Best Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked

Christopher Nolan is one of the most well-known and recognize filmmakers and his detailed, original, and spectacular scripts is quite popular. Many of his movies need to be watched more than once for viewers to completely understand. TechTrends put together a list of the best Christopher Nolan movies, ranked based on their Rotten Tomatoes rating.

The celebrated filmmaker Christopher Nolan has made a name for himself over the years with an incredible filmography. Not only his intricate puzzlers but also his genre inversions have fascinated the viewers for two decades now. The movies he has directed did not go unnoticed. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, four Directors Guild and two Writers Guild. He won an award for writing Inception. Here are the best Christopher Nolan movies ever that have helped cementing his reputation for great reviews. The movies are ranked based on their Rotten Tomatoes rating but we have also included the IMDb ratings for you to check. Let’s see whether your favorite Christopher Nolan movie is on top of the list.

Best Christopher Nolan Movies of All Time

Director Nolan is indeed one of the most influential filmmakers ever. Despite the Dark Knight trilogy being ranked as the highest grossing movies he directed so far; he is among the few filmmakers that can make blockbuster-worthy box office takes for stories that are original. Here are the best Christopher Nolan movies ever.

11. Tenet 2020

Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Action/Thriller
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Clémence Poésy
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 69%, IMDb 7.3

The movie Tenet, directed by Christopher Nolan, focuses on the concept of time inversion. The film has a confusing international plot by a Russian supervillain to amend a natural disaster, with actors forced to show heavy amounts of exposition in almost every scene. Despite all that, Robert Pattinson is able to showcase an endearing character, even when admitting that he did not quite understand the plot. Pattinson plays the role of Neil, who is a British spy helping The Protagonist, played John David Washington, track mysterious bullets in Mumbai. His character explains the intersecting timelines to the Protagonist and the audience. Tenet is one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time as he previously pushed the limits of reality in Inception, with no one guessing that he could go even further. However, after Tenet, it seems like there is no limit any more.

Read more: Best Robert Pattinson Movies of All Time

10 Interstellar  2014

  • Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Timothee Chalamet, Anne Hathaway, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine, Matt Damon
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 72%, IMDb 8.6

Interstellar is a space epic directed by Christopher Nolan. Moreover, the imagery is breathtaking to look at, and the scientific theories are brought to life in the movie. Matthew McConaughey is the main character of the movie, and he is an astronaut. He is sent into space to find a new planet that can be suitable for sustaining human life. Jessica Chastain plays her daughter’s role as an adult. She is able to accomplish a lot, notwithstanding the fact that her father left them when she was a child to go on a mission through a wormhole in space. Her character is Murphy Cooper, who works for the NASA project, but she is dealing with unspeakable grief of his father’s departure. This sci-fi film has earned a lot of critical acclaim and became one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time.

Read more: Best Timothee Chalamet Movies of All Time

9. The Prestige 2009

Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Mystery/Drama
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 76%, IMDb 8.5

Christopher Nolan was doing his best to create another great masterpiece when he released The Prestige. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are the main characters; they are magicians. The film tells the tale of rivaling magicians in the 20th century and Bale played two characters who appeared as one. He portrays the roles of Alfred and Freddy Borden, who are twins, and Bale has showcased what is known to be one of his trickiest characters to perform on the screen. We highly recommend this as one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time.

8. Following 1998

  • Genre: Thriller/Crime
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea, Valorie Curry
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 81%, IMDb 7.5

Another one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time is Following that was his debut feature movie. He was able to get a reputation internationally, not just as a director but as a writer too. The story revolves around a young writer named Bill, who wants to find inspiration for writing a novel by following people around the city of London. However, he gets drawn to the crime of breaking into people’s houses. Nolan’s budget for this movie was $6,000. He was quite young and ambitious and had many ideas at the start of his career. Moreover, he was very practical with that budget as he produced something that showed the gift he had in filmmaking. The plot of the film is not as confusing as other movies he directed as there are satisfying plot twists.

7. Batman Begins 2005

  • Genre: Action/Fantasy
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 84%, IMDb 8.2

One of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time is Batman movie brand, with DC superhero’s interpretation. Christian Bale’s performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman is astonishing. His character is haunted by the death of his parents, and he witnessed their murders as a kid. Thirsty to get vengeance, he begins learning martial arts. He is determined to make Gotham City clean, and with the help of his butler Alfred, who raised him, and Lucius Fox, a tech expert, he creates Batman. Moreover, Bale returned Batman to his humble origin in this movie. Make sure to watch it if you haven’t already. It will be worth your while.

