This weekend saw the release of Oppenheimer, the newest entry to come from the great mind of Christopher Nolan. Although it unfortunately had to go up against Barbie at the same time as being one half of Barbenheimer (which I got a piece on coming soon), it looks as though it’s set to have a strong opening weekend in spite of it being three hours long and clearly NOT PG-13. As a result, time to rank every film in Christopher Nolan’s filmography thus far and see how it fares from worst to best.
It shouldn’t be unpopular to say that Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest filmmakers working today! He’s one of the few directors out there that everyone is aware of and his name attached to a film alone is enough to get people’s butts in theater seats. And coming at a time where there’s a strike going on in Hollywood and it’s in the middle of summer filled with underperforming/underwhelming big movies, leave it to Nolan to be one of the two directors this weekend helping to turn the tide on the narrative that people don’t go to theaters anymore. I’m sure this isn’t what the Dark Knight himself had in mind when he made it his quest to save theaters back in 2020 with Tenet, but hey, I still think he consider it an absolute win regardless.
Keep in mind that for this list, there’s really only one of these movies that I’m not the biggest fan off. Just about every other one I either like or absolutely LOVE! Heck, over half of the movies on this list were some of my absolute favorite films in the year they came out with some of them being on my list of favorite films every year. That’s why this list was INCREDIBLY hard to make! Regardless, I’m up to the challenge and let’s rank the great work coming from the Nolan mind himself.
12.) Tenet
I don’t know if this is a hot take or not but I have never been on board of the hype train for Tenet. While it’s well acted and looks amazing, this feels more of an intimation of a Christopher Nolan film than an actual Christopher Nolan film. The plot is a convoluted mess, the characters are completely one-note and even nameless, the sound mixing is ungodly atrocious, and while it’s central premise is a very interesting one, the execution of it could not have missed the mark as much as it could. The fact you have a film where the main protagonist name is literally referred to as the protagonist and you are expected to take it all seriously is literally all you need to know about the experience of watching Tenet. At least Nolan would get another chance of “saving” cinema later down the line.
11.) Following
The one that started it all. Christopher Nolan is able to make his first directorial debut with a very low budget and small scale flick about a young writer who follows strangers for a living in the hopes of being able to write something interesting for his novels. For a film that basically involves it’s main character trying to find an identity, Nolan is able to find his quite while here. The low budget is quite obvious and the 70 minute long running time can make certain elements feel rushed but for a film debut, it’s perfectly solid overall.
10.) Dunkirk
Nolan has always been a filmmaker that remained a loyalist on the experience of watching films in a theater. I don’t think there has been a film he has made to date that didn’t put as much emphasis on theater experience than with Dunkirk. A tense, tightly paced war epic about the battle that took place in the beaches of Dunkirk between Germany and France. While this definitely was an event worth seeing on the biggest screen in IMAX in July 2017, it’s lack of compelling characters and a needlessly complicated narrative really hinders the rewatch value and makes it fall short of being an all-time classic. Plenty will argue that this is the intention on the part of Nolan but that still doesn’t make for the most engaging watch for me. If Tenet was an example of a Nolan film that had great ideas but bad execution, then Dunkirk is an example of a Nolan film with bad ideas but ultimately great execution.
9.) Insomnia
The first film Nolan made that was disturbed by Warner Bros might just be his most overlooked feature to date. We have a very well done and engaging thriller about one man’s descent into madness and another man that is driven solely by madness. Al Pacino and Robin Williams turn in great performances and make for a perfect duology of the hero and villain of the picture. The film does a great job of showing the effect that constant daylight has on a character along with the passage of time that is scattered across the film. Tbh, the fact that this film is this low on the list says more about how good Nolan is at making films than the overall quality of Insomnia. Even if it doesn’t reach the ambition or scope has any of his films that came after this one, this still makes for a very good watch.
8.) Interstellar
What might be Nolan’s most ambitious film and largest in scope to date, Interstellar makes for one of the most interesting and intriguing sci-fi films of the 21st century. The film goes into great lengths about mankind’s place in the universe and what we are willing to achieve for the survival of the human race. The effects are a feast for the eyes, it’s superbly acted, the emotional core between Cooper and his daughter is very well done, and the first two acts is able to execute it’s themes to near perfection. It’s only the bumpy as hell ending and the way a certain subplot gets completely handwave by the conclusion that prevents this from being up there with Nolan’s very best. Even if it’s not able to stick the landing as well as it could have, Interstellar makes for one engaging ride that is worth experiencing at least one time.
