Ranking Christopher Nolan Movies

 

In this World War II film Nolan again messes with time, but in this case he weaves together stories with different time frames. The “Soldiers on the beach” story takes place in a week, The “Civilian Boat Captain” story takes place in a day, and the “Fighter Pilot” story unfold in an hour.  The effect of the mixture compelling.

 

 

The pilot turns around to protect British ships from aerial attack even though it means he’ll run out of fuel and land in enemy territory.

 

Batman Begins, from the outset, was determined to remove the cartoonish nature of previous Batman movies (and superhero movies themselves) and place the series in a realistic framework that gave depth the ideas and concepts of the characters.

 

 

Bruce Wayne’s refusal to kill an unknown criminal separates him from the league of shadows and sets the moral framework for who Batman would become.

 

Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker.  Ledger gave the performance of his career as the mysterious and anarchic villain and counterpoint to Batman.  Ledger died before the release of the movie.  It went on to be one of the highest grossing films of all-time and showed that a superhero movie could be art.

 

 

Alfred attempts to explain the Joker to Bruce Wayne by telling the story of a thief he encountered in Burma. He concludes by saying, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

 

The tightly written script that structures itself after the parts of a great illusion.  The tension steadily builds the entire movie as Nolan expertly interweaves the story from the perspective of the rival magicians.

 

 

The Prestige (the reveal).  Without giving it away, when the final piece of the puzzle is revealed it hits you like an anvil to the chest.

 

Nolan took cutting edge theoretical physics that very few people even understand and created a dramatic, grand, moving, and emotional masterpiece for a broad audience.  This is also the most scientifically accurate sci-fi film ever made.

 

 

Cooper returns from Miller’s planet to find out that hours on the planet took up decades back on earth. The weight is overwhelming as he watches video memos from his now grown children.

 

This truly original movie is probably the signature movie of Nolan’s career to this point.  It blends a unique, highly sophisticated premise with grand scale and a broad entertainment factor.

 

 

When Cobb is in limbo talking with the projection of Mal and you find out he is responsible for the idea that led to her demise.