“Every film should have its own world, a logic and feel to it that expands beyond the exact image that the audience is seeing,” Christopher Nolan once said, an approach to directing that’s established him as the master of immersive cinema. Whether it’s the gritty urban landscapes of Gotham City, the overseas battlefields of the Second World War or the vast expanses of outer space, the two-time Oscar winner can draw audiences in like no other. And this week he’s bringing Ancient Greece to the multiplexes for a typically audacious adaptation of Homer’s literary epic The Odyssey. To celebrate, here are his past cinematic adventures ranked from worst to best.
12. Tenet (2020)
Nolan attempted to put a time-inverting spin on James Bond in ‘Tenet’ (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros)
Positioned as the saviour of Hollywood in the summer of 2020, Tenet was the first tentpole release to hit cinemas once the early lockdown restrictions were lifted. But many of those who flocked to its socially distant screenings were left wishing they’d stayed at home baking sourdough instead. Leaning into his worst impulses – metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, wafer-thin characterisation, painfully humourless dialogue – Nolan’s attempt to put a time-inverting spin on James Bond was an impenetrable slog that suggested he’d been blinded by his own hype. Tenet sure looks cool, but it’s all style and no substance.
