Christopher Nolan is arguably the most celebrated filmmaker in the world right now. He's seemingly more in-demand than Steven Spielberg, his movies make more money than Quentin Tarantino's, and any other movie auteur is kind of playing second fiddle.
The writer-director has such a firm hold on the industry that he can mold it to his liking almost like Cob can mold the dream world in Inception. There isn't a single bad movie in the director's filmography, and whether it's a Batman movie, an ambitious sci-fi flick, or a grounded crime thriller, there's always a deeper meaning to be found.
Tenet (2020) - 3.42
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In 2020, it had been a long time since Nolan had made a movie with such an intelligent, complex, science fiction-based blockbuster. Tenet promised a lot of things leading up to its release. It guaranteed a mind-bending narrative, some of the most ground-breaking action scenes ever, and it even promised to save cinemas, as Nolan was adamant about sticking with its September 2020 release date.
Unfortunately, it didn't follow through on all those promises. Even though Nolan's movies are generally very wordy, the exposition in Tenet was almost too much and it simply didn't make that much sense. However, the time-altering action sequences did live up to the hype, and Tenet makes the absolute best use of the IMAX camera. And even though it's a middle-of-the-road Nolan movie, it's still better than most movies.
Insomnia (2002) - 3.45
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As Nolan is best known for making sprawling epics, Insomnia is a relatively modest film from the director, and it sees him climbing up the filmmaking ladder by turning in a mid-budget crime thriller. However, Insomnia is a gripping, R-rated thriller that sees a world-class detective journey to Alaska to investigate a murder.
The movie shouldn't really be compared to Nolan's other work, as it's such an outlier and doesn't follow any of his established styles. And if anything, it feels more like a David Fincher movie than a Nolan movie, but that's in no way a bad thing. But if Nolan fans watch this based on their love of Inception or The Dark Knight, they may find it a little jarring.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - 3.68
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3.7 is a great score on Letterboxd, and that number in no way represents how polarizing The Dark Knight Rises is amongst fans. The average score is likely a result of the users rating the movie either a 5.0 or a 3.0 and below. The 2012 movie didn't split fans in half like The Last Jedi did, as audiences can see the merits of Rises, but some fans reckon there are way too many plot holes and that it's too rushed.
However, the movie still delivers everything that's expected from a Nolan film, such as the huge set pieces and Han Zimmer's epic score. And Tom Hardy turned Bane from a laughing stock to Batman's most imposing villain ever. Unfortunately, the movie was just a little lacking when it came to the screenplay.
Batman Begins (2005) - 3.79
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2005's Batman Begins changed the course of cinema forever. After the movie, every studio wanted a dark and gritty reboot of whatever franchise they owned. The movie is the first time a filmmaker ever took the comic book source material so seriously, as it had valid and scientific explanations for the Batcave, the Batmobile, and all of Bruce Wayne's other gadgets.
And somehow, it brought one of the more outlandish Batman villains, Scarecrow, into such a grounded reality. By showing Bruce training with ninjas and having the character be truly physically threatening, it was the first time that Batman wasn't just a movie star in a rubber suit. Begins is as close to perfect of an origin story as it can possibly get.
Dunkirk (2017) - 3.81
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After three Batman movies and two of the most ambitious sci-fi films ever made, Dunkirk was a more easy-going film for Nolan, which is funny given that it'd be any other director's biggest project ever. It is a magnificently shot movie about how British sailors saved thousands of soldiers in France during World War II.
However, as Nolan is obsessed with the use of time in cinema, it's almost as if he can't help himself, as Dunkirk is unnecessarily non-linear. The movie plays with time in a way that it doesn't need to, but outside of that, it's a masterclass in building suspense, and few war movies released in the 21st century have this kind of flare.
Memento (2000) - 4.12
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Memento is the movie where studios and critics first picked up on Nolan's genius. And where most of his movies are technically incredible but don't always have a lot of chemistry between the characters, Memento is by far the most intimate. The movie is a crime thriller, which follows a man with amnesia who is trying to track down his wife's killer.
The film established Nolan's style in many ways, most importantly in the way it plays with non-linearity. Memento begins with the final scene and ends with the opening scene, and it's one of the best non-linear movies. It's one of the rare cases with Nolan where the writing takes precedence over and deserves more credit than the directing.
The Prestige (2006) - 4.13
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Though many saw the twist coming from miles away, it's the journey of The Prestige that makes it so captivating and loved. The film expertly mixes fantasy with science, and it blends fictional magicians with real-life scientists like Nikola Tesla, creating a melting pot of absurd, spectacular visual effects and unrivaled storytelling.
While many of Nolan's projects are huge blockbuster action movies, they also double as character studies, as The Dark Knight is all about what going on in Bruce Wayne's fractured mind. The Prestige is Nolan's most in-depth look inside his characters' minds, and it essentially asks, somewhat humorously, how much would one man ruin his own life just to get one up on the man he hates.
Interstellar (2014) - 4.17
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There's no doubt that Interstellar is Nolan's most ambitious movie ever, as it's his longest film to date and spans dimensions. The movie follows a NASA pilot who must travel through wormholes to different galaxies to find a habitable world for humans, as there's such a lack of resources on Earth.
The 2014 film is overly sentimental at times and there's some stiff dialogue, but as a pure sci-fi movie, nothing beats it. There are so many things Interstellar gets right, as it's amazingly researched and the dazzling special effects make the hallway scene in Inception look amateur.
Inception (2010) - 4.17
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Inception was the zeitgeist of the movie industry in 2010, and it achieved something that so few original movies ever could. The film made over $800 million worldwide, which is something that no other director could likely even dream of earning without the film being attached to a franchise.
Nolan created his most intricate puzzle of a movie ever, and fans are still debating over the film's final shot to this day. And it'll probably be debated over until the end of time. On top of that, it has an all-star cast that most directors could, again, only dream of working with, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy, who will be starring in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer movie.
The Dark Knight (2008) - 4.43
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As the end of Batman Begins hinted at the Joker's introduction, The Dark Knight delivered in every way. It doesn't hit as hard today, as there has been the just-as-good depiction of the Joker from Joaquin Phoenix, but when it first hit theatres in 2008, Heath Ledger's wholly original portrayal of the character took the whole world by storm.
Ledger's incredible performance is almost a blessing and a curse, as every other performance in the movie is considered inferior by comparison. However, The Dark Knight still holds up as one of the most powerful and thought-provoking blockbuster movies ever made.