s showstopping atomic blast was filmed without CGI, making clear that this doesn’t mean visual effects weren’t used. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the historical drama chronicles the life and career of “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer. One particularly gripping sequence in the movie recreates 1945’s Trinity Test, the first detonation of a nuclear bomb, which made headlines prior to the film’s release for its lack of CGI.