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⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD!!⚠️
By Sophia Doshi
**This is one of the first blogs I ever wrote–cut me some slack for the writing quality :)
Many dutiful movie-goers (or movie-streamers, that is) know that Christopher Nolan is a very prominent director in Hollywood. He's directed and been involved in at least 48 projects, directed 9 feature films, and most importantly, impressed me beyond words.
Well, I have some words, of course. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a very good blog.
I've watched all 9 of his feature films. Nolan's talent as a director is raw and unlike any direction I've ever seen before; his movies are intricate, complex, and explore the very depths of the amazing things that the human mind can create.
On that note, below are some of my takes on some incredible, Christopher-Nolan-directed films.
The Batman triology
The Batman triology
Ranking: 9/10
Summary: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon and DA Harvey Dent, Batman has been able to keep a tight lid on crime in Gotham City. But when a vile young criminal calling himself the Joker suddenly throws the town into chaos, the Caped Crusader begins to tread a fine line between heroism and vigilantism.
My Take: I think I have seen Dark Knight at least four times as of right now. All I can say about this trilogy is *chef's kiss*. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger both did an amazing job on these movies (especially the Dark Knight); I have nothing bad to say—ever—about these movies.
Inception
Inception
Ranking: 8.5/10
Summary: A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
My Take: This was a fantastic movie; it also happened to be the first Christopher Nolan movie I had ever seen, so you can picture how incredible I found this film. Its cinematography was mind-bending—literally—and the concepts were so fascinating and well-executed that I could not take my eyes off the screen. It also had great action sequences that flowed well and kept me interested (which is hard to do for someone whose favorite genre is action). Trust me, I've seen my fair share of action movies, but Inception had such an interesting storyline that it was one of the best I've ever seen.
Image from Film Grab
Tenet
Tenet
Ranking: 8.5/10
Summary: Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, an unnamed CIA operative—Protagonist—is sent to participate in a global assignment that unfolds beyond real time. The mission: prevent Andrei Sator, a renegade Russian oligarch with precognition abilities, from starting World War III. The Protagonist will soon master the art of "time inversion" as a way of countering the threat that is to come.
My Take: God, I love this movie. I've watched it three times now, and I'm going to force my friend to watch it with me, so that will count as the fourth. I want to start off by saying the soundtrack is absolutely incredible. You can find it here:
Back to the movie—the themes and concepts may be hard to understand after the first watch, which is why I highly suggest watching this movie at least twice. Once you get the hang of it, the movie will rise in your ranking of 'best movies of all time'. So if you're like me—meaning, you like action and sitting on the edge of your seat for 90% of a movie—you'll love Tenet.
Interstellar
Interstellar
Ranking: 8/10
Summary: In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand, a brilliant NASA physicist, is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth's population to a new home via a wormhole. But first, Brand must send former NASA pilot Cooper and a team of researchers through the wormhole and across the galaxy to find out which of three planets could be mankind's new home.
My Take: This movie was a masterpiece. The deep exploration of space was very well done and cinematically beautiful. While my 11th grade physics teacher doesn't like it (yet he likes Star Wars, which isn't any more physically possible than this movie), I think it's a masterpiece of film. Each adventure the characters have throughout the movie is even more interesting than the next, and it had me absolutely entranced the entire time.
Cover image from Space.com
The Prestige
The Prestige
Ranking: 7.5/10
Summary: Alfred Borden is accused of killing Robert Angier when he dies during the execution of an amazing trick, "The Transported Man." These obsessively rival magicians' adversity begins when Borden mistakenly kills Angier's wife during a dangerous magic act. Each tries to hurt or kill the other through their own tricks, and each tries to one-up the other. Angier becomes a very successful magician, but only by copying Borden's greatest trick, "The Transported Man." Angier does it using a double, but no one knows how exactly Borden does it. The key to the whole mystery seems to be an inventor located deep in the Rocky Mountains, Nikola Tesla.
My Take: This movie was a mind-bending thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I watched it, and the very end scared the living crap out of me. Christopher Nolan once again delivered something absolutely original and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Moreso, when Scarlett Johansson popped up on the screen, I shrieked and jumped out of my chair. Of course, I watched this with my father and he didn't tell me that she was in the movie, so I went in blindly. Yet I am glad I did, otherwise, the never-ending shock factor of this movie shocked me to no end.
Image from Garlic N Ginger
Man of Steel
Man of Steel
Ranking: 7.5/10
Summary: With the imminent destruction of Krypton, their home planet, Jor-El and his wife seek to preserve their race by sending their infant son, Kal-El to Earth. The child's spacecraft lands at the farm of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark and raise him as their own son. Though his extraordinary abilities have led to the adult Clark living on the fringe of society, he finds he must become a hero to save those he loves from a dire threat. This choice will bring up the harsh memories of his past, put him at the mercy of a petrified human race, and force him to face who he truly is.
My Take: The first thing I thought when I saw this movie was man, this is really dark. I never thought I would see Superman portrayed in such a dark, yet realistic and human way, during my lifetime. Yet I'm content to say that I was dead wrong. Nolan took Superman and injected all of the horror and trauma this character has been forced to experience all of his life and reflected that in a cinematic and empathy-coaxing way. Sure, some of the scenes were surprising (and sometimes, bordering horrifying), but that was the tone of the movie. It was sobering, but more importantly, it was real. And we can't forget about the cinematography, which was amazing (per usual)
Dunkirk
Dunkirk
Ranking: 6.5/10
Summary: May-June 1940: Four hundred thousand British and French soldiers are hole up in the French port town of Dunkirk. The only way out is via sea. The Germans have air superiority, bombing the British soldiers and ships without much opposition. The situation looks dire and, in desperation, Britain sends civilian boats in addition to its hard-pressed Navy to try to evacuate the beleaguered forces. This is that story, seen through the eyes of a soldier amongst those trapped forces, two Royal Air Force fighter pilots, and a group of civilians on their boat, who are part of the evacuation fleet.
My Take: The cinematography of this movie was incredible, but this made up for the fact that there was absolutely no plot. Look, I'm no director, but the only 'plot' in the movie was explosions and a lot of young men dying. The only beginning, middle, and end that I could glean were:
A teenage boy runs away from explosions and sneaks onto a boat with his new friend.
A bunch of different characters' plot lines depicts the horrors of the war.
A couple of the characters from the beginning survive, and a couple of characters are dead. A pilot gets taken as a prisoner of war.
Christopher, I love you, but I wanted more than just cinematic shots.
Cover image from Smartprix
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