Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked From Worst to Best

by jtrjhr
0
July 25, 2023

It’s time to order all of Christopher Nolan’s films from worst to finest (BWAAAAAHM! ), with Oppenheimer now in theatres. It wasn’t simple to do this. Nolan provides 12 films, ranging from historical dramas (Dunkirk, Oppenheimer) to sci-fi thrillers (Interstellar, Tenet), to mysteries (The Prestige, Memento), to his Batman trilogy. This is in contrast to ranking five Indiana Jones films or seven Mission: Impossible films. Through it all, Nolan has developed into one of the best filmmakers in the world, one of the few who can consistently sell out theatres on an opening weekend, and is regarded as the last refuge for mature moviegoers. Here is a list of every Nolan movie, ranked from best to worst.

12. Insomnia (2002)

The fact that Nolan’s “worst” picture is still fantastic and worth seeing tells a lot about him. The movie Nolan directed, Insomnia, is unique since it is the only one he didn’t also write or co-write. It is a remake of the Norwegian film of the same name. In this case, an experienced Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) and a small-town detective (Hilary Swank) work together to solve a murder in a remote part of Alaska. It’s a fine, gloomy detective story, but Nolan doesn’t give it his customary ambitious reach.

11. Following (1998)

With an estimated budget of $6,000, Nolan’s first film displayed all of his potential as a director. At the time, he was in his twenties. It contains certain ideas Nolan would later continue to explore for decades and was shot in black and white. It features an alienated, single-minded obsessive who adheres to a code as its protagonist (sound familiar? ), a twist in the third act, and witty expositional language that is reminiscent of Nolan’s work. The main character of the film pursues strangers across London, breaking his rule to never follow the same person twice, and getting involved in more than he bargained for. Some could argue that it isn’t a feature-length film because it is only 70 minutes long, but Nolan, who spent three years pulling it together, has maintained it is just as valid as anything he has produced.

10. Tenet (2020)

As a covert agent attempting to stop World War III, a conflict between the present and the future, John David Washington is captivating. Tenet appears to be a collection of Nolan’s most annoying tendencies, including an oppressive soundtrack that drowns out dialogue, fashionable but uninteresting characters, and a narrative that is convoluted to the point of occasionally losing the audience. Nevertheless, Tenet gets some admittedly meagre points for having a good appearance, a cool voice, and making a valiant effort to use time travel in a novel way.

9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The conclusion to Nolan’s Batman trilogy features some powerful passages (like the opening aircraft hijacking and Bruce’s trial in The Pit) and Tom Hardy is fantastic as the frightening terrorist Bane. As long as you don’t give too much thought to the plausibility of a police force being conveniently imprisoned in a sewer for months, the movie deserves credit for dreaming big. The storyline about criminals completely taking over Gotham City is one that truly goes for it.

8. Memento (2000)

The film that caught everyone’s attention is Nolan’s sophomore attempt, a complex noir thriller co-written with his brother Jonathan and starring Guy Pearce as a man trying to uncover the murder of his wife who is unable to form new memories. It’s an intriguing conundrum that demonstrates a director who can successfully combine an approachable genre film with a complex story, all of which leads to an, um, unforgettable ending.

7. Dunkirk (2017)

The opening shot of Dunkirk, which shows British World War II soldiers attempting to flee the Germans as they invade France, crash cuts into dropping pamphlets on a street while the clock is ticking. One riveting sequence follows another, showcasing Nolan’s talent for staging action. Even though Nolan uses every grand cinematic device at his disposal to draw the audience in, some of the heroes seem interchangeable and unknown, which keeps the audience at a psychological distance.

6. Interstellar (2014)

Nolan is frequently accused of being a frigid director, and he occasionally is. But Matthew McConaughey’s stirring portrayal of an astronaut who abandons his daughter in order to save humanity by discovering a new planet to replace the dying Earth is anything but distant. Although the plot flaws are numerous (OK, a lot), the film’s emotional weight and 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired cinematic marvel make it one of Nolan’s most well-liked works. It is also now his most financially successful non-superhero film.

5. Inception (2010)

Nolan starts hitting home homers at this point. Inception, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a guy who implants fake memories for his corporate clients, Nolan combines several of his distinctive talents into one innovative movie. It has the coolest final shot ever taken by the director, is incredibly smart, and has stunning visuals. Although Hans Zimmer’s score for the movie “Time” became a meme because of that recognisable bwaaahm, it is also one of the composer’s best works.

4. Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins’ first hour is a terrific start to the adult Dark Knight trilogy as well as a reimagining of what superhero films can be if they’re treated like epic criminal dramas with real-world effects rather than quip-filled, save-the-world, CGI-fueled dramedies. Even though the movie’s closing act stumbles a little, Christian Bale rapidly established himself as a worthy successor to the cowl, and Michael Caine will always be the greatest Alfred.

3. The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is a wonderful mystery based on Christopher Priest’s novel about opposing obsessive magicians in the turn of the century. Dogmatic Bale, scorching Hugh Jackman (“You don’t know?!”), and all-too-wise Caine all give outstanding performances. The writing by the Nolan brothers mixes voiceover and narration in such a confident and compelling way, and it has a surprising twist at the conclusion.

2. Oppenheimer (2023)

Imagine if Batman defeated the Scarecrow in Batman Begins and then spent another 40 minutes discussing how to best fix Gotham City’s damaged monorail system. That is how long and excessively chatty Oppenheimer is. Its final act goes from fate of the world stakes to men sitting around tables arguing over a security clearance. Yet Nolan employs every well-honed weapon in his arsenal to construct a dramatic masterwork that possesses something that his other, more pulpy movies mainly lack: contemporary, real-world significance. Nolan masterfully depicts the narrative of a significant historical individual, supports science, and poignantly warns the public about the dangers of WMDs in the movie that is based on the biography American Prometheus. Perhaps Ludwig Göransson’s score for a Nolan movie is the best one yet. The horrible post-Trinity test pep rally scene in Nolan’s film is possibly the most deftly crafted and emotionally potent scene of his whole career.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

Because, as the clown says, Oppenheimer is “just too much fun,” you won’t watch it as frequently as you have undoubtedly already viewed The Dark Knight. Despite Heath Ledger’s iconic (and posthumous Oscar-winning) performance as the Joker, who barely appears in 33 minutes of the 152-minute movie, it is still the best superhero movie ever created. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself turn into the villain, according to the script, which was excellently written by the Nolan brothers and David S. Goyer. The action scenes are realistic and powerful, Zimmer’s score is menacingly tense, and every member of the supporting cast stands out. Even though this Nolan film has a long runtime, you won’t want it to finish.

It’s time to order all of Christopher Nolan’s films from worst to finest (BWAAAAAHM! ), with Oppenheimer now in theatres. It wasn’t simple to do this. Nolan provides 12 films, ranging from historical dramas (Dunkirk, Oppenheimer) to sci-fi thrillers (Interstellar, Tenet), to mysteries (The Prestige, Memento), to his Batman trilogy.…

Tags: Christopher Nolan

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