From 'Following' to 'Inception': Ranking the Films of Christopher Nolan
An attempt at the impossible
 | Inception (2010) |
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| Just yesterday I went and watched Inception for the third time in eight days. This time I watched it in IMAX and loved it all over again. However, where to place it in this ranked order was impossible, but I just wasn't willing to place it at number one. As much as I love the film, and like The Dark Knight, stand by the A+ I gave it in my review I'm just not confident it will stand the test of time at number one when I look back at Nolan's films from this bunch. The fact I enjoyed rewatching The Prestige as much as I did weighed heavily on this decision. However, a number two placement doesn't make this film any less in my eyes. As I watched yesterday I began looking for even more clues to figure out the puzzle than those we've been discussing at length. Such as, I noticed Cobb only wears his wedding ring in the dreamworld. Unfortunately, there wasn't a good enough shot to tell if he has one on at the end or not… which basically means I need the Blu-ray to arrive sooner rather than later. | |
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 | Memento (2000) |
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| Here is Nolan's first breakout film, and in my opinion it's still his best. Ever since seeing Memento for the first time in 2000 there hasn't been a time I've watched it and been disappointed. I love the fact the "I've Done It" tattoo has baffled people and caused some to refer to it as a plot hole. I have to wonder, after watching all of Nolan's films would those same people still call it a plot hole or realize it for what it is… just one more instance of Nolan messing with your head. | |
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So there it is… I feel as if I've done the impossible and in doing so I am already doubting many of the placements… Should Inception be my number one? Will The Prestige be my number one in five years? How will I perceive Nolan's Batman films as a whole once Batman 3 comes out on July 20, 2012? I guess we'll just have to wait and see…
For now, write up your own list ranking Nolan's first seven films and share your thoughts on why.
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7- Following
6- Insomnia
5- Batman Begins
4- Memento
3- The Prestige
1- Inception – The Dark knight
Sorry, I can´t decide.
6.insomnia
5.memento
4.inception
3.batman begins
2.the prestige
1.the dark knight
i have yet to see following
mine
7- Batman begins
6-Insomnia
5- Following
4- The Prestige
3- memento
2- Inception
1- the dark Knight
I can't rank Insomnia and Following because I haven't seen them.
1. Memento
2. The Prestige- I also rewatched it and it is one of my favorites.
3. The Dark Knight-To be honest, while I still think it is a great film it isn't as good as I remember.
4. Inception- I need to see it again. I really liked it, but it does have its flaws.
5. Batman Begins
I was hoping that you would do a Nolan list when you mentioned you watched them all in the week, here is my list:
1. The Prestige – I'm glad that you have started to appreciate this. This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
2. Memento – Was really difficult to seperate this from The Prestige. Both excellent.
3. Inception – Do need to rewatch it as only seen it once, but on first viewing did not come near Prestige & Memento.
4. The Dark Knight – The action scenes here are second to none, and Ledger was incredible, but after numerous viewings I still think this film is so overhyped and overrated with a weak plot.
5. The Following – Love it.
6. Batman Begins – Very good film as a one off, but it doesn't hold up on repeat viewings.
7. Insomnia – I have only seen it once, and it was quite a few years ago, but I didn't enjoy it much and haven't found a reason to revisit it.
I saw Inception today, and I was completly blown away by it. Deffinatly Nolan's best, and just may land him a Best Picture Oscar, as well as a Best Director Oscar.
I've only seen 3 of Nolan's films, but they would rank as follows:
1: Inception
2: The Dark Knight
3: The Prestige
I haven't seen:
Following
Insomnia
Of the rest:
5) The Prestige
4) Batman Begins
3) Memento
2) Inception
1) The Dark Knight
And I want to note that I loved "The Prestige"–it's a mark of how good Christopher Nolan is that it'd appear last place on this list.
Without having seen Inception:
1. Memento
2. The Dark Knight
3. Following
4. The Prestige
5. Batman Begins
6. Insomnia
That said, I love them all.
P.S. Fantastic write-up on The Prestige, Brad.
1. The Prestige
2. The Dark Knight
3. Inception
4. Memento
5. Batman Begins
6. Following
7. Insomnia
The top five are all definitely '5 Star' movies. Inception could possibly move up or down as I've only seen it once so far.
