All 12 Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked

If you are a cinephile or love to watch good movies, then it is very obvious that you have watched Christopher Nolan movies. If you are already a fan of Christopher Nolan movies or have recently become a fan and want to know the whole list of all Christopher Nolan movies with their ranking and rating, then this article is right for you. Here you will find all 12 Christopher Nolan movies with their IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes rankings.

Many people make films but few will be reminded of their uniqueness. In such a category, we will go into the life of a man who is known for his complex screenplay and the realistic and unique filmmaker known as Christopher Nolan. He is a British-American filmmaker born on 30th July 1970.

Since his childhood, he has been passionate about filmmaking. Nolan started his filmmaking journey at the age of 7 years by making Stop Motion Animation Technology Film with the help of his Fat 8 camera. At the age of 11, he decided to become a professional filmmaker.

After a lot of struggles as a scriptwriter and camera operator. He made his feature debut with the ultra-low budget indie, “Following” (1998). His following film “Memento” (2000) put him on the top 10 directors list. Jonathan Nolan is the sibling of Christopher Nolan who is also a filmmaker and he associates with Christopher Nolan for many movies. Let’s see his top 12 movies list with cast and story details.

Best 12 Christopher Nolan Movies

All these movies are Nolan’s masterpieces, where every movie describes a particular genre, and this does have some things to notice and also embed some flaws that are common while doing a project. Here in this section, we are going to discuss every movie with an IMDB rating. This brief introduction to Nolan’s movies will make you more close with Nolan’s movies.

1) Memento (2000)

Memento was released in 2000, and it is a neo-noir psychological thriller movie. This movie is based on the short story “Memento Mori,” which was written by Nolan’s brother Jonathan Nolan. The character Leonardo Shelby is played by Guy Pearce. The movie revolves around Leonardo Shelby, a man with short-term memory loss.

He used notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife’s murderer. This movie follows a reverse chronological order in which every scene begins where the previous sentence left off.

Memento is a complex story that requires attention while watching to understand the storyline. This film was a critical and commercial success. This movie is a master piece and should be saved to the must-watch movies list.

Movie Title	Memento
Year	2000
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Anne Moss
IMDb Rating	9.0
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	94% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Hoopla, HBO Max, Apple TV, Hulu

2) The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight was the second installment of the Batman trilogy and was one of the greatest superhero films ever made. It features Christian Bale as Batman, and Heath Ledger as the Joker. The film received critical acclaim for various reasons, but there are also some points of contention or criticisms.

The good about the film was the impactful action sequence along with a brilliant performance from the lead cast, which made this movie more engaging. The dark and rustic tone of the movie made it a complete masterpiece because the nature of the characters is depicted in the theme portrayed, and also this tone sets the overall sense of tension and suspense.

The bad thing about the film is the length of the film, which made some sequences a bit more slow. Apart from this, there is no other complaint as this is the best film made by Nolan to date.

Movie Title	The Dark Knight
Year	2008
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine
IMDb Rating	9.0
Rotten Tomatoes	94% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Jio Cinema, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix

3) Oppenheimer (2023)

Oppenheimer is a biographical film made by Nolan to show the greatness of the American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The lead actor Cillian Murphy portrayed the role of Oppenheimer, the scientist who famously led the Manhattan Project — the effort to create an atomic bomb during World War II. Cillian Murphy got the role of a lifetime as the scientist who channeled his anxieties and fascination with the quantum world into an earth-shattering achievement. Oppenheimer has one of the Nolans best filmography.

The picture was a great depiction of the real events at times of World War II, which were shot without any CGI, this made the movie more special. The nuclear explosion was one of the best shots ever made in cinema.

The presentation made a bitter comfort for the audience as most of the film depicts two frames of reference that show both the perspectives of Russia and the USA.

Movie Title	Oppenheimer
Year	2023
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
IMDb Rating	8.7
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	97% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, YouTube Movies & TV, Zee5, Google Play Movies

4) Inception (2010)

Inception was a kind of film that attempted to change the way of storytelling, that has an intricate native centered around dreams and reality. The sequences in the film were so engaging and were related to the subconscious thoughts. It describes a thief who infiltrates people’s subconscious and that makes Nolan a different filmmaker.

The themes used in the film were the best to date and was a great attempt to showcase the different type of narration to the audience. The editing of the film was the best because that type of edit was not done to date by any filmmaker.

Anyhow the emotional connection between the characters was not that great as the movie mainly focuses on para-natural events.

Movie Title	Inception
Year	2010
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
IMDb Rating	8.8
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	86% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Netflix, Apple TV+

5) Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar is an epic science fiction movie made by Nolan which was brilliant in all aspects of filmmaking, this film has some spectacular music scores which made this movie a special one. The emotional connection between the lead actors and the exceptional space adventure sequences elated the movie.

The visual effects of the film are the best of its kind and no one ever tried to make one. Music by Hans Zimmer made it a special one by adding the little nuances that are required for an epic. As the music is used to build the sequences in the film.

Apart from the best, the low-pacing scenes made the film a bit lengthy and not letting the audience connect at the start of the film. Later on, the visual effects tie the eyes not letting to move away from the movie.

Movie Title	Interstellar
Year	2014
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
IMDb Rating	8.6
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	87% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Netflix, Paramount+

6) Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk is a historical war thriller film that was filmed based on the Dunkirk evacuation of world war II portrayed by Fionn Whitehead, and Harry Styles. The film won many hearts because of its emotional connection as it was a true adaption of the real events that occurred in world war II.

