Film opinion: Five of the best from Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer, The Dark Knight and more

Christopher Nolan has cemented himself as a titan of the film industry, and arguably one of the greatest directors of a generation.

Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey has pushed him back to the forefront of cinema discourse.

With that in mind, Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews picks his top five favourite Nolan movies.

5. The Prestige

The Prestige follows two magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, who go head to head, attempting to defy the laws of physics and logic, to wow both audiences and each other. 

Laid over the top of a Michael Cain masterclass (as we have come to expect), convincing performances from Bale and Jackman make for one of the best films of 2006. 

The Prestige was just the eighth entry in Nolan’s cannon, but he had already produced the spectacles of Memento and Batman Begins by the time of this release, only adding fire to the flame of excitement around the then-up-and-coming director.

4. Inception

Was it all a dream?

Nolan rips up the advice of teachers around the world, who will tell you that doing the whole ‘and then I woke up’ thing won’t work and decided to make one of the most clever, intricate films of all time.

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With an all-star cast including Leonardi Di Caprio, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Inception won four Oscars at the 2011 Academy Awards. 

Notably, it won Best Cinematography, although many say Nolan was snubbed for Best Director, as Tom Hooper won that award for The King’s Speech.

3. Oppenheimer

The rear end of the ‘Barbenheimer’ malarkey was Nolan’s magnificent Oppenheimer, which tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American Scientist working towards the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. 

It won a stupendous seven Oscars at the most recent awards ceremony, including Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director and Best Motion Picture of the Year. 

Not only did Oppenheimer dominate awards season, but it went on to be the third highest-grossing film of 2023, raking in $975 million at the box office worldwide.

2. The Dark Knight

Many see The Dark Knight as the best Batman film of all time, with one of the greatest movie villains ever seen on screen, Heath Ledger’s Joker.

Ledger passed away before the Oscars awards ceremony in 2009, but posthumously won Best Supporting Actor, with his parents and sister accepting the award on his behalf. 

Ledger redefined the big screen villain role, and terrified audiences with his barbaric and menacing performance.

Teaming back up with Christian Bale as the titular ‘caped crusader’, Nolan brought the Batman comic books to life like never before, eclipsing the achievements of other Batman directors such as Tim Burton.

1. Interstellar

My pick for the best Nolan film is Interstellar. 

Every time I watch this film it simultaneously crushes me and lifts me up like only time-travel and colliding stars can do. 

It is simply magnificent.

Somehow just one Oscar doesn’t seem anywhere near enough, as Interstellar wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture or any Best Actor/Actress roles, but no one can deny that the pure drama of time, perception and desperation, coupled with a Hans Zimmer soundtrack that also has the power to slow time, should’ve deserved a lot more.

According to IMDB, this is a top 20 film of all time, and performances from Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Cain once again, are enough to make this make perfect sense. 

Nolan’s cinematic odyssey continues 

With The Odyssey set to release in 2026, it already seems to be one to watch out for, and it’s only February 2025. 

If there’s one lesson you can learn from film, it’s that when Nolan makes a motion picture, you’re better off not fussing, and just going to watch it. 

The cast of Nolan’s upcoming feature backs up that claim with a host of Hollywood A-listers signed up, including but not limited to Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron.

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