Devin Baker brings us a sci-fi maestro showcase as delivers us his Top 10 Christopher Nolan movies.
When movie critics and fans alike hear that an upcoming film has Christopher Nolan’s name attached to it, the interest is almost immediately there considering how often the five time oscar nominee has delivered critically acclaimed hits in his just over twenty year tenure.
Top 10 Christopher Nolan Movies
With Nolan’s newest film Tenet set to release in some capacity next month, I thought I’d try ranking the legendary British filmmaker’s full length feature films from Pretty good to greatest.
10. Following (1998)
Christopher Nolan debuted his directing talents in 1998 with this mystery thriller centering around a young writer who follows unsuspecting citizens in an attempt to learn more about them or just people in general. However nothing is ever that simple when it comes to Nolan and this work related hobby soon becomes something more, something dangerous.
This debut captured the potential Nolan had as a filmmaker, and was a start in crafting his grounded yet twist heavy style of filmmaking.
Chances are it won’t wow you like some of the other entries on the list, and if you didn’t know it was Nolan’s work it might not feel like it, but it’s a solid film and even more so considering it was the directors true feature film debut.
9. Insomnia (2002)
Sticking with the same theme of mystery thriller, this early 2000’s detective focused crime flick featured great performances by an all star cast lead by Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank.
The film follows a Los Angeles homicide detective who’s dispatched to a small town to investigate the death of a young girl, the detective however brings his personal baggage along with him and finds himself in a mental conflict with a cunning and meticulous killer.
A remake of a Norwegian film of the same name and roughly the same plot, this psychological thriller is one that tackles questions of morality and if any act of violence is ever really black and white.
8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The third and final entry in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, this film although still grounded in its already established world, up the stakes with a more global threat than the other two films that came before it. Putting a capper on a series of movies that were both critically acclaimed is not the easiest feat to accomplish, especially in a manner that is pleasing and satisfactory to a serious fanbase.
That was the task Nolan took on when he decided that this film would be the last in his batman story, and although it wasn’t the best in the trilogy it did deliver a rather definite and Nolan-like ending to the trilogy.
The already established star studded cast was joined by the likes of Joseph Gordon Levitt, Anne Hatheway, Marion Cotillard, and of course Tom Hardy who starred as Bane. A fitting capper to one of the better movies and arguably the best superhero trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises in all its flair is still one of Nolan’s better films.
7. Interstellar (2014)
Nolan decided to take his creative vision to the stars in this visually stunning space and time adventure. Interstellar follows a team of explorers who in an attempt to save the human race must travel through a wormhole in an effort to find another habitable planet, however nothing is ever really that simple in any movie Nolan has his hands on and things quickly go everywhere.
A recurring theme here, the movie is aided by an A level class headed by Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hatheway, Jessica Chastain, and of course Michael Caine. Centered around Nolan’s favorite theme, time, Interstellar is a film that challenges its viewers to think outside the box and to embrace the concept that time and space itself is malleable, as well to believe in what seems like the impossible.
Throw in a little bit of the old Nolan twist, an amazing Han Zimmer soundtrack, oscar worthy visual effects, and there you have it, another Nolan classic.
6. Batman Begins (2005)
After the Batman movie franchise was put to bed in ‘97 for reasons we all know, there was a real sense of uncertainty when it was announced that a new film would be made eight years later, but sure are we glad that Nolan got the chance to revive it in the end. Sticking with his theme of grounded realism, Nolan brought the lore and awe of one of the most well known and beloved characters to a world that was much like the world we live in.
This being the first in a trilogy of films centered around the caped crusader, Batman Begins is an origins tale and explained how an orphaned billionaire could come to be a night time vigilante in a city filled with crime and corruption.
Nolan regulars, Michale Caine and Christian Bale were aided by an awesome cast featuring Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy. Often overlooked by the other two films in the trilogy, this series reviving thriller is one of the better to come out of the superhero genre and laid the groundwork for what some consider to be the best trilogy of superhero films.
