Christopher Nolan’s Films Ranked

by Jasmine Edwards

Christopher Nolan’s contributions to cinema are undeniably impressive. As both a writer and director, Nolan has touched hearts and fascinated fans globally. His films often deal in liminal space and lost time, heavily featuring visuals of boats, caves, and large bodies of water, cluttered sound design, and a complex unveiling of his characters’ innermost secrets through nonlinear narratives. Bit confused, wholly immersed, and holding your breath? You’re watching a Nolan film.

These tense thrillers and action films are rife with Nolan’s ever-utilized cross cut, or parallel editing, which allows him to depict crucial moments as they unfold and inevitably intersect. Suspense builds and thematic resonance soars—generally accompanied by breathtaking, rhythmic scores composed by Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Göransson, and others. Nolan also tends to collaborate with many of the same actors across films; Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy appear over and over again.

Three years after his last release, Nolan has taken on The Odyssey (2026), an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic. Following Odysseus’ victory at Troy, the perils on his journey home keep him from his wife and son, who, by the looks of the trailer, feature just as prominently as Odysseus himself. The Odyssey is a story perfectly suited for Nolan’s vision: his tendency towards practical effects, grand cinematography, and strong audio motifs rise to meet the levels of Homer’s original epic. 

Personally, my favorite part of Nolan’s style is how he drops you into his movies and dares you to keep up. What intrigues me about The Odyssey, then, is how prevalent in society this story is, and how many times it has been adapted. How will Nolan still keep me guessing, or racing to figure everything out before the credits roll? I trust this director—but there’s still hesitation, heartbreak, even, from a few choices in his previous projects. So as the new film’s theatrical release date of July 17 approaches, I’m looking back on Christopher Nolan’s filmography, and ranking all 12* from worst to best according to my own preferences, with a proper dose of professional criticism mixed in.

*This list does not include Nolan’s short films, and instead exclusively focuses on the director’s feature length films.

12. Oppenheimer (2023)

This is the only time I’ve ever contemplated leaving a Nolan film while sitting in the theater. Long and meandering, Oppenheimer was an empty aesthetic wasteland with only a few saving graces (mainly, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh’s performances). What was touted as Nolan’s magnum opus was instead a dreary and dull dive into a tortured white man’s life—a life which was not nearly as interesting as everyone else impacted by the atomic bomb. When I’ve loved everything else by Nolan so much, this film felt like ordering my favorite dish at a restaurant and getting a drink thrown in my face instead.

11. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

I adore Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, yet the final installment lacks the finesse afforded to the first two. Between the baffling choice to cast a white man as a Brazilian character to Bane’s unfulfilling death scene, The Dark Knight Rises just didn’t deliver the way audiences expected. Nolan also included a mind-numbingly pointless love triangle, which seemed to be the only way he knew how to include multiple female characters. Still, it’s higher quality than a lot of Warner Bros’ recent comic book adaptations. I also quote TDKR’s Catwoman constantly, so at least the script was memorable.

10. Following (1998)

For film buffs, Following is Nolan’s directorial debut on a feature-length film,and it’s awesome. Anyone who has stayed in someone else’s house for the weekend, walked a stranger’s pet for work, or even snooped a little on their neighbors recognizes this innate urge to see or be around other people’s stuff. But when two men ingratiate themselves a little too deeply into that curiosity, everything spirals out of control in the best way possible. Nolan, however, does forget women exist in this one. Points automatically docked in that case.

9. Insomnia (2002)

Another note for film buffs: this is the only Nolan film that he is not also credited as a writer. I doubt you’d be surprised to learn that I don’t favor crime stories, especially those that paint police or detectives in a positive light. Hillary Seitz’s vaguely predictable screenplay, however, hits the right points that both Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Seven (1995) do by criticizing cowardice-turned-corruption and depicting a rookie investigator becoming disillusioned with the so-called justice system. That is perhaps because it is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film, and both neo-noir psychological mysteries, even years and languages apart, have a solid bite with not as many of the typical veneers to hide behind.

