Top 10 Christopher Nolan films, ranked from worst to best

Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Deemed as one of the most astute filmmakers working in the industry, he serves as the epitome of great intellect and coveted ingenuity. His films are highly regarded as the paradigms of science fiction films because of the way they display certain scientific ideologies and ventures into realms that seem too risky. Other than his extreme passion for risky stories, one thing that really makes me appreciate his endeavors is the fact that in an era of reboots and remakes or where films are sprung up based on the same stories again and again, Nolan tries to come up with original stories, ones that are fabricated in the deepest recesses of his mind. His films showcase great dedication and diligence, and although mainly known for the creation of mind-bending sci-fi thrillers, Nolan has also produced works based on comic book characters and suspenseful stories that still stand as timeless gems. But as with every other directors or genres, it all narrows down to one question- “How do I rank these projects?” Or, more accurately, “If provided with a few Nolan films, what is my priority list or which films will I watch at first?” Based on this, I have decided to produce a list of my own, ranking the top ten Nolan films, from worst to best. Do keep in mind that this list is highly subjective, and my taste might not match with someone else’s.

All things are set? Enjoy the list starting with:

10) TENET

Starting off this list with Chris Nolan’s latest 2020 blockbuster. Deemed as one of the most convoluted films of all time and one of the hardest to understand, Tenet has been the most talked about film of 2020. Fans and critics have taken their turns to interpret the story in the most logically sound ways, yet some mysteries surrounding the film have remained unsolved. With a script that took nearly five years to complete, Nolan has taken care of every weak links in the film and shared his view on our unorthodox actions and the retaliation of posterity to prevent the harmful effects of those actions in a mind-bending action thriller. Starring John David Washington as an unnamed protagonist (or a character simply named as ‘The Protagonist’) and Robert Pattinson as his partner in saving the world, Tenet displays a world we can only ever dream where time simultaneously sways forwards and backwards. This concept of time manipulation and changing of people’s entropy is carefully molded into a James Bond-style espionage story that keeps you glued to your screen throughout the 150 minutes runtime. Some of the action scenes, accompanied by Ludwig Göransson’s mind-blowing score, were straight out feasts for the eye.

However certain flaws cannot be avoided by even a hardcore fan like me. Firstly, lost in developing some complex scenes where people move forwards and backwards at the same time and making them coherent, Nolan completely forgoes character development, and the lack of emotional connections between the audiences and the characters can be attributed to this fault. There is a lack of depth and at the end of the film, except for Elizabeth Debicki’s Kat, no other characters are relatable. Moreover, certain scenes were present where the music was so loud that one could not comprehend what the characters were speaking, which was quiet an issue for me. In the end, if you want to watch a film that can rather be called a risky venture into the dark sides of science, forgoing mistakes in the script, then Tenet is a must-watch for you.

9) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The conclusion to what’s regarded as ‘the greatest comic-book based trilogy ever’. The Dark Knight Rises might be one of Nolan’s least thrilling films and it might have many inconsistencies accompanied by harrowing plot holes, but it still is one of the greatest superhero films of all time and one that still inspires filmmakers. Starring Christian Bale as the titular hero Bruce Wayne/Batman, the film serves its purpose as a great concluding chapter to an epic trilogy, not just with visually stunning CGI effects or great acting from a stellar cast, but by taking a great risk with its main character and by succeeding to please fans with it. The Dark Knight Rises does something daunting that only Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 2’ has done before it and succeeded by doing so, that is reducing the number of scenes with Batman in them to take a tour into the world of Bruce Wayne. Nolan takes ample time to give a finishing touch to the character arc of Bruce Wayne before putting him back into the suit to defeat Bane (played by Tom Hardy who, by the way, puts up a phenomenal performance too), and along the way the audience get to sympathize for Wayne, which eventually helps Nolan’s purpose to set up a hero with flaws but one willing to put his life on the line for his beloved city that pointed him as a suspect for the murder of Harvey Dent.

However, many plot contrivances make the film drop at times. While action enthusiasts are left disappointed with the unexpected fall in the number of action scenes, there are bigger problems at hand. How is the city under Bane’s jurisdiction? While he says the people are free, how are everyday activities carried out? Also how does Bruce Wayne make it back into the city from the pit which seems to be located somewhere in the Middle East? Such questions can irk a viewer and cause distractions. Moreover, introduction to a larger set of new characters seems unnecessary. What was the point, for example, of setting up Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Robin if the character is to remain dormant and untouched?