Haven't seen Following, though it's on my list to see.
1. The Dark Knight – no flaws, other than maybe a few minutes too long.
2. The Prestige – superb acting and writing.
3. Memento – i think its a bit overrated, but Memento still is one of those movies that always leaves me with more questions than answers.
4. Batman Begins – still a great movie that people forget about because of The Dark Knight.
5. Inception – I have some problems with Nolan trying to get too complicated in this movie, something that he does much more eloquently in Memento.
6. Insomnia – nowhere near his best.
I'm not going to rank Inception because I have only seen it once, and want to see it again before I place it anywhere. I'm not as huge of a fan of Nolan as a lot of other people are, but I do think he is one of the best at manipulating story structure to help further the story, subtext, and themes. He needs to work on creating richer characters that the audience actually feels for though (and if he is going to continue making films with heavy amounts of action in it, he needs to improve on directing the action scenes. He definitely improved from The Dark Knight to Inception though). Once he does that I think he'll be among the best active directors.
6. Insomnia
5. Following
4. The Dark Knight
3. Memento (I swap The Dark Knight and Memento all the time though, because of how good Heath Ledger was)
2. Batman Begins
1. The Prestige
As of now Inception is floating somewhere in the 1-3 spot but I'll have to see it a few more times and let it sink in before I'm able to know where I rank it.
Maybe the way he writes characters and how you personally relate to them is subjective, but "needs to improve on directing the action scenes"?! Seriously?
I'd hate to say that you're in the minority on that one – how did it go that one time *you* flipped an 18-wheeler? Or built a 360-spinning hallway and shot a fight scene?
I completely agree with Cory, I think Nolan is still learning how to create a unique and exciting action sequence.
I think Inception is the best example, the main "action" scene in the film, level 4 – the snow fortress, was extremely weak and unmemorable. For someone so talented he reverts to the "show good guy shooting / cut to bad guy being shot" method quite often.
The best "action" sequence in his career is definitely the level 3 scene in Inception with JGL tumbling around in zero G. But the actual "action" in this scene was cut way to short, and I think he really squandered the potential for wow moments.
Forgot to through in my list (#'s 2-5 are all extremely close and would change on a day-to-day basis)
1 Memento
2 Batman Begins
3 The Prestige
4 The Dark Knight
5 Inception
6 Insomnia
Haven't seen Following
I have to disagree with you over Nolan's directing of action scenes. I think that Dark Knight is one of the best action movies ever made – I don't think the plot is all that strong, but the actions scenes are tremendous and more than make up for the frailties elsewhere.
As for Inception – I thought the JGL zero gravity scene was breathtaking and innovative.
Haven't seen Following or Insomnia but here are the others:
5. Batman Begins
4. The Prestige
3. Memento
Impossible to decide which is better. The Dark Knight, Inception
1. The Dark Knight
2. Batman Begins
3. The Prestige
4. Memento
5. Insomnia
6. Inception
7. Following
6. Insomnia – watched only once, didn't make me want to watch it again
5. Batman Begins – it made Bale, Nolan and Batman where they are now
4. The Prestige – masterful practice of storytelling
3. Inception – need to watch more times because how good and complex it is, but don't have the motivation because the story and characters are not emotional compelling to me.
2. Memento – it is a breakthrough of filmmaking and storytelling
1. The Dark Knight – it is such a purposeful film with amazing balance between visual effect and character development, between intellect and emotion. Heath Ledger gave his life to the character, literally.
7. Following
6. Insomnia
5. The Prestige
4. Memento
3. Batman Begins
2. The Dark Knight
1. Inception
7. Following
6. The Prestige
5. Insomnia
4. Memento
3. Batman Begins
2. Inception
1. The Dark Knight
7. Following
6. The Prestige
5. Insomnia
4. Batman Begins
3. The Dark Knight
2. Memento
1. Inception
Thats all there is to say about Memento?
7. Insomnia
6. Following
5. The Prestige
4. Memento
3. Batman Begins
2. Inception
1. The Dark Knight
Just rewatched them all this last weekend. They're all excellent at the very least.