Read more: Best Morgan Freeman Movies of All Time

6. The Dark Night Rises 2012

  • Genre: Action/Thriller
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 87%, IMDb 8.4

The Dark Knight Rises is an epic end to one of the most well-made movies in a film trilogy of all time directed by Christopher Nolan. It is one of the greatest superhero films ever made. Batman, played by Christian Bale, comes out of an eight-year exile after he disappears to go against a terrorist and a burglar. This was another thrilling Christopher Nolan movie, so make sure to add it to your watchlist. Bale’s performance was outstanding as always. And, he is known to be one of the best actors the role has ever seen.

Read more: Best Christin Bale Movies of All Time

5. Inception 2010

  • Genre: Thriller/Action/Sci-fi
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Elliot Page
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 87%, IMDb 8.8

The star of Christopher Nolan’s movies is indeed Nolan himself. With an actor like DiCaprio who has a specialty in intricate character work, it is a challenge to perform that in a high-concept sci-fi epic. DiCaprio, however, is able to do his magic as Dom Cobb, who is a thief able to steal secrets by going through their subconscious thoughts. He is then given a chance to redeem himself by accepting the job of implanting an idea into someone’s mind. It is not the deepest performance of DiCaprio but it is still great. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are plenty of amazing and iconic scenes in the movie Inception.

The core idea of the film is inventive, the kicks are stunning and the ending is mind-blowingly good. These incredible achievements show that Christopher Nolan is a unique filmmaker. Inception is yet another one of the best Christopher Nolan movies ever.

Read more: Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies of All Time

4. Insomnia 2002

Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Thriller/Drama
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.2

The movie Insomnia is actually an adaptation of the crime thriller that came out in 1997 in Norway revolving around a flawed cop with a troubled past. This is a character that is often present in Nolan movies. He kills his partner by accident and tried to cover it up. The antagonist and protagonist of the film have an intense relationship and the story is not easy to predict. This film is more relatable and logical compared with the more recent movies the director has produced. When Nolan’s talent was combined with the likes of Al Pacino and Robin Williams, this movie became an unforgettable one. However, the film can sometimes be tedious as nothing happens. This is indeed one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time.

3. Dunkirk 2017

Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: War/Action
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Harry Styles, Fionn Whitehead, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Jack Lowden
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.8

Dunkirk is a war movie of 2017, which was written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. This spectacular movie illustrates the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II through the earth, sea, and air. The movie has so many stars among its actors, including Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan, and so many more. Dunkirk shows this evacuation with the least dialogue, and instead, Nolan looks to make suspension in cinema and music more, which he could make successfully. Moreover, the movie is narrated from three viewpoints and reconstructs the invasion of Germans to Dunkirk. While Belgium, Britain, and France attempt to prevent the invasion, Nolan follows his narration inter the earth, sea, and sky battle.

By doing so, he offers you the experience of a memorable feeling, which drowns spectators in a particular moment of the war. It is undoubtedly one of the best Christopher Nolan movies of all time to consider watching.

2. Memento 2000

  • Genre: Mystery/Thriller
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 8.4

Memento is one of the greatest Christopher Nolan movies ever, with the director being known for his interest in the concept of time. Not only does this movie show the director’s fascination, but it also blends it with a murder mystery case. Leonard Shelby is trying to find the person who killed his wife and his short-term memory loss makes it all more difficult. However, it is the use of time in this movie that makes it far more interesting that many other mystery films out there. Therefore, Memento is one of the Christopher Nolan films ever.

Read more: Best Mystery Movies of All Time

1. The Dark Night 2008

  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 94%, IMDb 9

The Dark Knight is Batman Begins’ sequel directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie has Christian Bale coming back as Gotham’s superhero vigilante, who goes against arch-nemesis, the joker, portrayed with unforgettable talent by late heath Ledger. Moreover, the character is able to bring a new type of menace to Gotham City, causing chaos. Batman realizes that he is up to no good, so he has to team up with Police Lieutenant James Gordon, played by Gary Oldman, and District Attorney Harvey Dent, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart. The Dark Knight will stay timeless for many generations to come, and Heath Ledger’s performance was out of this world. Therefore, many believe he is a true hero and he gave his life for this performance. This is indeed one of the best Christopher Nolan movies ever.

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