{"id":695523,"date":"2026-07-16T21:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/695523\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T21:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:30:12","slug":"christopher-nolan-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/695523\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked From Worst to Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith the release of The Odyssey, it\u2019s time to re-assess all of director Christopher Nolan<\/a>\u2018s movies from worst to best. This wasn\u2019t an easy task. Unlike ranking five Indiana Jones movies<\/a> or seven Mission: Impossible films<\/a>, Nolan offers 13 films that range from historical dramas (Dunkirk, Oppenheimer<\/a>) to sci-fi thrillers (Interstellar, Tenet) to mysteries (The Prestige, Memento) to his Batman trilogy. Through it all, the Oscar winner has risen to become one of the world\u2019s finest filmmakers, one of the few who can dependably fill theater seats on an opening weekend<\/a>, and is one of the last refuges for grown-up cinema fans. Here are all of Nolan\u2019s films, from weakest to the strongest.<\/p>\n

\t\t13. Insomnia (2002)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIt says a lot about Nolan that the \u201cworst\u201d film he directed is still rather good and worth seeing. Insomnia is a remake of the Norwegian title and is perhaps notable in that it\u2019s the only movie Nolan directed that he didn\u2019t write or co-write. Here, a veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) teams with a small-town investigator (Hilary Swank) to solve a murder in remote Alaska. It\u2019s an effective, moody detective drama, but it lacks Nolan\u2019s usual ambitious scope and feels like a for-hire job.<\/p>\n

\t\t12. Tenet\u00a0(2020)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tJohn David Washington is compelling as a secret agent (dubbed \u201cThe Protagonist,\u201d which is a bit of an eyeroll) trying to prevent World War III \u2014 a war between the present and future. Tenet is a collection of Nolan\u2019s most frustrating habits cranked to 11 \u2014 from an oppressive soundscape that eclipses dialogue, to stylish yet flat characters, to a narrative that\u2019s confusingly twisty to the point of contortion. Still, Tenet earns some shallow points for looking cool and sounding cool and trying gamely to do something original with time travel. (THR\u2019s review<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\t\t11. Following (1998)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNolan\u2019s debut feature, made for a reported $6,000, showed all the then-20-something director\u2019s promise. Shot in black-and-white, Following features some themes Nolan would continue to explore for decades to come. Its protagonist is a single-minded obsessive alienated from society who follows a code (sound familiar?), and it has a surprising third act and smart expositional dialogue that feels distinctly Nolan. The feature centers on a man who follows strangers around London and becomes embroiled in more than he expected after breaking his rule never to follow the same person twice. At just 70 minutes, some might argue it\u2019s not a feature-length movie, but Nolan \u2014 who put three years of his life into scraping it together \u2014 has said it\u2019s just as valid as anything he\u2019s made.<\/p>\n

\t\t10. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tTom Hardy is marvelous as the menacing terrorist Bane and pulls off the unenviable task of having to follow Heath Ledger\u2019s Joker. There are also some strong sequences in the climax to Nolan\u2019s Batman trilogy \u2014 such as the riveting plane hijacking opener, and Bruce\u2019s trial in The Pit. Also, the film deserves credit for thinking big \u2014 criminals taking complete control of Gotham City for months is a storyline that really goes for it (so long as you don\u2019t think too much about the believability of the city\u2019s police force being conveniently trapped in a sewer all that time). A fine conclusion to the Batman trilogy that\u2019s just that \u2014 fine (THR\u2019s review<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\t\t9. Memento (2000)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe one that got everybody\u2019s attention: Nolan\u2019s sophomore effort (based on a story by his brother Jonathan) is a twisty noir thriller starring Guy Pearce as a man unable to make new memories trying to solve his wife\u2019s murder. It\u2019s a compelling puzzle that showed a filmmaker who can blend an accessible genre movie with a challenging narrative and pull it off, all leading to an ending that\u2019s, well, unforgettable.<\/p>\n

\t\t8. Dunkirk (2017)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDunkirk is masterfully well made from its very first shot, which smash cuts onto a street with falling leaflets amid a ticking clock as British World War II soldiers attempt to flee France as German forces close in. Nolan\u2019s skill in staging action results in one gripping sequence after another. Yet several of the heroes feel unknowable and interchangeable, which keeps the audience at an emotional distance even as Nolan employs so many cinematic techniques in an effort to pull us closer. (THR\u2019s review.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\t\t7. Batman Begins\u00a0(2005)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first hour of Batman Begins is a fantastic launch to not only a grown-up Dark Knight trilogy but also a total re-imagining of what superhero movies can be if they\u2019re treated like larger-than-life crime dramas with practical effects instead of quip-filled, save-the-world, CGI-fueled dramedies. Christian Bale quickly proved he\u2019s a fine heir to the cowl and there\u2019s never been a better Alfred than Michael Caine. Still, the film\u2019s final act staggers a bit. <\/p>\n