Totally Agree with you Carson that's my order as well and I just did the same thing this last weekend as well
Brad can I ask you something. You say that memento is number one, if the last thing he remembers that his wife being killed infront of him ,then how the hell he knows that he cant keep new memories ??????????
He has a tattoo on his left hand "Remember Sammy Jenkis". Rings any bells???
I haven't seen Insomnia, but with the exception of that:
6. Batman Begins
5. Following
4. The Prestige
3. Memento
2. Inception
1. The Dark Knight
I find it really hard to rank most of his movies. They're all very good but in their own way.
I've only seen Inception once, so I feel I need to see it again to truly figure out where to put it but my personal favorite is still The Dark Knight. That'd be my number 1.
With Inception I actually felt a slight connection back to Insomnia (which I liked a lot), what with sort of the main character narrative and a similar kind of mood with the character of Cobb unfolding. I didn't feel like it was an ensemble piece like The Dark Knight.
So anyway, this is my best shot:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Inception
3. Batman Begins
4. The Prestige
5. Insomnia
6. Memento
7. Following
For the most part he gets better with every film, and I just happen to be a big fan of Batman which gives those a boost.
7. Insomnia -I agree with you all the way brad but i will say its slightly underrated when others talk about it.
6. Following- I in fact watched it from netflix back in Jan, i loved this film and loved how it was so simple yet so complex until the very end. I truly enjoy this film and love it.
5. Memento- I saw this movie at a young age (23 now) and loved what i saw then and remember telling people when Nolan was announced as director for Batman Begins that this was real good because he could make a dark Batman film all because of what i saw here.
4. Inception- I as well Brad will see it for the third time tomorrow and love this film and how it really makes you think and read between the lines. Also i love the shades of Blade Runner (one of Nolans favorite movies) how the ending leaves it up to you and its causing so many people to question everything just like Blade Runner did. This movie much better though.
3. The Dark Knight- Strange i know but this is one like yours that will most likely move. This movie showed Batman, Joker, Two-face, and everyone else perfectly and has great real (no CGI) action. The performances were top notch and the way it was shot (which reminded me of Michael Mann type film) was amazing. The line "Some men just want to watch the world burn" sums everything up perfectly
2. Batman Begins- thus is what started it all for good comic book movies taken seriously. This showed how Batman really is how he became and how he acts. But most importantly his emotions. This movie is outstanding on so many levels by ever actor(except for Holmes) action is good and the line "Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up" is something i carry with me closely to my heart. This movie always makes me feel great after i watch it. But this and Dark Knight do swap places in my heart alot.
1. The Prestige- I seriously could watch this movie every day. Brad you brought up an excellent point with the final lines in the movie, i agree all the way but I love how in the very beginning you hear Bale say "Are you watching closely?" and he says it again later. Nolan lays clues out for you as the movie goes along, you catch this more and more as you re-watch and i agree this is his most emotional film to date and almost darkest with how far these men go. Its a movie i kept in mind while watching Inception (to watch closely) but I love this film and my love grows and grows as i watch it.
(1-3 change all the time and i still need to see Inception again)
6. Insomnia- Truly great performances by both Pacino and Williams with some moody scenes. It just doesn't hold up to repeat viewings for me
5. Batman Begins- Wally Pfister is brilliant behind the camera and the first hour of the film is just fantastic. Batman's origin couldn't have been done better and i always get chills when i see that shot of Batman on top of that building accompanied by Zimmer and Howard's brilliant score. Neeson and Bale in particular are both great and intense
4. The Prestige- undervalued by many. It's a great story about obsession and self-destruction. Brilliant story structure and cinematography. The ending still hits me hard. Nolan didn't care about losing anybody in this complex story and it pays off every time I watch it.
3-Inception- Still not sure if this is better than TDK (Really need to see it again), but definitely a technical marvel. Brilliant sound design, effects, cinematography, and art direction and as far as I'm concerned, Lee Smith should walk away with the editing oscar this year. I also don't get all the comments about the film's coldness. Cob's interactions with Mall are surreal and yet also feel very tragic and the almost therapeutic arc of Leo's character is really moving and well executed. Best ensemble of the year so far and simply sheer edge-of-your-seat entertainment that also happens to be smart and thematically potent. And Hans Zimmer delivers (as always).