Avoiding all these issues, the Dark Knight Rises is quiet a spectacle and still stands solid in the realm of comic book films.

8) INSOMNIA

Quiet easily Nolan’s most underrated film of all time. In the early years of his career, Nolan wanted to set up his status as a writer who pays close attention to intricate details in order to weave a story that keeps the audience glued with suspense. Nolan utilizes the ensemble cast at his disposal, a cast which comprises of Al Pacino, who plays the role of a policeman haunted with nightmares and guilty of having possible links to the murder of his colleague, Robin Williams who plays the role of a notorious criminal hidden in plain sight somewhere near Alaska and Hilary Swank who is a new face to the police force and someone who idolizes Pacino’s character Will Dormer and decides to solve the homicides case. While the film is quiet plain and simple with very little to no twists, Nolan’s endeavor as he sketches Dormer to make him look like a vulnerable, on-the-verge-of-collapse hero is praiseworthy. While it is not as rewatchable as any other Nolan films, it’s one that gave us the first glimpse of how well Nolan can handle a stellar cast and create a film that is quiet enjoyable.

7) INTERSTELLAR

This 2014 blockbuster can be quiet rightly called ‘Nolan’s love letter to sci-fi films.’ In this highly immersive space thriller, Matthew McConaughey portrays Cooper, a father, a NASA pilot and a systems engineer, along with Anne Hathaway who portrays Brand, daughter of a famous Astrophysicist. This is a project where Nolan absolutely vomits out all his ideas, and then compiles them into one mind-boggling film that stands out as a visually stunning tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. I have to say this, the incorporation of CGI is absolutely mesmerizing in Interstellar. Beautiful, captivating wide shots of gargantuan planets and blackholes left me drooling, while Hans Zimmer’s exceptionally well-made scores made the scenes in outer space a million times more memorable. McConaughey puts into display a masterclass acting along with Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, whose character Murph and the father-daughter drama fills in for emotional investment in a film heavy with scientific ideas. Nolan’s extensive knowledge of Astrophysics is conspicuous as the String theory, Gravitational slingshot theory and the theories regarding blackholes are constantly brought up in this film.

The problem with this film is that it explains too much- As H.P. Lovecraft once said, “With all things mysterious… explain nothing.” Nolan uses about 25-40 minutes of the entire runtime to insert expositions after expositions, which makes the film experience for viewers rather bleak. There is no room left for contemplation, which kind of irked me.

Other than that, Nolan’s Interstellar is one riddled with a myriad of puzzles, and is worth re-watching every once in a while.

6) MEMENTO

Another masterpiece by Christopher Nolan, that has been remade again and again in several different languages ever since its release in 2000. Originally inspired by a story told by his brother Jonathan Nolan, Chris Nolan decided to make a film based on a guy out on a hunt to catch the killer who killed his wife. What’s so special about it? Well, our main hero is a mentally damaged individual who struggles to remember anything and tattoos any details he can find about his wife’s murderer in his body just to utilize it later. This main hero Leonard, played by Guy Pearce, is an emotionally investing character and Pearce’s highly underrated performance helps create tension in this epic high-tailed chase. Nolan resorts to some inconsistencies in this film, but they are not inadvertent but rather intentional to make the audience feel as helpless as Leonard. There are black-and-white scenes moving forward and colored scenes moving backwards that sort of creates a frenzy, only for the audience to walk in the shoes of Leonard and feel the difficulty in keeping up with useful evidences, which makes the film an immersive gift from Nolan. It is easily one of my favorite films of all time and certainly one worth re-watching as with every re-watch, a new detail springs up.

5) BATMAN BEGINS

One of the greatest introductory films to any comic book character ever. This was quite a risky move for Nolan since he had not ventured into the comic book worlds yet, and this was coming out after the terribly flop ‘Batman and Robin’. Hence it was a calculated gamble on behalf of Nolan, and he handled it unexpectedly well. Batman Begins is not just a great superhero origin story, but it is one that makes our beloved hero flawed and vulnerable, hence making him relatable. Christian Bale does an excellent job in portraying a broken Bruce Wayne, one who is struggling with the ways of life in Gotham all the while pursuing vengeance against the man who murdered his parents. The horrors of a crime-infested Gotham is beautifully represented in this film, and the characters are emotionally investing as well. The suit and the costume design is magnificent, and the CGI incorporated in order to make Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow look ominous is praiseworthy, along with the ones incorporated in action scenes. All in all, Batman Begins is a highly coveted origin story, one that still inspires superhero films.

