The Odyssey’s been out for a bit now and I’ve watched it a couple of times, so I’m going to give my official lowdown on one of my all-time favourite director’s filmographies. Nolan’s the hero we deserve AND the one we need right now. He hasn’t lived long enough to see himself become the villain. Not yet. So, before I get distracted by any more nerdy Dark Knight quotes, read on.
13 Following
I want to clarify that I’m a fan of all Nolan films, but it’s just simple fact with this acknowledgement that some Nolan films are better than others. So, the last place podium is being given to the director’s debut. Shot on 16mm film stock and deliberately organised to be as cheap as possible, Nolan still manages to create tension and intrigue in this stylish crime caper. It’s also got that good old non-linear narrative structure that the director would become known for, so that’s nice. There’s something lost without the use of more expensive tools like professional lighting, but there’s still some groovy stylisation with the cool black and white tones. Also, Nolan was inspired by his own flat being burgled for this one, so that’s some interesting context for you to chew on. (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)
12 Tenet
This is a much later Nolan entry with a substantial budget, but it doesn’t hit nearly as strong as Nolan’s big players. The central concept with backwards time travel is pretty darn cool, I just don’t think it’s executed particularly effectively. It’s a nice introduction to some new actors joining the Nolan canon, though, and Kenneth Branagh’s questionable Russian accent is a lot of fun too. There are a lot of technical sequences that are super effective. But there’s just a distinct hole with the whole emotional centre. I didn’t get behind the mother-son relationship, and it was also hard to emphasise with any characters generally. Technically stellar, emotionally stale. (⚈₋₍⚈)
11 Insomnia
This one feels weirdly un-Nolan in its execution. A large part of that’s probably because Nolan’s doing a remake (the only remake that the director has made so far), but it just doesn’t quite feel right (this is also the only one where Nolan’s not in the writing chair). Still, it’s engaging to watch good guy Robin Williams playing a distinctly sus dude, and it’s good to remember that Pacino’s in this joint too. How Nolan managed to get a high calibre actor like Pacino so early on in his career, I’m not sure, but he’s here. Not in entertaining OTT Pacino like in Heat (‘She’s got a…GREAT ASS’ remaining one of my all-time favourite Pacino 0-11 moments on the big screen), but he’s nonetheless compelling as a compromised detective. (╭ರ_•́)
10 Dunkirk
Like Tenet, the technical work is just off the scale. In fact, if we’re talking purely on technical terms, Dunkirk’s in pretty strong competition for Nolan’s finest film. The three different plot lines that span across land, air and sea are genius and riddled with tension. The opening scene is a particularly awe-inspiring spectacle in itself, a masterclass in creating tension through silence. The cast is pretty strong too (no, not you, Harry Styles), with Tom Hardy continuing to channel charisma behind the mask (see: The Dark Knight Rises) as a pilot and pressure and Cillian Murphy continuing to deliver top tier performances even in a much quieter role as a shell-shocked soldier. The main problem, however, is that so much is going on that’s it’s tough to find an emotional connection anywhere, causing the whole joint to end up being a bit cold. But, nonetheless, a technical masterpiece. ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭
9 Batman Begins
The film that began potentially my favourite trilogy of all time (before you start yapping and hollering about how much you hated that last part, I’ll get onto that soon enough). But yeah, this joint established gravelly voice Batman. It’s also a pretty spectacular performance from Bale himself, who muscled up to an insane extent for this role after losing a horrible amount of weight to play that skeletal dude in The Machinist. I like to think I did that in reverse, except both extreme weight losses were directly caused by cancer treatment-related treatments. Anyway, back on the subject. Katie Holmes is the weak cog in this machine, but that’s more than redeemed by Liam Neeson’s enigmatic baddie. And this joint also introduced me to sexy scary Cillian Murphy too, so that’s always a plus. ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰
8 Interstellar
In the same way that Dunkirk’s a strong challenger for Nolan’s finest technical feat, Interstellar is in a similarly strong position when it comes to the soundtrack. Those sounds are just like nothing else. To the point where the soundscape is often at risk of diluting narrative. And I’m not just talking about the numerous complaints about the sound making it difficult for some people to hear the spoken dialogue. Those sounds almost exist in a different film at certain points. Or at least, when I hear about the film, I immediately hear the soundtrack before I think about the story, which feels thin and undeveloped by comparison. The father-daughter relationship didn’t get the emotional feels that I wanted, despite solid performances. That soundtrack, though? Absolutely majestic. (๑’ᵕ’๑)⸝*
7 The Prestige
Nolan’s magic one, with another compelling performance from Bale. And Hugh Jackman, too, who hasn’t shown up in a Nolan cast list since. I’d like to see him back again, because he was good. And there’s also a great performance from the Thin White Duke himself. I love the anecdote about Bowie continuously turning Nolan down about playing Tessler and Nolan having to keep trying to convince him. Well, he got him eventually and that’s what matters. But yeah, this one’s great, lots of clever twists and turns topped off with a genius final reveal. I guess the central characters haven’t quite got the depth that gets me going in my favourite Nolan joints, but Bale and Jackman’s constant sparring is nonetheless top notch. ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
6 The Dark Knight Rises
Hey now. Whoa there. Just take a chill pill for a moment, will ya? I know a lot of Nolan fans hate this one, and they hate it a lot. Newsflash, friendo. I love it, and that’s what matters. Are there plot holes? Sure. That doesn’t bother me. This one’s situated much more in a comic book world Gotham than the previous gritty masterpiece, which was way more crime drama than supe joint. And for those saying that Heath Ledger’s crown of crime was a much better villain than Bane? Sure, I agree with you. I don’t think any actor was capable of seriously eclipsing Ledger’s performance. But you shouldn’t have expected that. Anyway, there are plenty of brilliant sequences and quotes to enjoy, and great performances too. Anne Hathaway knocks it out of the park, as does Tom Hardy’s intimidating masked villain. That opening plane hijacking sequence? Absolute fire. An awesome trilogy climax, imo. .𖥔 ݁ ˖🦇 ݁˖ ݁𖥔 .