2- The Dark Knight- Heath Ledger is simply sublime in what is surely one the great performances in cinema. The story (while bloated) is epic and gritty and was the first comic-book film that kept me in a high state of suspense throughout. I didn't feel that all would be well in the end like with other comic book films. Another great ensemble here with Oldman also a standout. I also simply love how layered the film is, addressing very topical themes as well as drawing from numerous subjects. There is western inspiration, Shakesperean roots, and the crime drama. The action sequences are still phenomenal and the cinematography is some of my favorite of the decade; so many memorable images. Despite a few flaws (Two-Face arc and third act issues) it's just a great achievement.
1. Memento- His strangest and arguably his boldest work is still a brilliant piece of filmmaking. The film's script and direction still blow me away today and Pierce doesn't get enough credit for what is a very difficult performance. For me it was harder to follow than Inception on first viewing, but like Inception, it benefits from multiple viewings.
1. INCEPTION- This is Nolan's Magnum Opus. Everything that he has ever tried and dealt with or accomplish in film before is all encapsulated and magnified with Inception. It's a big action movie Like Dark Knight without anything from the comic book or studio world holding him back, It deals with loss and guilt in an extremely fascinating technique of layering time like Memento with out any of the things that hold back a small film and any of the small holes that Memento does have. It has the magic and old school John Huston feel that The Prestige, without focussing on the magic itself. It is a perfect film in every way and Christopher Nolan has proved himself to be a great filmmaker just like PTA did with THERE WILL BE BLOOD in his own unique way. Now they both have to go from where they are and lead the path of young filmmakers pushing themselves and the business in a new direction.
2. Memento- I consider this THE Sundance film of the decade. It is the perfect little film noir, with an interesting story telling device, and very psychologically fascinating ideas about life. It's the little movie that could, it's not perfect, but it's really cool and close to perfect.
3. The Dark Knight- Might as well call it The Godfather of super hero/comic book films. It is a bit clunky at times, but other than that it is the coolest and darkest piece of entertainment to be made in a while. So engrossing and huge and fun. It has a real heart to, you feel something vast when you watch this film, but Nolan has actually done that with every film he has made, it's just so much more impressive to do that in a batman movie. The legendary performance by Ledger doesn't hurt the Mystique of the film either.
4. The Prestige- I love the material that Nolan is trying to go after with this film. It is a lot of fun the way he he deals with magic. In every movie you can tell that he equates the characters passions very similarly as his own passion with filmmaking, like inception and there passion for dreams, and so on and so forth. Not a great movie, but pretty good film with fun performances across the board, and a great cameo by David Bowie.
5. Following- A great first film and only made for 6000 dollars. You can see the talent That Nolan possessed immediately when you watch this film. He is a master at controlling a specific type of tone and does a lot with a little in this film. A great little cracker jack film noir.
6. Batman Begins- Actually a better film than Prestige and Following, but those films are different types of accomplishments, whereas the one for Begins is completely trumped by Dark Knight, besides creating the best back story on film for any super hero ever.
7. Insomnia- He made this for very logical and smart reasons. It was a safe film for him to make after Memento and wasn't bad at all, just not that great.
Here's my ranking:
6. The Prestige
As much as I am a fan of Christopher Priest's sci-fi novels, I never was a big supporter of his side-step into the Victorian Age. It just seemed to me like the story turned out a bit of a mish-mash of pretty much unrelated matters, without any logical coherence. When Nolan was first mentioned as the one to make a film out of this source material, I was mildly curious – to me, it would've made more sense if it was one of Priest's other, more sci-fi oriented works. Still, I loved the idea of Bowie as Tesla, and the leads were also okay – but my main beef remains with the story, which simply didn't appeal to me all that much.
5. Insomnia
A remake of a great Norwegian movie, and as far as American remakes go, this one will be hard to top. However, Insomnia also marks the point at which Pacino became a carbon copy of his former greatness – as good as his performance is in this flick, it's still pretty much a rehash and re-imagining of his previous roles, like in Heat and Carlito's Way. This sentiment is only strengthened by the fact that he hasn't done anything worthwhile ever since. The same goes for Robin Williams, who was a far more threatening and believable villain in One Hour Photo.