7.) Batman Begins
Batman Begins was an absolute revolutionary when it came out back in 2005. Not only did it revived the Batman franchise that seemed long dead for eight years, but it help set the foundation that properties surrounding superheroes and comic books can in fact be taken more seriously and still be really good. It gives us an incredibly engaging Bruce Wayne in Christian Bale’s iconic turn as this iconic character along with providing a satisfying origin story that stands as one of the best ever put to screen. While it’s impact didn’t feel all the way felt until around the arrival of it’s sequel The Dark Knight three years later, this film’s importance to the Caped Crusader along with the sub-genre should not go unnoticed. Even before Marvel got their universe with Iron Man, it was this terrific first entry from Christopher Nolan that got the ball rolling with just how good a modern superhero movie can be.
6.) The Dark Knight Rises
Nolan’s final entry in his largely successful Dark Knight trilogy is his most daring movie of the lot. This is the one Batman film that actually dares to question the entire idea around the character of Batman: that perhaps Bruce Wayne becoming Batman was a mistake. Aided by a intimating villain in Tom Hardy’s Bane, a welcome supporting turn in Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman and a ending that brings the full themes of the trilogy together, The Dark Knight Rises made for an ending that is flawed but yet felt perfect at the same time. And especially in a age where superhero and movie franchises that constantly refuse to end, it’s certainly refreshing to have a series that was able to get a proper finale and stuck to it. Even if this film does have it’s detractors, I’m still a believer in The Dark Knight Rises…even if you’re not.
5.) The Prestige
Fresh off a year after reviving the Batman franchise, here we have an absolute mind bender of a film with a strong emotional core, twists and turns that are not just surprising but makes complete sense, and a film that overall doesn’t have a clear protagonist or antagonist. The Prestige offers Nolan’s most packed film in terms of themes, craftsmanship and it’s twisty as hell narrative. With the way everything unfolds through the entire picture, the whole experience plays like a manifesto itself. Making you wonder if one day Christopher Nolan will acts as a professional magician himself once he retires from making films. While not quite his best work, The Prestige is arguably Nolan’s most underrated film to date with how little the film gets talk about when it comes to top-tier Christopher Nolan.
4.) Memento
If you want to see a textbook example of how to make a film within a film, look no further than Memento. This is the kind of mind f**k that very few directors could pull off but Nolan is somehow able to do it. Guy Pearce is at his absolute best here as a man suffering from a rare memory loss that is trying to find the man who raped and killed his wife. The score is great, the mystery is able to build perfectly with each previous scene, and it’s just one of those rare films that will reward you every time you watch it regardless of what way you prefer to watch it. There’s not many films that constantly wants to keep me coming back for more after each viewing but Memento is one of those rare films. This is a film that might give you a headache when first watching it but it’s certainly the best headache you will ever have.
3.) Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by acting as a character study first and a biopic second. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly, it does a good job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful man himself, the three hour runtime is put to good use, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker can do. While may not quite be my very favorite from Nolan himself, this is certainly one of his most impressive work to date and one that I wouldn’t fault anyone who declares it as their new favorite.
2.) The Dark Knight
I know it’s become cliché to claim that The Dark Knight is one of the best superhero movies ever, but many people said that for a reason, it is just that damn good. It just works perfectly is at being an unique, distinct story about Batman being challenged mentally, emotionally, physically, thematically, and symbolically. The two other main characters throughout the picture in Joker and Harvey Dent represents both the hero that Batman so desperately wants to be along with the villain that he fears that he will one day come. It’s a Batman movie that perfectly mirrors itself with out it tells this identical tale of crime, corruption, and vengeance in the most complex and fascinating way imaginable. There are definitely Batman movies out there that people have liked/disliked more than others but I don’t think anyone can argue that there hasn’t been a Batman movie that has a much of an impact as The Dark Knight. From the twists and turns to it’s resonate themes to Heath Ledger’s amazing turn as Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight, even 14 years later, still stands strong!
1.) Inception
I always go back and forth on #1 and #2 depending on my mood but for right now, I’m gonna go with Inception. This is easily one of the very best sci films every made and one of the rare films where it’s brilliant ideas is able to be brilliantly executed in every way. The creativity on display is astonishing, the premise involving Inception is put to perfect use, the world building is some of the very best I’ve seen in any film, the action is top notch, the effects are breathtaking, the characters are all compelling and engaging, every actor is perfect in their roles, the score is absolutely mesmerizing, and it has one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen in any film. This is one of the films where no matter how many times I watch it, I still get a fresh, unique, and intriguing experience out of it. This blew mind when I saw for the first time in 2010 and it still blows my mind now. Inception is the best film by Christopher Nolan to date and is one I can recommend to anyone that is a lover of films.
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