Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest and most influential directors in Hollywood, and many of his movies have had profound impacts on the entire industry. Nolan has established himself as a unique talent, directing a string of big-budget action blockbusters with rare intelligence. He’s also noteworthy for crafting fascinating concepts without the support of a big franchise. Aside from his seminal Dark Knight trilogy, all of Nolan’s movies so far have been standalone stories without pre-existing characters, but they have been well-received nonetheless.
Nolan appeals to broad general audiences and film aficionados alike, ensuring that his films are both critically and financially successful. This rare blend has allowed him a huge amount of artistic freedom, making him one of a very small number of directors who can pick and choose what they want to do with a large budget at their disposal. Nolan has taken some big risks in his career, jumping between genres and deploying unusual narrative structures. Somehow, these risks seem to pay off very often, and Nolan has influenced fellow filmmakers and the entire movie industry.
Related
All 12 Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked Worst To Best
Christopher Nolan is one of the most acclaimed, distinctive filmmakers of his generation. Here’s our ranking of his films from worst to best.
10 The Dark Knight Trilogy Redefined The Superhero Genre
Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies are still some of the best superhero movies ever
Superhero movies have dominated the box office for over a decade, but they might not have achieved such success without Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy blazing a new trail. The Dark Knight ignores superhero tropes, focusing instead on the psychology of Bruce Wayne, and a more grounded depiction of Gotham. Movies like Black Panther, Joker and The Avengers probably wouldn’t exist without the influence of Nolan’s films. They were a pivotal moment in the superhero genre’s move away from comic book-style campy fun toward more realistic depictions of superhero stories.
9 Christopher Nolan Has Championed The IMAX Format
Nolan’s films can drive audiences toward the biggest screens available
IMAX movies are often dismissed as overly extravagant and needlessly showy experiences, but Christopher Nolan’s films are specially designed for the biggest screens possible, without losing any of their impact or narrative thrust. Nolan has used revolutionary IMAX cameras for some of his biggest movies, creating unparalleled IMAX experiences. Nolan’s box office pull was enough for IMAX to cut Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning‘s run short in favor of Oppenheimer, and this gamble paid off. Tenet is returning to IMAX screens soon, underlining how Nolan’s work has become synonymous with the format.
Related
10 Actors Christopher Nolan Has Only Directed Once Who Should Be In His Next Movie
While there are some actors Christopher Nolan has worked with repeatedly, there are those who have just been in one of his films who should return.
8 Christopher Nolan Creates Cinematic Experiences Which Streaming Can’t Replicate
Nolan is proving that audiences still love movie theaters
Ever since the ascent of Netflix and other streaming platforms, a lot has been said about how and when movie theaters might die out. However, Christopher Nolan’s work goes against the grain, creating grand cinematic blockbusters which are much more enjoyable on the big screen than at home. All of Nolan’s films are visual spectacles, and the fact that he has never worked directly with a streaming platform to release one of his movies is a good indication of his ethos. Despite the industry’s trend toward streaming, Nolan is giving audiences memorable cinematic experiences.
7 Christopher Nolan Often Focuses On Complex Scientific Concepts
Nolan doesn’t dumb down his movies for general audiences
Many of Christopher Nolan’s most popular movies grapple with complicated scientific concepts, such as time dilation, black holes, nuclear fission, subconscious thought, and inertia. Nolan never talks down to his audience, instead crafting his scripts in a way which reveals all the necessary information to get to the heart of a story. Interstellar‘s scientific accuracy has been praised by experts, even while it explores sci-fi extremes. Nolan’s films disprove the theory that mass audiences need simplistic stories which appeal to the lowest common denominator. The only issue is that such high-concept stories need to be compelling and intelligent.