4. Batman Begins
Rebooting the Batman franchise after those two near-or-complete disasters, Nolan sure had a task ahead of him. Putting together a golden cast – which he would reuse many times afterwards – and a great coming-of-heroism script with his brother, managed to prove a lot of sceptics wrong. As Batman remains my favorite ambiguous role model from my comic-book filled youth, he couldn't have done me a bigger favor. Also, the inspired choice of lesser-known villains – Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow – gave Batman Begins that extra edge that it needed.
3. Following
It seems that most people rank this film pretty low compared to Nolan's other films, but if you take into account his completely original screenplay, the non-professional casting and the modest self-provided budget, I think you should really give this neo-noir flick another go; I, for one, have seen it at least four times over the past years, and it never ceases to amaze me. Just because it's an early movie without any stars, nor attached to any well-known franchise, doesn't make it inferior – quite the contrary.
2. Memento
I rewatched this one just a week ago, and was surprised at the subtle scripting that went into this venture. Also, the way that Nolan managed to get the best out of his principle players – I knew Guy Pearce was a great actor from LA Confidential, but he really outdid himself here, and I always regarded Joe Pantoliano as some sort of second-rate Steve Buscemi (boy, was I wrong!) – showed, again, a lot of promise for the future. Many have tried to copy this kind of reverse storytelling, but none came even remotely close.
1. The Dark Knight
As for now, it's still my number one – since Inception premieres tomorrow around these parts. Why? Well, the mere balls Nolan showed by putting together a disassembly of one of the most loved superheroes (and villains), and giving himself quite a task to follow up the story with that dreaded third act – even without the unexpected demise of Ledger (who was indeed marvellous as The Joker) it would've been near impossible. Furthermore: beautiful city sceneries, nice little quirky details and some heartbreaking dramatic twists – what more do you need?
Am I the only one who likes Batman Begins more than The Dark Knight?
1. Inception
2. Memento
3. The Prestige
4. Batman Begins
5. The Dark Knight
6. Insomnia
I haven't seen Following but I'm sure it would fit in at 6 or 7 on the list.
No! I'm a sucker for orgin stories, but I think also think BB was just a more well rounded film. I like the dark knight, but from the very beginning I became bored with the overemphasis on it's tone (which is dark of course,) rather than a logical story with interesting characters (Joker exempt.)
I totally agree with the above. Perhaps I need to see TDK again – my wife's explanation on why TDK is **so** much better than BB (HL pulling off the "finest, most realistic portrayal of a psychopath in movie history" is pretty deep considering her training/experience lies in Psychology), not to mention comparisons to "The Crow", which we both love – but I just REALLY liked BB.
As an aside, I can understand why "Insomnia" is getting no love (it was the equivilent of Fincher's "Panic Room" or Lynch's "Dune"), but "Following"?? No, it didn't have a spinning hotel lobby, but for 6 grand, it was frickin' amazing AND, like his best films (in order, Memento, Inception, Prestige), it needs to be watched multiple times to fully comprehend.
Of those I've seen:
1. Batman Begins-Finally, a Batman movie all about Batman.
2. The Prestige-A brilliant example of good filmaking.
3. The Dark Knight-Great casting leads to great memories.
4. Inception-Mind-blowing, really good movie.
5. Insomia-Good, but not great in my opinion.
6. Memento-Sorry, I don't get it. The movie's plot is one giant black hole, none of it makes any sense.
I am going to see Inception and in preperation for this I have watched all of Nolan's films except Doodlebug. I have to agree with Brad that The Prestige gets better the second time around. I saw it in the cinema when it came out and liked it and after watching it again, knowing the ending and the prestige the film had a much bigger impact on me.
6 – Insomnia
5 – The Following
4 – Batman Begins
3 – Memento
2 – The Prestige
1 – The Dark Knight
Now No. 1, 2 and 3 is almost impossible to differientiate. They are all A+ in my book and the ranking is just for rankings sake. Depending on my mood they can change up.
I am seeing Inception later today so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up to Nolan's already fantastic track record.
FANTASTIC article, Brad.
Short of explaining in great detail that Inception was one of my most anticipated films ever, I too, last week decided to marathon all of his films (starting with Doodlebug) before my Thursday midnight IMAX screening of Inception.
