An event director, king of the box office and one of, if not the finest living auteur filmmaker today, Christopher Nolan has not got that long of a filmography, yet has a phenomenal. Each one of his feature films has helped build a fantastic career for Nolan and each one has something to be beloved by critics and audiences.
An authority on this adoration is Rotten Tomatoes, and even though the Tomatometer is perhaps the more prominent of the site's two scores, the audience score holds a similar level of importance. It is a place for casual filmgoers or film lovers who are not official critics to give their two cents and these scores are often quite different to the critic's score, as is seen in Nolan's filmography. Here are all 10 of Christopher Nolan's feature films ranked according to the Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
10 INSOMNIA (2002) - 77%
The only Nolan picture with less than an 80% audience score - a testament to his popularity - is Insomnia. It follows a detective sent to Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenager, who gets caught in a psychological game with the main suspect which ends up affecting his mental stability.
The film is smart and cleverly crafted by Nolan with a great Pacino performance in the lead. Generally seen as a very good remake of the 1997 film of the same name, Insomnia seems to be very popular with critics and while not the best audience score, it is still a great film, perhaps Nolans most underrated.
9 DUNKIRK (2017) - 81%
What is the second-best Nolan film on the Tomatometer is the second-worst on the audience score, the WWII epic Dunkirk. It chronicles the attempts to save British soldiers from Dunkirk while at battle with the Germans from three different viewpoints; land, sea, and air.
This is a spectacle film. Characters and their development are near non-existent in Dunkirk but Nolan has no interest in focusing on individual characters here but rather the whole event, the visuals, the gripping emotion of what is happening itself rather than individuals involved. The lack of characters and dialogue may not be for everyone, resulting in the low score - relative to other Nolan flicks. It is visual storytelling at its finest, coupling the direction with cinematography as well as the score for a phenomenal result.
8 INTERSTELLAR (2014) - 85%
Perhaps Nolan's most thought-provoking if not ambitious picture, Interstellar is a beautiful film. It details the mission of a team of explorers as they are sent across the galaxy to determine if humanity, residing on a nearly uninhabitable Earth, has a future.
Said by some critics to be perhaps too ambitious and reaching beyond its grasp, however, the film's beauty, personal touch and overall craftsmanship by Nolan are undeniably great. Combining Nolan's love for presenting abstract concepts as a narrative comes in full force in Interstellar, for better or for worse, with audiences seemingly leaning on the latter.
7 FOLLOWING (1999) - 85%
As well as being the shortest of the Christopher Nolan filmography, Following was the auteur's directorial debut and an impressive one at that. It is the story of an inspiring writer who becomes obsessed with following people, to the point where he goes much further into it than he had ever intended.
It has by far the lowest amount of reviews which should be considered, but it gets ahead of Interstellar here due to its superior Tomatometer score. While not as many people have seen this as the rest of Nolan's filmography, for a directorial debut Following is pretty impressive, its visuals and near noir style create what is a good first film.
6 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012) - 90%
The final chapter in Nolan's unbelievable trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises brings it to a fitting end. It shows the rise of Bane in his attempt to bring a reckoning to Gotham, meaning Bruce Wayne must finally become the caped crusader again for one final time.
Straight off the bat, Tom Hardy is phenomenal, each entry of the trilogy seems to have a star performer, and while Bale is fantastic again, Hardy is that bit better. A big part of that is his dialogue, every line Nolan writes for him is gold and Nolan's script overall is great, action and all. While there are a lot of complaints against the end of the film, it does not mean the rest of the film - at least - is not great.
5 INCEPTION (2010) - 91%
Perhaps the best film in terms of balancing brilliant blockbuster with intellectually challenging film, Inception is understandably heralded by some as Nolan's masterpiece. It excellently details a team of thieves who steal ideas via dreams and are hired to go deeper than that in a process known as inception.
The film's set pieces are incredible alongside an ensemble cast of actors who deliver great performances. It succeeds in its innovation and intelligence as well as in its visceral temperament. It is a thrilling film brimming with genius from Nolan and when all is said and done Inception will likely - based on his current filmography - be the film his legacy rests on.
4 THE PRESTIGE (2006) - 92%
With the second-lowest critical score and the second-highest numerical audience score, The Prestige is a great period piece. In the late 1800s, two magicians turn into bitter enemies push to destroy one another, with great consequences, and so is the story of The Prestige.
The film is full of twists and turns weaved into its narrative and Nolan does a fantastic job with the movie that is sandwiched between his first two entries to his Batman trilogy. It challenges the audience to think about the layers of its story and the reveals that are presented and succeeds on the whole as a great period piece, with it only becoming better on repeat viewing.
3 BATMAN BEGINS (2005) - 94%
The first entry to Nolan's Batman trilogy is a damn near perfect one, Batman Begins is the best superhero origin film there is. The plot is simple, it is the birth of the caped crusader, murdered parents and all, through his rise in the League Of Shadows to the protector of Gotham.
Bale is phenomenal in both personalities, while behind the camera Nolan breathes new life into the Batman franchise and the superhero genre with a darker, gritty take on one of pop culture's most adored icons. Everything from the script to the visuals to the performances works as one to create a perfect first film of the trilogy, one beloved by fans.
2 MEMENTO (2000) - 94%
Higher here due to its higher critical score, Memento was a fantastic second effort from Nolan. It follows Leanord Shelby as he suffers from amnesia and attempts to find the man who beat him and killed his wife.
Memento is an extremely clever film that keeps its audience guessing at every turn right until the end. Nolan crafts the narrative brilliantly, it is a concept not many filmmakers could tackle, but Nolan did so excellently. With great leads, a great script and great craftsmanship, it is no wonder that Memento is rated so highly by audiences as well as critics.
1 THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) - 94%
The top of Nolan's filmography critically on Rotten Tomatoes is, of course, the top from audiences and The Dark Knight is undeniable. It follows the protector of Gotham in his mission to save Gotham from the clown prince of crime Joker.
This film's legacy rests on the shoulders of Heath Ledger's masterful performance, it is the best performance in a comic book movie ever. However, the film has more, a gripping story, other great performances, stunning action and visuals on top of a fantastically written and directed speech from Nolan. It earns its place at the top of this list.
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