6 Tenet’s Controversial Sound Design Subverts The Traditions Of Cinema
Nolan prefers emotive storytelling over plot considerations
One of the most common criticisms levied against Tenet when it was first released was that some of the dialogue was hard to hear. The meaning of Tenet can be hard to understand, even by Christopher Nolan’s usual cerebral standards, and the muffled dialogue certainly doesn’t help. Nolan prefers not to use additional dialogue recording, instead focusing on the performance the actor gives in the moment. The idea is that this creates a more intimate and immersive experience, even if some words are hard to decipher. This approach also prioritizes emotion over didactic plot delivery.
5 Christopher Nolan Has Taken Non-Linear Storytelling To New Heights
Unorthodox story structures are one of Nolan’s hallmarks
Ever since Memento, the film which made the world stand up and take notice of Christopher Nolan, many of his films have played with different non-linear storytelling structures. Tenet and Interstellar both use time as a central plot device, and Dunkirk and Oppenheimer also weave together multiple temporal threads. Nolan’s movies probe the nature of time, and man’s relationship with time, but they also deconstruct traditional narrative techniques. In this way, Nolan’s movies draw attention to their own artificiality, commenting on the rigid structure of mainstream blockbusters in the process.
Related
Oppenheimer’s Oscars 2024 Best Picture Case: 8 Reasons Why It Should Win
Oppenheimer is the heavy favorite for Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards, gaining all the prestige and momentum required for a well-deserved win.
4 Christopher Nolan’s Casting Choices Always Contain Surprises
Thinking outside the box often generates some unexpectedly brilliant performances
Like many directors, Christopher Nolan likes to work with familiar faces time and time again. However, giving the title role in Oppenheimer to Cillian Murphy, rather than a more bankable Hollywood commodity, was a calculated risk. Of course, Murphy’s superb Oscar-nominated performance vindicated this selection, and this isn’t the only time when Nolan’s unique casting choices have worked out perfectly. Casting young heart-throb Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight and giving David Bowie an important role in The Prestige also raised a few eyebrows. On both occasions, Nolan’s outside-the-box thinking elevated interesting characters into unforgettable ones.
3 Christopher Nolan Is Dedicated To Practical Effects In An Era Of CGI
Nolan believes that nothing compares to the impact of the real thing
Even though Christopher Nolan’s films often use sci-fi concepts and huge action sequences, he remains committed to practical effects wherever possible. In the 21st Century, CGI technology has developed so rapidly that it often appears indistinguishable from real life, but Nolan still prefers the real thing for a visceral impact. Dunkirk used genuine period-appropriate ships and planes, Oppenheimer relied on real explosions, and The Dark Knight flipped an entire truck in the middle of the street. Even some of the surreal dream sequences in Inception were achieved with practical effects. The most captivating action movies still use old-school techniques.
2 Dunkirk Ignores The Conventions Of The War Genre
Nolan’s first war movie is more about tension than action
Rather than depicting bloody battles and explosive chaos like most war movies, Dunkirk focuses on the excruciating tension of war, as British soldiers wait for the Germans surrounding them to close in. Told largely without dialogue, Dunkirk tells the story of Operation Dynamo from land, sea, and air. The opposing forces are never directly shown, but their presence hangs over the doomed British soldiers throughout the film, as underlined by the intimidating leaflets they drop on the town. Dunkirk was Nolan’s first foray into the war genre, and he avoided the tired clichés.
Related
Christopher Nolan Gets Praise From WW2 Expert For One “Extremely Accurate” Detail In Dunkirk
A World War 2 expert gives high marks for realism to the gripping aerial dogfight sequences in Christopher Nolan’s epic war movie Dunkirk.
1 Christopher Nolan Proves That Standalone Movies Can Compete With Franchise Blockbusters
The director is as much of a box office draw as most major franchises
The huge box office success of Oppenheimer was another testament to Christopher Nolan’s broad appeal, but he has achieved similar results before. In an era when all the most financially successful movies tend to belong to big franchises, Nolan stands out as a beacon for original storytelling. Oppenheimer outperformed Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, proving that audiences don’t need characters they have seen before to be interested in a movie. Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk all also made over $500 million. Hopefully, Oppenheimer‘s success will inspire many more big-budget original films.
