Christopher Nolan’s movies have baffled us and evaded the human psychological mind for thousands of years (even though the director has only been alive for 55 of them). From his mind-bending twisters to a love for non-linear storytelling, Nolan’s movies aren’t just movies; they are the Rubik’s Cube of cinema.

So, being the brilliant people that we are, we decided to give all the Christopher Nolan movies an “unscientific” ranking. This ranking will be based on how difficult a movie was to understand and how Nolan’s brain needs some guilty pleasures from day-to-day (the director admitted that he watches The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for his guilty pleasure).

12. Following (1998)

Wait. There are 12 movies by Christopher Nolan? This is going to be a long read, innit? I’ll try to make it entertaining for you. Starting with his first feature film (that wasn’t released in theaters), Following is a 1998 film made by Nolan as his debut movie.

Much like his every other movie, it featured a non-linear narrative and black-and-white scenes. The only difference is that Following was made with a very tight budget, but it was a peek into the mind of a director who would go on to become one of the greatest in Hollywood.

11. Insomnia (2002)

A remake of another iconic movie, Insomnia feels like the least of Nolan's movies. Of course, you have the famous stars and a theme of guilt attached to the core storyline. But the guilt leads to insomnia, and I got called out on that one.

Although it received great reviews and ratings, Insomnia lacked the science that Nolan is most famous for. Considering that this film was a part of his earlier works, it’s a mutual understanding between Nolan and the audience to… “Let him cook”.

10. Tenet (2020)

What even was that movie? By reversing entropy, objects can move backwards in time. Although the core science is simple to understand, the technology’s usage in the movie is not understandable.

A bullet reversing back to the gun can kill a person? How? Of course, Tenet is often hailed as a movie where Nolan failed to connect with the audience, but it was because the film wasn’t as clear as some of Nolan’s other sci-fi heavy movies. Even Interstellar didn’t take as many tries to understand as it took for Tenet. Bonus points for Nolan for not using CGI and using an actual plane to blow up an airport.

9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The one that marked the end of a trilogy. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises featured Batman against a powerful brute named Bane. There was just a slight problem. Bane was the brawn of the operation, while Talia al Ghul was the brains behind the operation. However, in creating an unfolding narrative, Nolan overarched the trajectory and created a movie so overtly convoluted that it was bogged down by the illusion of grandiosity.

The final moments of The Dark Knight Rises saw Batman carrying a bomb out of Gotham and exploding it near the sea while returning safely. Although a satisfying conclusion, it never reached the height of The Dark Knight.

8. Batman Begins (2005)

Starting with a training session with Ras al Ghul, Batman begins his journey through the myriad of Gotham City and dons the cape eventually. Being the first of his Batman series, Batman Begins was not overtly complicated. In fact, the story wasn’t complicated at all as the unfolding events revealed Scarecrow’s plan to put Gotham City in fear toxin while Ras al Ghul secretly took charge.

Being an unscientific movie that requires very little attention to watch, Batman Begins was truly the beginning of Christopher Nolan’s science-heavy career.

7. Dunkirk (2017)

Although the film was a masterclass in building tension, Nolan’s complicatedness created a tone of visceral different montages stitched together in a non-linear fashion that felt more like a war montage rather than a coherent story.

Although fans consider it a triumph in technical filmmaking, Dunkirk wasn’t the best that Nolan had to offer to his fans.

6. The Prestige (2006)

Probably Nolan’s most underrated movie, The Prestige blurred the lines between magic and science as Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman constantly misdirect the audience and each other. It’s a tightly wound story that delves into feelings of obsession and rivalry. However, the non-linear storyline and themes of misdirection often left audiences in a state of senselessness, which resulted in the film being an underrated flick.

5. Oppenheimer (2023)

A three-hour biopic that featured plenty of emotions and science-backed, Oppenheimer is Nolan’s most recent flick, and the film that has earned him millions. Being a character study of J. Robert Oppenheimer and some phenomenal performance by Cillian Murphy, the film shows the consequences of unprecedented actions.

It’s not that the movie is not perfect in its own unique sense. However, Nolan has indeed created other flicks that have been better than Oppenheimer. Like… Interstellar.

4. Interstellar (2014)

One of the most polarizing films of Nolan’s career, Interstellar features a ton of science-heavy stuff, gravity, time, and the concept of love as a physical dimension. Of course, with the Gargantua and the concepts of time slippage, I consider Interstellar as my personal favorite from Nolan’s filmography.

With that being said, there were several moments that needed careful rewatch. The film relied heavily on audiences already knowing some of the scientific principles and wasn’t adequate in dialing it down for the general public. Hence, although Interstellar is one of Nolan’s best movies, it couldn’t maintain a tone of voice that could resonate with general audiences.

3. Memento (2000)

Told in a reverse-chronological order, Memento forces the audience to experience the protagonist’s memory loss while also letting the audience figure out what went wrong with who. Although it was the movie that put Nolan on the map of Hollywood, it wasn’t very science-backed and instead was more intense and action-heavy, unlike Nolan’s other flicks.

2. Inception (2010)

The movie that made people fall in love with Christopher Nolan. Inception provides a mind-bending narrative that spans several dream sequences. From the CGI to the grandiosity and limitless imagination of a dream, Inception was a flick that somehow perfectly balanced science with action.

There was just one simple problem, though. Nolan left the door too wide open. Despite being released in 2010, the film still manages to puzzle viewers even after 15 years as various theories and speculations do not give out a proper ending that fans desperately need.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

The film that remains at the top of superhero movies. The Dark Knight featured Heath Ledger’s The Joker alongside Harvey Dent’s Two-Face as Nolan went all out for a villain that people will fear for decades to come.

Despite not relying too much on the scientific side, Christopher Nolan tried his best to make the science work out in real life. The stellar performances by Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, and Aaron Eckhart created a mind-numbing, intense flick that couldn’t leave your mind for years. Even after almost two decades, fans often find themselves rewatching The Dark Knight and enjoying a time when Nolan used to make superhero movies.