TENET

[shauner111]

Dunkirk is his best along with The Dark Knight. Memento is up there too.

 

[weezerspider]

Ya’ll are crazy. Dunkirk is easily his best film and it ain’t even close. He finally made a movie that’s literally just his strength: cross-cutting climatic events in escalating fashion. I love Christopher Nolan, but the pacing of his films are sloppy at best until he gets to his cross-cutting climatic set pieces. The slow character development scenes in his films are always so rushed. He just doesn’t seem to understand pacing until there’s three different storylines in a climatic situation and then his fast pace rhythm is extraordinary.

I think TDK and Inception are probably his most popular films to the general public because both of those films turn into pure escalation the second half of the film(what he’s best at), but in a more mainstream package than Dunkirk. Dunkirk is stripped down. It’s like if Robert Bresson directed a blockbuster.

 

[Boom]

Quite literally my only knock against Dunkirk is the cold presentation of the characters. With the exception of Murphy and Hardy (who just exudes charisma), I didn't connect with any of them. It's just with a war movie you kinda want to experience more empathy with the characters enduring the horror.

The movie is a technical marvel though, and the plane sequences are seared into my brain.

 

[shauner111]

Ya’ll are crazy. Dunkirk is easily his best film and it ain’t even close. He finally made a movie that’s literally just his strength: cross-cutting climatic events in escalating fashion. I love Christopher Nolan, but the pacing of his films are sloppy at best until he gets to his cross-cutting climatic set pieces. The slow character development scenes in his films are always so rushed. He just doesn’t seem to understand pacing until there’s three different storylines in a climatic situation and then his fast pace rhythm is extraordinary.

I think TDK and Inception are probably his most popular films to the general public because both of those films turn into pure escalation the second half of the film(what he’s best at), but in a more mainstream package than Dunkirk. Dunkirk is stripped down. It’s like if Robert Bresson directed a blockbuster.

Thank you. And Dunkirk also goes against his impulse to over-explain everything to the audience. It’s like the Fury Road of war films, where you feel like you’re in a third act from start to finish. Constant tension.

And @Boom i can see why people would knock the film for a lack of character development or whatever. But I don’t think that was the point. Spielberg tried his best to get you on the side of Hanks in Saving Private Ryan but that’s not what Nolan is doing here. The characters are more like vessels and it’s you who is experiencing the war. Personally, I find some of the structure to be a bit confusing but other than that...it’s my favourite war movie next to Kubrick’s work in that genre. It avoids all the cliche b.s that Hollywood war movies tend to lean on that I can’t stand.

Tenet could be another Interstellar or Inception, constant exposition. I fear that’s the only way Nolan knows how to make a sci-fi movie within the studio system. It’s helpful on first watch, but gets old quick on the second and third viewing. But Tenet looks original & massive so I’m excited.

 

[weezerspider]

Quite literally my only knock against Dunkirk is the cold presentation of the characters. With the exception of Murphy and Hardy (who just exudes charisma), I didn't connect with any of them. It's just with a war movie you kinda want to experience more empathy with the characters enduring the horror.

The movie is a technical marvel though, and the plane sequences are seared into my brain.

Sure and that’s perfectly valid opinion if that’s not your personal preference, but I don’t think one can call it a flaw(not saying you did) of the film when the film is designed to be that way. That’s why I compared it to Bresson. Most of Bresson’s films the characters don’t even have names. His most popular film the main character is a donkey and you basically see the human experience through the donkey’s eyes from all his different owners. Dunkirk isn’t trying to be about the characters. It’s about the experience and the themes come from experiencing what, hopefully, is the closest thing to real war, we’ll have to experience.

 

[weezerspider]

Thank you. And Dunkirk also goes against his impulse to over-explain everything to the audience. It’s like the Fury Road of war films, where you feel like you’re in a third act from start to finish. Constant tension.

And @Boom i can see why people would knock the film for a lack of character development or whatever. But I don’t think that was the point. Spielberg tried his best to get you on the side of Hanks in Saving Private Ryan but that’s not what Nolan is doing here. The characters are more like vessels and it’s you who is experiencing the war. Personally, I find some of the structure to be a bit confusing but other than that...it’s my favourite war movie next to Kubrick’s work in that genre. It avoids all the cliche b.s that Hollywood war movies tend to lean on that I can’t stand.