1.) Inception
2.) The Dark Knight
3.) Batman Begins
4.) Memento
5.) The Prestige
6.) Following
7.) Insomnia
-.) Doodlebug
-I don't care if my social life takes a hit this month, but currently, to say that I am Inception-obsessed is a massive understatement. I'm going my fourth time tomorrow, having seen it every second day since Thursday's midnight screening.
-I didn't think The Dark Knight could be topped but in my opinion, Inception > TDK.
-Memento is a film that I've studied in depth academically during my first two years as a film major (regarding narrative structure and Cognitive Theory). I have a remarkable admiration for it and while it is a more groundbreaking and deeper film than Batman Begins, the Batman's (especially placed together) just barely edge it out on my list, probably due to the fact that BB is slightly more rewatchable.
-I felt the exact same way about The Prestige. Walking out of the theatre, I felt slightly disappointed (definitely didn't get it all). However over the years, I meant to rewatch it and never got a chance until last week's marathon. While I feel even at its conclusion, the film wraps up with various inconsistencies, it's still a multi-layered, highly enjoyable thinker.
-What Nolan did with his micro-budget on Following is astounding and was a great rookie go at what has become his famous jumbled narrative structuring.
-Meanwhile, Insomnia feels like the least bit of a Nolan film (but still has its Nolan-esque stylistic moments) and more of a vehicle for Pacino/Williams/Swank.
-Finally, Doodlebug has to be one of the most fascinating 3-minute short films I've seen.
Very interesting that you put Memento for the no. 1 spot! It's a great film though and at the moment my favorite of Nolan's.
I have yet to see Inception so I'll have to come back to actually read the article. That'll be Thursday when I finally get to go to an early screening of the film.
1. Inception
2. Batman Begins
3. The Dark Knight
4. Memento
5. The Prestige
6. Insomnia
FOLLOWING, I still did not watch but will catch it soon.
Anyhow from the Top 5 it is really really hard to Rank because all movies are great
5. The Prestige
4. Memento
3. Insomnia
2. The Dark Knight
1. Batman Begins
I've not seen Following or Inception yet. Frankly I feel that Nolan is a very good filmmaker but not particularly a great one. At least not yet. Nolan likes to play with convention, which I concede is always an interesting enterprise for a filmmaker to take, or any storyteller in any artistic medium for that matter, but in all of Nolan's work it always seem to come at the expense of his losing track of character and story, especially in the third act. Like in The Dark Knight, which I think of as his second best film and a great entertainment, is plagued with this problem in the form of a bad third act that insists on dismissing characters for the service of plot. In that movie Harvey Dent's transformation makes no logical or even emotional sense, if the Joker gives Harvey a gun and is insisting Harvey point it at his head, why does Harvey not just shoot The Joker? And why does Batman feel he has to take on the rap on the Harvey Dent murders? Would not when the truth of what happened to Harvey Dent hit the news (that he had been abducted, nearly killed and his girl friend murdered by the Joker),Gotham City's residents understand that the murders were done after the fact of Harvey's good work for the city? And I don't get how it would overturn all of the work Harvey, and Rachel Dawes, fought for. It makes no sense. They still put people who were doing illegal things into jail and getting them off the street by legal means.
1. dark knight
2. inception
3. batman begins
4. prestige
5. insomnia
6. momento
never saw following. momento, when i saw it in the theatres, was amazing. i watched it when it was released on DVD, and liked it. but i have very little intrested in seeing it again. for me it just doesn't hold up. i've actually watched insomnia more times.
and my 1-2 ranking was very hard to do. i watched inception a week ago, and haven't stopped thinking about it since. i NEED to see it again.
7. Inception
6. Insomnia
5. The Prestige
4. Batman Begins
3. Following
2. Memento
1. The Dark Knight
I think the Prestige is one of the best films from the 2000s.
I really liked The Prestige when I saw it, but I very much dislike when a movie changes genre towards its end.
I enjoy a good SciFi film, but I prefer to know when I'm watching one first. The ending of The Prestige does not fit into the storytelling realms which were established. That, on its own, is a grave error that takes away from the compelling direction of this film.