5 Oppenheimer
Onto the heavies now. The big boys. The top 5. This one has gone down a bit since my last review, I think (it’s moved ‘dowwwn the bench’, as Dr Evil said to Mini Me), but that’s just because of the sheer calibre of the next ones. And my opinion shifting slightly, as it is want to do. But yeah, it was glorious to see Christopher Nolan’s main man finally get the top billing as the brooding Prometheus. And, goddamn, does Cillian know how to emote. He’s just one of those actors where the expression says everything. And that scene where he’s giving that congratulations speech to the audience. That’s an absolute masterclass in acting, silence and the manipulation of sound. All the surrounding players are strong, too, but it’s Cillian’s angst-ridden face that really solidifies this joint as a golden goose. Barbenheimer? Oppenbie, more like (although I do love Barbie too, k?). 👱🏼♀️🎀
4 The Odyssey
My opinions are liable to change like any rational human being, of course, but Nolan’s latest absolutely rocks. Particularly in way he interprets the text. Nobody can seriously expect the man to honour Homer’s poem by adapting it word for word, and he does soften the central guy into less of the all-out a-hole he often is in the OG, but he works wonders with his characteristic non-linear storytelling, lifting chunks of The Iliad in Odysseus’ PTSD-style flashbacks of the Trojan War. Great performances from the rest of the cast too, with a typically awesome Samantha Morton, a nicely pantomimic evil guy Robert Pattison and a stellar performance from main pooch Argos. Nolan creates a very cinematic interpretation that won’t sit well with all the classicists, but the man proves once again that he knows how to make cinema. 𓃗
3 Memento
An oldie but uncontested goldie from Nolan’s earlier career. A relatively simple concept – main guy has a memory condition that causes him to forget events after a short period of time – is used brilliantly in a tight and tense thriller where you never now who’s telling the truth. The action and location are both relatively concentrated compared to a lot of Nolan’s other ventures, but Nolan’s time-bending makes for a supremely compelling flick that’s just as genius on repeat watching when you know what’s happening. Except maybe you don’t; but either way, this is a vintage Nolan flick that rewards repeat viewings so you can try and spot every last detail. It would’ve been awesome if Nolan could’ve got Radiohead’s Paranoid Android as the final tune like he intended, but nonetheless, this is fantastic mind-bending chicanery that’ll have you thinking and theorizing for weeks. (,,•᷄ࡇ•᷅ ,,)?
2 Inception
Speaking of thinking and theorising, this mindbender will have those thoughts bubbling around at ten times that speed. Also, I realised after watching Following recently that the main sneaky guy in that has the same name as the central thief in this joint. That has to be a direct reference, right? (am I going to search Google now to check this? No, no I’m not). But, anyway, this is also Nolan’s strongest ‘father trying to get back to his family’ film. For now, I think. Opinions may change in the future, but for now, this is staying in second position. The action just blends with all of the thriller/sci-fi elements so effectively that I forget it’s an action film. It’s multiple genres, anyway. But multiple genres bolstered by top tier performance. I don’t even think Leo’s that great (sue me), but other secondary performances, particularly Cillian Murphy’s target, are particularly impactful. And the concept of bad guys is much more blurred. And the soundtrack kicks ass. Even if Zimmer’s braaams opened a new door to annoying loud noises in other vastly inferior films. ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
1 The Dark Knight
And now it’s time for the boldest and the best. Here…we…go. It’s easy to forget close to two decades later that the dark superhero movie was a rare beast. Or the fact that superhero movies in general were a rare beast. And part of The Dark Knight’s genius was that it was much more crime drama than superhero movie, anyway. And it’s chock full of killer quotes. Not just because of the fact that I’ve watched this film a crazy number of times. It’s dark (uh…duh), subversive and hella big on the feels. When characters die, they’re dead (no Marvel resurrecting virtually everyone who’s just died (sorry not sorry, Endgame). The bad guy wins. And he does it with style, whether it’s the spectacular opening heist sequence or the Joker’s darkly comic introduction, this classic’s just brimming with awesomeness. Great acting, kickass soundtrack, wonderful editing. Everything just pops. (㇏(•̀ᢍ•́)ノ)