Tenet could be another Interstellar or Inception, constant exposition. I fear that’s the only way Nolan knows how to make a sci-fi movie within the studio system. It’s helpful on first watch, but gets old quick on the second and third viewing. But Tenet looks original & massive so I’m excited.

Nolan actually said in an interview that Fury Road was his biggest influence for Dunkirk! He said he wanted to make what would be the climax of like a three hour movie, but make that the whole movie, but he didn’t think it could be done and then he saw Fury Road and saw it was possible.

I think after the success of TDK, his ambition out reached his grasp because I find Inception, Interstellar and TDKR all to be very sloppy, albeit all of them with truly amazing moments(and I still overall like all of them) and I think Dunkirk was his way of simplifying his process so his ambition would be in his reach.

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, I think whether Dunkirk resonated with you or not, you have to give it credit on a number of levels. He took one of his core strengths, and honed in on it and stripped everything else down. It was pretty outside his comfort zone- no mind-bendy plot, no heavy exposition to explain said mind-bendy plot. Yet at the same time he figured out how to take a historic event and tell that story in a surprisingly resonant way that fits right into his oeuvre. Like Quentin Tarantino said, you look at Dunkirk and only he could've made that film. That's a pretty unique thing, especially considering that it's a historical war film. Definitely recommend listening to QT's podcast about that if anyone hasn't.

That said, I've always felt The Dark Knight is an amazingly paced film. And it does give you moments to catch your breath before it goes back to pummeling you. It starts with a bang, lets you settle in for a bit, and then from the Joker's appearance at the fundraiser and on...it just keeps finding a new gear at every turn. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but the pacing of that movie has always felt incredibly precise to me.

 

[Schlosser85]

TDK first viewing in the theater was this really intense, edgy, uneasy experience that feels like it keeps escalating and escalating and where practically anything might happen. It's like a slow-moving car crash.

 

[shauner111]

@weezerspider nice! Didn’t know he said that about Mad Max. It’s exactly what it is for the war genre.

 

[shauner111]

Yeah, I think whether Dunkirk resonated with you or not, you have to give it credit on a number of levels. He took one of his core strengths, and honed in on it and stripped everything else down. It was pretty outside his comfort zone- no mind-bendy plot, no heavy exposition to explain said mind-bendy plot. Yet at the same time he figured out how to take a historic event and tell that story in a surprisingly resonant way that fits right into his oeuvre. Like Quentin Tarantino said, you look at Dunkirk and only he could've made that film. That's a pretty unique thing, especially considering that it's a historical war film. Definitely recommend listening to QT's podcast about that if anyone hasn't.

That said, I've always felt The Dark Knight is an amazingly paced film. And it does give you moments to catch your breath before it goes back to pummeling you. It starts with a bang, lets you settle in for a bit, and then from the Joker's appearance at the fundraiser and on...it just keeps finding a new gear at every turn. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but the pacing of that movie has always felt incredibly precise to me.

Begins and Rises has weird pacing but Dark Knight is extremely well edited & paced. The only moments where I feel like momentum is lost is when Nolan cuts back and forth during the ferry scenes.

But that’s why I say Dunkirk and Dark Knight are his best. I haven’t seen Memento in a while. It’s good, it’s original, but for my taste I was always a bit annoyed by the monotone narration from Guy Pearce. And I’m afraid to rewatch it because I wonder if you edited that movie in chronological order...does it become a standard thriller with a predictable twist? Is that the gimmick? Or does it actually hold up.

 

[weezerspider]

Yeah, I think whether Dunkirk resonated with you or not, you have to give it credit on a number of levels. He took one of his core strengths, and honed in on it and stripped everything else down. It was pretty outside his comfort zone- no mind-bendy plot, no heavy exposition to explain said mind-bendy plot. Yet at the same time he figured out how to take a historic event and tell that story in a surprisingly resonant way that fits right into his oeuvre. Like Quentin Tarantino said, you look at Dunkirk and only he could've made that film. That's a pretty unique thing, especially considering that it's a historical war film. Definitely recommend listening to QT's podcast about that if anyone hasn't.