5. The Prestige (2006)
Nolan took a rather odd direction with his 2006 mystery sci fi thriller that happened to be centered around…magicians. Probably not the first thing you think of when you think of great plot material, but this magic/technology themed film centered around the feud between two great and ultra competitive stage magicians never feels like it’s getting too big for its boots.
The film boasts a deeply talented cast that features Nolan regulars, Michale Caine and Christian Bale but that also includes greats like Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson.
Often overlooked as a movie that tries to be smarter than it actually is, The Prestige is actually a very grounded movie that challenges its audience to think as it does, because that is what almost all of Nolan’s films do.
A visually stunning film as well as a thrilling one, The Prestige earned oscar nods for best achievement in photography and in art direction.
4. Dunkirk (2017)
When it comes to war movies, they’re usually hit or miss with little room for any middle ground and rightfully so considering how much of a sensitive topic it usually is for those viewing and for those who have served.
Dunkirk is not your typical war movie in the sense that there isn’t a ton if at all really, any sort of boots on the ground fighting, it’s literally a film about the true story of the Dunkirk evacuation but it’s really much more than that.
Dunkirk follows a couple of characters all in different predicaments while the mass evacuation is under way, and it’s very well put together in the sense that it gives you an adequate commentary on the way these participants probably felt in the midst of what seemed to be the impossible.
It is very easy to forget that the men and women who fight for their countries are people just like us, and they fear death and being left behind just like we do.
Nolan does a fantastic job here capturing emotions and the feeling of hopelessness right before the miracle.
3. Inception (2010)
Outside of the next entry on this list, Inception is probably the movie most people associate with Christopher Nolan and rightfully so.
This mind bending and just all around different film, blew audiences’ minds around the world when it hit theaters a decade ago and for those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching it, it will still do the same today.
The cast was especially deep for this one, featuring Leonardo Decaprio, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, and of course Michael Caine.
What really made this movie special however was the concept it was trying to push, the idea that one’s memories can be messed with and formed by outside forces through a sort of mind and dream intrusion.
This masterpiece of cinema was a hit at the awards, racking up eight nods and four wins, and showcased Nolan’s eye for the bold and unique.
2. Memento (2000)
A little over two decades ago, Nolan backed up his solid directorial debut with one of the best and most gripping psychological thrillers of all time.
Memento in it’s little bubble is essentially about a man trying to track down his wife’s murderer, but of course if that was all we were talking about then it just wouldn’t be Nolan and surely wouldn’t be this high on the list.
Guy Pearce does an outstanding job as Leonard, a man whose memory is constantly failing him throughout each day and honestly deserved an oscar nod for his performance. Nonetheless, Memento is a very complex film to take in all at once, especially on the first viewing and is easily Nolan’s most confusing film and arguably his most introspective.
Two decades later, this film is still one that holds up and contains thoughtful commentary on the human mind and the value of memory.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
Don’t kid yourself, you knew what number one was the moment you saw this list. This masterpiece is still Nolan’s magnus opa and the standard in not only the superhero genre but in the film industry itself.
Often strictly spoken about because of Heath Ledgers’ legendary performance, The Dark Knight is more than just a cast clicking at extraordinary levels because it’s backed by a story that is doing the same thing.
The Dark Knight excels in areas that other hero flick don’t because it is relatively grounded in a world where some men really just want to watch the world burn and don’t have any greater plans of world domination or random genocide, and that is something audiences can relate to more in a world where some actions are just are unexplainable and lack any sort of reasonable justification.
It’s a commentary on the society we live in and it hits home even in the face of a man dressed up in makeup being chased around a city by a billionaire bat.
If you haven’t noticed I can go all day on this masterpiece, but in short it’s just one of the best films of all time and regardless of where it’s ranked on any list of the best films made it would surely always be on it, and deservedly so.
Christopher Nolan’s Top 20 Sci-Fi Movies by Devin Baker