The cinematography of the film was a major asset to the film as it was different from most of the regular Hollywood films which made the movie different from other movies. The emotional impact on the historical events made the film unique in the historical war films.

The only thing that was pulled back was the characters were not developed completely before the important sequences which made the movie like a direct start without an introduction.

Movie Title	Dunkirk
Year	2017
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
IMDb Rating	8.3
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	92% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Netflix, HBO Max

7) The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige was a psychological thriller by Nolan which is known for its intricate storytelling which made the audience engage throughout the film. The obsession themes were used to portray the characters of Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.

The production design was top-notch as the late retro sets were so satisfying and the way Nolan showed the film so pleased the audience. Prestige shows how a person identifies and sacrifices individuals to achieve goals.

The atmosphere set to establish the connection of the characters was not made up to the mark and the pace of the film was also slow.

Movie Title	The Prestige
Year	2006
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, David Bowie
IMDb Rating	7.6
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	85% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Netflix

8) Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins was the opening film of the Batman trilogy, which was Nolan’s first superhero film. the development of Bruce Wayne was shown in a great way, from the death of his parents to how he became Batman and his fight to stop Ra’s al Ghul. The film was made with some best action sequences that were required for a superhero film.

The theme which was dark as required by the content of the story was presented well and made a dark atmosphere required by the DC fans. The strong cast of Cristian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul was perfect for that kind of story.

In some terms, the villain character was not developed completely and there were no more scenes for the villain to showcase his power.

Movie Title	Batman Begins
Year	2005
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman
IMDb Rating	8.4
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	87% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	HBO Max, Hulu

9) The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises is the last film of the Batman trilogy where the conclusion of the film was satisfying emotionally and was epic to the eyes. The film continues to present the complex and multidimensional characters which was done well.

The action sequences and the visual effects were well choreographed and were made realistically, the aerial sequences involving Batman and the showdowns, batman, and Bane were great to watch on the screen.

The only upset was, the Joker was not bought again into the picture even after the greatest rivalry between Batman and the Joker. The plot of the film is based on multiple dimensions which was complex to understand.

Movie Title	The Dark Night Rises
Year	2008
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
IMDb Rating	9.0
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	94% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	HBO Max, Hulu

10) Following (1999)

Following was the first attempt by Nolan at a non-linear plot structure that was out of chronological order keeping the audience engaged and curious. The characters involved in the crime and voyeurism keep the story alive throughout the film.

The cinematography was outstanding with the type of cinemascope at that time which is available in the late 90’s, Nolan made most of it with many budget constraints, and a better cinemascope was also not available at that time.

Due to the limited scope, the picture quality was extracted completely and the content was made to be seen in black and white.

Movie Title	Following
Year	1998
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Stephen Fry, Jeremy Theobald
IMDb Rating	7.1
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	64%
OTT Platform

11) Tenet (2020)

Tenet is a science-fiction action thriller known for its complex and intricate plot. The movie deals with the flow of time. This movie was delayed almost 3 years because of the covid 19 pandemic. The plot of the film was complex and many audiences wondered how to get into the story and didn’t get it even after watching it many times.

The mystery was shown and solved in a great way and, as Nolan was known for his non-linear storytelling, the music score of the film elated the movie for most of the time.

But, due to the complex nature of the film, many audiences didn’t get the film into their heads directly but it took a lot of research to understand the work of Nolan

Movie Title	Tenet
Year	2020
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki
IMDb Rating	7.4
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	75% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	HBO Max, Hulu

12) Insomnia

Aging in 2002, Nolan released the psychological thriller “Insomnia,” the story based on Los Angeles detectives who were sent to the Alskha for the girl murder case. Meanwhile, this story takes an unexpected turn when Dormer accidentally kills his partner and tries to cover up his crime.

Insomnia is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian file with the same name. In the eyes of critics, this is not the perfect film, but the highlight of this movie is the acting of Robin Williams, who is usually known for comic roles. You will be surprised after watching the action of Robin, who portrays a disturbed killer.

Movie Title	Insomnia
Year	2002
Director	Christopher Nolan
Cast	Al Pacino, Robin Williams
IMDb Rating	7.6
Rotten Tomatoes Rating	92% Rotten Score
OTT Platform	Netflix, HBO Max

Christopher Nolan Movies Box Office Collections:

Movie	Released Year	Budget	Collections
Oppenheimer	2023	$100 million	$952 million
Tenet	2020	$205 million	$363 million
Dunkirk	2017	$100 million	$525 million
Interstellar	2014	$165 million	$672 million
The Dark Knight Rises	2012	$230 million	$1.085 billion
Inception	2010	$160 million	$828 million
The Dark Knight	2008	$185 million	$1 billion
The Prestige	2006	$40 million	$109 million
Batman Begins	2005	$150 million	$374 million
Insomnia	2002	$46 million	$113 million
Memento	2000	$9 million	$31.8 million
Following	1998	$6000	$1.1 million

Conclusion

Christopher Nolan is a guy who can make simple stories into epic just like Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, and many more. He is a mastermind in creating all types of non-linear screenplays and stories that are difficult to understand on a single watch. In conclusion, Nolan’s contributions to filmmaking are both remarkable and polarizing.

FAQs – Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked

Q1. Which is the most latest movie released by Nolan?

The latest movie released by Nolan in 2023 is Oppenheimer, which is a biographic film on American theoretical physicist.

Q2. Which is the last movie of Batman launched by Nolan?

The last movie of Batman trilogy launched by Nolan is Dark Knight Rises.

Q3. What is the highest grossing movie of Christopher Nolan?

The Dark Night Rises is the highest grossing movie of Christopher Nolan.