8. Batman Begins (2005)

Plenty of people blame Nolan for pushing the superhero genre into a gritty, grounded corner, but what Nolan did with Batman Begins was try something new. Before Christian Bale stepped into the cape and cowl, Batman movies were relatively camp, matching the tone of the early Detective Comics. Nolan brought Bruce Wayne into the modern era and delved into the psychology of his most iconic villains—to great success, I might add. But Nolan’s continued lack of three-dimensional female characters keeps this ranked a little lower than most readers might expect.

7. Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar is a difficult film to rank. Ostensibly, it is one of Nolan’s most prolific and emotionally pulverizing films. Matthew McConaughey’s sobbing breakdown, while heavily memed on the internet, is still devastating to witness. The film also posits love as the most important thing in the world, even across space and time. Yet I often felt on the outside looking into Interstellar, too distracted by the shots and semantics to give myself over to the emotions elicited from this father-daughter duo. Perhaps, like every Nolan film, I just need to give it another viewing to let it sink in entirely… except that hefty runtime means that isn’t happening anytime soon.

6. The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is gorgeously shot, cleverly written, and brilliantly conceived. A period piece about rival magicians seems a little silly on paper, and done by anyone else, it might be gimmicky. Arguably, the final twist veers too far into Shakespearean melodrama, but the intensity of the lies, secrets, and betrayals—as well as the obsessive and compulsive feelings that run through this film—more than make up for any of its flaws.

5. Dunkirk (2017)

The way Dunkirk utilizes symbology and silence will go down in history. Very few of the characters have actual names; instead, they all represent something: PTSD and the casualties of war. Nolan pushes parallel editing to an extreme in Dunkirk with three locations (land, air, sea) playing out simultaneously onscreen even though they all begin at different diegetic time periods; think hours or days apart. It’s stunning. Unfortunately, Dunkirk also romanticizes wartime and Royal Air Force efficiency to an anachronistic degree. While the civilian aid in France was a humanitarian triumph, WWII was anything but, and this spectacle lends an IMAX 65mm shine to the entire thing that is just too patriotic and nationalistic to score any higher.

4. Memento (2000)

Alright, yes, I understand that I’ve been bemoaning how Nolan treats his female characters thus far, but  I have to make a notable exception within this ranking for Memento. Firstly, the tattoos-as-reminders theme is genius, and doesn’t demonize tattoos like many early 2000s releases. Secondly, Memento is truly the kind of film that keeps you rooted to the spot. It is riveting and sensational, gripping like a meat hook under your ribcage. And when it ends, you have no choice but to leap off the couch to restart it for an immediate rewatch … as if for the first time again. 

3. The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight is often lauded as the best superhero film ever made, and, in my opinion, it very nearly is. However, there are a few key political and racialized elements of this film that have not aged well, such as the stereotypical Chinese criminals and Italian mobsters, the “buy American” courtroom gun scene, and a scene set in Trump Tower. That being said, Heath Ledger’s performance in this film is undeniably next level. Nolan’s direction also interlaces depth, despair, and darkness with such beauty and hope that it leaves you stunned. The Dark Knight isn’t just an entertaining summer blockbuster; it’s a cinematic triumph that deserves every ounce of its fame and recognition.

2. Inception (2010)

I genuinely don’t believe Inception is as confusing as most audiences accuse it of being. Neither do I believe it is inherently confounding or written to be misunderstood. You just have to pay attention. And who wouldn’t want to? Hidden behind layers of espionage-type globe-trotting action, Inception pretends to be some political thriller before jerking you underwater. Drown or swim; your call! Carried by intense character dynamics and dreamy (pun intended) wide shots, this meditation on loss, grief, and family has earned its number two spot with ease.

1. Tenet (2020)

You might be thinking this is a baffling choice,but I will die on this hill, and you will perish along with me once you understand the pure genius that is Tenet. I could go on forever about how perfect this film is, but suffice it to say,Tenet is a purely original and unique time travel story that mesmerizes through every moment. Additionally, Kat and The Protagonist are two of Nolan’s most fascinating and well-written characters in the history of his films, worth celebrating considering they are a woman and a Black man. Sweepingly emotional, incredibly poignant, Tenet is directed like Nolan’s very life depends on nailing each detail, including a synchronized inverted fight sequence and trainyard torture session. Good news, Nolan; you’ve lived to film another masterpiece.

Give me an Odyssey that kicks me in the chest just as hard as Tenet did, and I’ll reinstate you as my favorite director..