\t\t6. Inception (2010)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom here on, Nolan is hitting nothing but home runs. Inception finds the director bringing together so many of his signature talents into one highly original blockbuster as it follows Leonardo DiCaprio as a man who steals information from people\u2019s subconscious for corporate clients. It\u2019s visually spectacular, exceedingly clever, and has the filmmaker\u2019s coolest ending. Hans Zimmer\u2019s score became a meme for that iconic bwaaaahm, but it\u2019s also one of the composer\u2019s greatest efforts, one that was robbed for a best score Oscar (listen to \u201cTime\u201d). (THR\u2019s review<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\t\t5. Interstellar (2014)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNolan is often accused of being a cold filmmaker and can be. But there\u2019s nothing chilly about Matthew McConaughey\u2019s powerful performance as an astronaut who leaves behind his daughter (Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain) in a quest to save humanity by finding a new world to replace a dying Earth. While the story has some plot holes<\/a>, the resulting combination of 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired cinematic wonder and emotional heft makes this one of Nolan\u2019s most popular films, a title whose reputation has grown since its release. (THR\u2019s review.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\t\t4. The Prestige\u00a0(2006)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Prestige is a marvelous mystery based on Christopher Priest\u2019s novel about dueling turn-of-the-century obsessive magicians with terrific performances by a dogmatic Bale, a searing Hugh Jackman (\u201cYou don\u2019t know?!\u201c), and an all-too-wise Caine. The Nolan brothers\u2019 perfect script uses voiceover and narrative in such a confident and propulsive way, and there\u2019s an ending twist you won\u2019t see coming (and then wonder how you could have missed it). The Prestige was a modest hit upon release and has grown over the years to become a favorite of Nolan fans.<\/p>\n

\t\t3. Oppenheimer\u00a0(2023)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tOppenheimer<\/a> is too long, overly chatty and its final act goes from fate-of-the-world stakes to men sitting around tables arguing over a security clearance (imagine if Batman defeated Scarecrow in Batman Begins and then spent another 40 minutes discussing how to best fix Gotham City\u2019s damaged monorail system). And yet, Nolan creates a dramatic masterpiece that has something his other, more pulpy films largely lack: real-world urgency. In the film, based on the biography American Prometheus, Nolan tells the story of a major historical figure, champions science and movingly reminds the world of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction. The score by Ludwig G\u00f6ransson might be the best yet for a Nolan film. And Nolan\u2019s hellish post-Trinity test pep rally scene is perhaps the most smartly directed and emotionally powerful sequence of his career. (THR\u2019s review<\/a> and cover story<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\t\t2. The Odyssey (2026)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNolan uses all his cinematic powers to bring Homer\u2019s seemingly impossible-to-adapt 2,800-year-old tale to life in a way that somehow feels contemporary and grounded. The writer-director\u2019s almost ridiculously star-stuffed cast and Herculean practical production efforts make the film feel like a throwback to Hollywood\u2019s mid-century run of sandal-and-toga epics such as Spartacus and Ben-Hur (one half expects Peter Ustinov to show up). Nolan delivers one fantastical set piece after another to test Matt Damon\u2019s Odysseus, while keeping the audience equally compelled by the palace intrigue back at Ithaca as Anne Hathaway\u2019s Penelope holds off a brutish gaggle of suitors. When the two storylines collide, Nolan stages a clash of A-list titans that throws the director\u2019s usual cerebral machinations aside and instead satisfies his audience with some good old-fashion bloodlust. Filmmakers literally don\u2019t \u2014 or can\u2019t \u2014make them like this anymore.<\/p>\n

\t\t1. The Dark Knight (2008)\t<\/p>\n

\n\tBecause, to paraphrase the clown, The Dark Knight<\/a> is \u201cjust too much fun.\u201d This is still the best superhero movie ever made, with Heath Ledger delivering a legendary (and posthumous Oscar-winning) performance as the Joker that looms over every frame, despite the character only appearing in 33 of the film\u2019s 152 minutes. The script (written by the Nolan brothers, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer) is fantastic, with so many iconic lines (\u201cYou either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain\u201d \u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the plan\u2026\u201d). Every supporting cast member pops, Zimmer\u2019s score is ominously tense, and the action sequences are grounded and effective. A massive hit upon release, The Dark Knight was Nolan\u2019s first film to hit $1 billion \u2014 more than double the box office take of Batman Begins. So many of Nolan\u2019s movies have lengthy run times, but this is a film you never want to end. (THR\u2019s review<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tAaron Couch contributed to this story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the release of The Odyssey, it\u2019s time to re-assess all of director Christopher Nolan\u2018s movies from worst…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[2826,96,2839,2830,79764,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-695523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-christopher-nolan","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-oppenheimer","tag-the-dark-knight","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}