That said, I've always felt The Dark Knight is an amazingly paced film. And it does give you moments to catch your breath before it goes back to pummeling you. It starts with a bang, lets you settle in for a bit, and then from the Joker's appearance at the fundraiser and on...it just keeps finding a new gear at every turn. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but the pacing of that movie has always felt incredibly precise to me.

I think TDK is his second best film.I’m in the minority I believe, but I think I might take all three of his Batman films over any other of his films except Dunkirk. I‘m due a rewatch though for most of his films. Maybe I’ll have a marathon around Tenet and revisit that assumption.

Edit: @shauner111 I’ve only seen Memento once for the same worries lol

 

[shauner111]

Interstellar is a mess but I adore that score and I was blown away by the two times I went to see it in IMAX. So I have a soft spot for it. The end of Inception always gets me too. But I get exhausted with the film as a whole. Leo/Cobb is also an A-Hole lol. Ellen Page and JGL are playing walking exposition’s.

Batman is my favourite character so i’ll always pick those three movies over any other Nolan films. But Dunkirk is his most well made movie. The Prestige is seen as underrated by most film lovers, and I like it, but I find it rather dull. I don’t know...maybe it’s that time period and plot that I don’t connect with.

Insomnia on the other hand is really underrated. Nolan is being filtered there but it actually really helps him in the end. Before the one-two punch of Irishman & Once Upon A Time In Hollywood...it was Pacino’s last good performance & film. Robin Williams is also FANTASTIC in that movie.

 

[weezerspider]

Interstellar is a mess but I adore that score and I was blown away by the two times I went to see it in IMAX. So I have a soft spot for it. The end of Inception always gets me too. But I get exhausted with the film as a whole. Leo/Cobb is also an A-Hole lol. Ellen Page and JGL are playing walking exposition’s.

Batman is my favourite character so i’ll always pick those three movies over any other Nolan films. But Dunkirk is his most well made movie. The Prestige is seen as underrated by most film lovers, and I like it, but I find it rather dull. I don’t know...maybe it’s that time period and plot that I don’t connect with.

Insomnia on the other hand is really underrated. Nolan is being filtered there but it actually really helps him in the end. Before the one-two punch of Irishman & Once Upon A Time In Hollywood...it was Pacino’s last good performance & film. Robin Williams is also FANTASTIC in that movie.

Interstellar was an amazing theatrical experience. The one time I watched it at home I was bored. I need to revisit it. It’s been several years.

 

[BatLobster]

TDK first viewing in the theater was this really intense, edgy, uneasy experience that feels like it keeps escalating and escalating and where practically anything might happen. It's like a slow-moving car crash.

That's exactly it. The genius of the structure of that movie is that you can so easily picture a lesser version of the film ending somewhere around The Joker's capture, or maybe after the death of Rachel/birth of Two-Face. But from the interrogation scene through to the end, the movie is a total white knuckle ride in the best way. Once The Joker blows up the hospital, the movie really achieved this feeling that anything can happen and nothing is sacred. On some level you know that it's still a PG-13 blockbuster and having one of the boats blow up is probably going to be a step too far, but in the moment I remember being completely riveted and reflecting about how I'd react in that situation.

But that’s why I say Dunkirk and Dark Knight are his best. I haven’t seen Memento in a while. It’s good, it’s original, but for my taste I was always a bit annoyed by the monotone narration from Guy Pearce. And I’m afraid to rewatch it because I wonder if you edited that movie in chronological order...does it become a standard thriller with a predictable twist? Is that the gimmick? Or does it actually hold up.

I've never watched Memento in chronological order, but that's what I've heard...if you watch it in order, it does become a fairly standard thriller. But I mean, I don't think that's really a relevant argument at all. The whole point behind structuring the movie that way is to put you in Leonard's subjective POV and create an unreliable narrator, and ending at the mid-point in the chronology reveals the entire point/theme of the movie. The thing I find so cool about that movie is every time I revisit it (it's been once every few years), it's still kind of like a rediscovery. Because it's tough to keep all the details straight when you don't watch it for a while. I think it holds up as a fantastic neo-noir entry and a heck of a debut film (not counting Following).

 

[Gothamsknight]

Which do you think is best?