I felt the same way, although to a lesser extent, with The Dark Knight's SONAR plot device. It didn't fit with the film's mood and story; it was out of place.
However, The Prestige's scifi element was much more important and having such an important aspect of the story be so out of tune with the rest of it is a big flaw in whàt should have been a perfect movie.
6. Insomnia
5. Batman Begins
4. Inception
3. The Prestige
2. The Dark Knight
1. Memento
Insomnia is at "6" because it's been a while since I've watched it… Batman Begins is at "5" because as much as I love it, the rewatchability for me isn't as high as it is for The Dark Knight… And The Prestige is at "3" because, that movie gets better with every viewing, I notice something i did not see the first time, or the second or third time… I love that about that movie… and I always tell people when they watch, that they need to at least watch it a second time and it never fails that they like it better the second time… I still need to watch Following…
7.Insomnia
6.Following
5.Memento
4.The Prestige
3.The Dark Knight
2.Inception
1.Batman Begins
Batman Begins has been my favorite movie since seeing it in theaters, the fact that hes not batman until 50 minutes in just made it awesome. Ninjas and scarecrow helped too.
I have never seen Doodlebug or Following yet.
6. Insomnia(2002): I found it to be a bit of a weak story and a bit slow. Although it had an interesting ending
5. Memento(2000): I overall was disappointed with it although I probably should watch it again. I was extremely confused.
4. The Prestige(2006): An excellent story that I actually understood better the second time around.
3. The Dark Knight(2008): Yes I know I am one of the few but I was honestly extremely hyped for this movie. I was a bit let down. Heath Ledger was well we all know. Perfect but the film gets lengthy, too much happened in the story, and it's just not easy to watch over and over again and I found the ending to be a little weak and disappointing. Look forward to the 3rd one.
2. Inception(2010): To praise this more would be overkill. Best film of 2010 so far. Great story and superbly directed and great storytelling.
1. Batman Begins(2005): I was 12 when I saw this. And the movie still thrills me and as Ive gotten older I've began to have a better understanding of it. And I find it to be my favorite of his films and the best superhero movie ever made. I can watch it over and over again. I loved the ending and it's not crammed with too much story and is much easier to watch and not as dragged as The Dark Knight. Agree or disagree I know I am one of the few.
I have yet to see the Prestige but I can't wait to rent it. Memento was incredible – but I have to say that 'zero gravity' fight seen and all the layering and timing involved in the last 45 minutes of the movie – that right there puts it above Memento for me. That was genius if I ever saw it.
1. Inception
2. The Dark Knight
3. Memento
4. Batman Begins
5. Insomnia
6. Following
7. The Prestige
Have yet to see:
Insomnia, Following
5.Batman Begins
4.Insomnia
3.The Dark Knight
2.Inception
1.Memento
Back from Inception and new list.
7 – Insomnia
6 – The Following
5 – Batman Begins
4 – Memento
3 – The Prestige
2 – The Dark Knight
1 – Inception
1. Memento
2. The Dark Knight
3. Inception
4. Insomnia
5. Following
6. The Prestige
7. Batman Begins
1:Insomnia
2:Momento
1:Insomnia
2:Momento
3:The prestige
4:Inception
5:The Dark Knight
6:Batman Begins
I found insomnia to be the warmest and most emotionally satisfying of Nolan's films. His other films are often more clever and less linear but in movies like inception and the prestige the improbabilities and paradoxes, whilst interesting and thought provoking, ultimately disengage me from the film watching experience. perhaps thast the intention but I like to buy into the world that has been created.
1.The Dark Knight
2.Batman Begins
3.Inception
4.Memento
5.The Prestige
6.Following
7.Insomnia
I love them all!
Just saw Inception last night (it only just came out in Australia)
and:
1) Inception
2) The Prestige
3) The Dark Knight
4) Batman Begins
5) Memento
6) Insomnia
However, all of these, with the possible exception of Insomnia, are Five Star films. The Prestige is probably to most underrated, though.
Inception was so awesome. I dreamt all night about the movie and woke up with a headache. I feel like Christopher Nolan just came all over my brain stem.
I haven't seen Following, but yesterday I finally saw Inception.
