Christopher Nolan movies ranked, from Following to The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan movies ranked here include all 13 features he has directed, from the 1998 micro-budget Following to The Odyssey in 2026. Christopher Nolan movies ranked this way are judged on one basis: how well each film's central idea and its craft hold together, with awards and audience response as supporting evidence.
Nolan's career runs from a black-and-white indie to the first film shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Even his weakest film is ambitious, so the bottom of this list is still worth watching.
The top tier: 1 to 4
These are the films where idea and execution match perfectly.
- 1. The Dark Knight (2008): the highest-grossing film of its year and over $1 billion worldwide. It turned a superhero story into a crime epic about chaos and order.
- 2. Oppenheimer (2023): the film that won Nolan the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. A three-hour biography that plays like a thriller.
- 3. Memento (2000): two timelines, one in colour running backwards and one in black and white running forwards, meet at the end. Oscar-nominated for its screenplay and editing, it remains his tightest puzzle.
- 4. The Prestige (2006): a rivalry between magicians, told like a magic trick. The twin and clone reveals are planted from the first scene.
Strong and ambitious: 5 to 8
Big swings that mostly land.
- 5. Inception (2010): the clearest example of Nolan's mix of spectacle and structure, and still his most imitated film.
- 6. The Odyssey (2026): his take on Homer, with Matt Damon as Odysseus, opened to about $264 million worldwide and strong reviews. It is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Its place may rise as it settles.
- 7. Interstellar (2014): emotionally his biggest film, winning the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. The science and the sentiment do not always mesh.
- 8. Dunkirk (2017): a lean war film told across three timelines of different lengths. Its craft is extraordinary, though its characters are kept deliberately thin.
The middle: 9 to 11
Well made, but with more friction between idea and result.
- 9. Batman Begins (2005): rebuilt the Batman films from scratch and set up everything The Dark Knight achieved.
- 10. The Dark Knight Rises (2012): a huge, sincere finale that also passed $1 billion, though it strains under its plot.
- 11. Insomnia (2002): his only remake and his most conventional film, a solid detective story that shows his control of actors.
The bottom: 12 and 13
Interesting rather than essential.
- 12. Tenet (2020): his most extreme concept, with time running both ways. Rewarding on repeat, but its puzzle overwhelms its people.
- 13. Following (1998): his debut, made on a tiny budget. It is rough, but the non-linear structure and obsession with deception are already there.
Christopher Nolan movies ranked: what the order shows
Nolan is at his best when a structural trick serves a human story, as in Memento, The Prestige and Oppenheimer. When the concept leads, as in Tenet, the results are impressive but colder. Across 13 films, his habits are consistent: fractured timelines, practical effects and characters defined by obsession.
The Odyssey's launch also shows where Nolan stands now. Its global opening of about $264 million beat Oppenheimer's and was his best since The Dark Knight Rises, with strong reviews and an A CinemaScore reported by the Associated Press. It was budgeted at around $250 million.
Questions people ask
What is Christopher Nolan's best movie?
On this ranking, The Dark Knight, followed closely by Oppenheimer, which won him Best Picture and Best Director.
How many movies has Christopher Nolan directed?
Thirteen features, from Following in 1998 to The Odyssey in 2026.
How is this list ranked?
By how well each film's central idea and its craft work together, with awards and box office as supporting evidence.
What is Christopher Nolan's newest movie?
The Odyssey (2026), an adaptation of Homer's poem starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, shot entirely on IMAX cameras.