4) DUNKIRK

Dunkirk can be easily expressed in one sentence- “Easy to comprehend but hard to process”. Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is a visually investing experience of a lifetime that can arguably be regarded as one of the greatest war films of all time. Capturing the horrors of the allied forces during the Dunkirk evacuation during the Second World War, and the conspicuous bravery of those involved in the rescue missions, Dunkirk does an excellent job taking the audience into an immersive, ‘once in a lifetime’ experience where audiences get an equal share of the horrors of war. It’s like Nolan didn’t cast a few actors to portray the real life heroes, but rather he casts the audience as members of the teams stranded in the beaches of Dunkirk. Constantly we are in awe and fear of what’s coming next, and this is made better with mouth-wateringly beautiful CGI. There are beautiful wide shots of dogfights between planes that will leave your jaw dropping, and the story is divided into three sections, so each time you feel like you are into a different yet cohesive storyline. Hats off to Nolan for utilizing whatever resource was at disposal to create a masterpiece, one that will forever remain golden.

3)THE PRESTIGE

Coming at number three is one of Nolan’s timeless classics, one will remain as an elite for generations to come. Surely Nolan might not make a great magician since he will go on to explain his tricks in details, but he is a great filmmaker whose true magic lies within his directorial prowess. This beautiful film starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as two rival magicians is riveting to say the least, and additional inputs from Scarlett Johannsson and Rebecca Hall ups the scale in this one. Nolan leaves no room for boredom in this nearly three hours suspense ride, and his beautiful camera works serve the purpose of his tricks as a magician undiscovered. The acting in this film, the color grading and editing is terrific and overall creates a transcending cinematic experience.

2) THE DARK KNIGHT

Best comic book adaptation ever? Probably. But without a doubt Nolan’s masterpiece depicts some of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. Deemed as a crime drama rather than a superhero movie, this 2008 cinematic milestone showcases one of the greatest performances of the 21st century from the late Heath Ledger (rest in peace). Where do I even start with this? From costume designing to beautiful cinematography, this film is a treat for any film lover. It contains some of the most memorable scenes in movies (especially that Joker card trick scene) and proudly presents some of the most memorable dialogues of all time (“Why so serious?”). Each and every act in this film coalesce together so well that you are left drooling, wanting to get more out of this masterpiece. The film features some dark themes and insinuates at some problems in the society that needs to be taken care of, all the while showcasing thrilling action sequences that cause adrenaline rush. You also get behind these characters, and understand where they are coming from and what drives them into doing what they do to drive the film. Nolan again shows his skills in handling CGI to make them look realistic and managing thematic aspects of the story in a way to keep the audiences invested. Overall, this remains as one of the greatest films ever made.

1) INCEPTION

What makes Inception a timeless gem? Is it the prowess shown in venturing into one’s dreams and planting an idea? Or is it the journey into the various folds of reality that causes intriguing discoveries to be made? Inception is one film that has made me ponder again and again. Not just that astute, suspenseful ending that showcases Nolan’s conspicuous smartness and boldness in assuming that it would leave the audience jarred, but the overall of this film is one hell of a puzzle. It’s beautifully crafted by our maestro Nolan, who, in the process of designing this puzzle, has earned a fan in me. Films like Inception are the ones that inspire me to step into filmmaking and story telling. The narrative to this film is amazing, the performances are absolutely brilliant. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his greatest performance ever as Cobb, an expert who can delve into people’s dreams and steal or plant ideas, along with partners in crime who pull of one of the greatest trickeries ever displayed in the screen. Nolan is already a master in using CGI to provide mind-bending twists in reality, and he does a great job in explaining the dream layers, only this time he leaves room for pondering and deep contemplation. Each and every members of the cast, including Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy, deserves a round of applause. Inception is not only my favorite Nolan film of all time, it is also one of the greatest films ever made.