6. Imsomnia
5. Batman Begins
4. Memento
3. The Prestige
2. The Dark Knight
1. Inception
I'm going to see Inception in IMAX next week so I may change my mind from now on.
Here's my list
1. The Dark Knight
2. Inception
3. The Prestige
4. Memento
5. Batman Begins
6. Insomnia
7. Following
I haven't seen following, so my list is as follows:
6. Prestige
5. Insomnia
4. Batman Begins
3. Memento
2. Inception
1. The Dark Knight
Like ranking Pixar films, even the last one on the list is still great
1. Inception
2. Memento
3. The Dark Knight
4. The Prestige
5. Batman Begins
6. Insomnia
7. Following
I haven't seen Following or Inception yet, and saw Insomnia just today.
5. Insomnia 7/10: A great movie with awesome cinematography, but it misses the impact that has any other film of this genious (IMO).
4. Batman Begins 7/10: I have to see it again, but it looks not so amazing for me. A great first install on the story of Batman, but it lacks of the interesting point for me.
3. The Dark Knight 10/10: Perfection all way through. One of the greatest thriller ever created.
And my 2 favorites, because his mindblowing scripts, twists and turns, and both in my top 10 of the 00's decade.
2. Memento 10/10
1. The Prestige 10/10: I love this movie more than the rest, because it has my favourite character of his filmography: Alfred Borden. And it has the emotional punch that I feel lost on the other movies. (Anyway those movies didn't need the emotional points, because are great as they are. It's just that The Prestige has it all. It's gold for me, and the fact that everytime I watch it is like the first time, it's something that no-other movie can give me)
IMO, Nolan is one of the best film-makers working today, and I'm so excited to see his last film. I hope it comes soon to my country (CHILE).
Greetings from Chile by the way!.
This is a hard list for me.
1. Inception (The magnum opus)
2. Memento/The Dark Knight (Don't make me choose because I can't)
4. The Prestige (The most underrated of his films. It's a mini-masterpiece)
5. Batman Begins (Still fantastic, even as it's sibling overshadows it.)
6. Insomnia (One of the last, great Pacino performances.)
7. Following
In all honesty, Inception, Memento, and The Dark Knight are pretty much 1a, 1b, and 1c. Since the release of Inception (which I've seen twice and need just one more viewing), I've gone back and watched both The Dark Knight and Memento twice and depending on the day, I go back and forth between which one I think it's Nolan's best film.
Again, this is just a hard list to make at the very top.
The Dark knight is 1St place for me, te rest i cant decide but they all great.
Christopher nolan is one of the best directors
1) Memento
2) Inception
3) The Dark Knight
4) The Prestige
5) Batman Begins
6) Insomnia
7) Following
1)Momento
2)Dark Knight
3)Inception
4)Prestige
5)Following
6)Batman Begins
7)Insomnia
I've seen Following and Inception one time, but for now that's my ranking:
1) The Dark Knight
this movie is so close to perfection, everything from directing to soundtrack is such intense and professional. One of the few masterpieces in modern times.
2) Memento
revolutionary, brilliant, amazing. this is Nolan's personal Pulp Fiction
3) Inception
It's a mess right after 2nd position, but the sci-fi labirynth created by Nolan is something I haven't seen for years
4) Batman Begins
it's above The Prestige just because it's the perfect origin/prequel/franchise-beginner ever seen.
5) The Prestige
it deserves a higher position, but with all this great movies decision is so tough
6) Following
one of the best debuts i've seen
7) Insomnia
Good film, too bad Chris couldn't cooperate writing the script.
Note: I have not seen The Prestige.
6. Batman Begins
5. Insomnia
4. Following
3. Inception
2. The Dark Knight
1. Memento
7. The Prestige
6. Following
5. Insomnia
4. Batman Begins
3. The Dark Knight
2. Inception
1. Memento
I know this is heresy to most, but I actually preferred Insomnia over Memento. Additionally, I'd have to say TDK is by far Nolan's magnum opus, with Inception as a close second
7. Insomnia (8/10)
6. Following (7/10)
5. Memento (9/10)
4. The Dark Knight (10/10)
3. Inception (10/10)
2. The Prestige (8/10)
1. Batman Begins (9/10)