The dark knight. That movie, as pointed out, was such an unpredictable rollercoaster that kept coming. Everything that could happen did happen. It's a literal masterpiece (for me). His second best movie is The Prestige, in my opinion.


And yes I agree that Insomnia is criminally underrated. Just rewatched it last week, and I actually still prefer it over memento.

 

[Persona]

Memento, TDK, and Dunkirk are pretty easily my top Nolan tier. 2nd tier is The Prestige and Interstellar.

I feel like Interstellar would have been Tier A if it had been made after Dunkirk. Dunkirk showed a refined synergy between Nolan and Hoytema and Dunkirk is easily Nolan's leanest and most visual storytelling, trimmed free of all unnecessary exposition. It is a technical masterclass and I think there is actually a subtle but cumulative emotional and thematic subtext to the film that I felt was missing from something like 1917 (also impressive technically but its aesthetic felt more like a showy gimmick than anything). Interstellar is an ambitious space movie that is nearly great but is burdened with clunky pacing and some very inopportune exposition that is detrimental to the overall effect of the film.

Then again, maybe Interstellar getting made after Dunkirk wouldn't have changed it much, given that Tenet looks a good bit like Inception, a movie I enjoy a lot but which has no shortage of clunky pacing and exposition and tends to get hung up on its plot logistics as much as it does its imagination and themes.

 

[Persona]

Insomnia is criminally underrated too. Memento is my personal favorite of his. Dunkirk my least.

I think Insomnia is a fine enough film in a vacuum but I consider it a fairly unnecessary remake as the original was not that old and is superior... in my mind, at least.

 

[kguillou]

I really wish I could go with y’all on Dunkirk but man i left that theater feeling absolutely nothing. Im thinking part of it is because im an American and had no familiarity with the battle of Dunkirk whatsoever but as a film there was nothing to sink my teeth into, especially no characters to ground me into the film. But admittedly i think the unconventional storytelling method Nolan used was probably what jarred me and it may be one of those kind of movies i need to watch two more times to “get.”

Tbh, though, I had a similar issue with Fury Road. I’m the type of person that needs characters and character arcs to anchor me into the story.

 

[jmc]

Took a second watch of Dunkirk for me to realise it was his best work. First time around I thought it was a technical masterpiece, just from a pure craft making perspective that movie is one of the most intricately made and logistically hard movies ever created. Story didn't sell me though until I watched it a second time. I was a blubbering mess by the end of the film, lol.

 

[kguillou]

Took a second watch of Dunkirk for me to realise it was his best work. First time around I thought it was a technical masterpiece, just from a pure craft making perspective that movie is one of the most intricately made and logistically hard movies ever created. Story didn't sell me though until I watched it a second time. I was a blubbering mess by the end of the film, lol.

Maybe i need a second watch. May try it tonight. It is technically incredible, but that only took me so far.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Interstellar is still an absolutely incredible and powerful film to me. It never ceases to bring tears to my eyes

 

[Schlosser85]

I really wish I could go with y’all on Dunkirk but man i left that theater feeling absolutely nothing. Im thinking part of it is because im an American and had no familiarity with the battle of Dunkirk whatsoever but as a film there was nothing to sink my teeth into, especially no characters to ground me into the film. But admittedly i think the unconventional storytelling method Nolan used was probably what jarred me and it may be one of those kind of movies i need to watch two more times to “get.”

Tbh, though, I had a similar issue with Fury Road. I’m the type of person that needs characters and character arcs to anchor me into the story.

Exactly my feelings. As a WWII buff, I am familiar with the Dunkirk evacuation and between that and being a Nolan fan, I was excited to see it being given central focus in a big Hollywood movie given it hasn't gotten much attention besides being briefly touched on in Atonement, but like you said, I left the theater feeling nothing.

I didn't feel that way about Fury Road though. For me, Furiosa and Max are more substantive protagonists than anyone in Dunkirk.

 

[jmc]

Dunkirk is not really about anyone though.

 

[jmc]

Nolan is a master at wrapping up his films, but Dunkirk's ending is his best IMO.

 

[kguillou]

I'm genuinely shocked that American audiences took to Dunkirk so well. I would've bet most of US moviegoers would've walked out shrugging their shoulders but it did very well at the BO. lol