Christopher Nolan Movies: Where to Start If You've Never Seen One
In short: Start with The Dark Knight if you like action, Inception if you like puzzles, or The Prestige if you like twists. Save Memento, Tenet and Oppenheimer for after you're hooked. His newest, The Odyssey (July 2026), with Matt Damon as Odysseus, is his biggest hit yet at about $1.75 billion worldwide.
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- For action: The Dark Knight (2008). Batman against Heath Ledger's Joker, more crime thriller than superhero film.
- For puzzles: Inception (2010). A team enters dreams to plant an idea; the rules are laid out clearly.
- For twists: The Prestige (2006). Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians.
- For emotion: Interstellar (2014). A father leaves Earth to save humanity, and his children.
- For spectacle: The Odyssey (2026), in IMAX if you can.
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- Memento (2000): told backwards; brilliant but demanding.
- Tenet (2020): time running in reverse, and his most confusing film.
- Oppenheimer (2023): three hours of history and moral weight. Best Picture winner.
The full filmography
- Following (1998)
- Memento (2000)
- Insomnia (2002)
- Batman Begins (2005)
- The Prestige (2006)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- Inception (2010)
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
- Interstellar (2014)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- Tenet (2020)
- Oppenheimer (2023)
- The Odyssey (2026)
The Odyssey
Nolan's adaptation of Homer, with Matt Damon as Odysseus on his long voyage home after the Trojan War, opened on July 17, 2026. It drew strong reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes, an "A" CinemaScore), Nolan's biggest opening weekend, and became his highest-grossing film, passing The Dark Knight Rises.
Frequently asked questions
Which Nolan film won Best Picture? Oppenheimer (2023), which won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, his first.
How did The Odyssey do? Released July 17, 2026, it opened to about $124 million in the US, scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and passed $1.7 billion worldwide, making it Nolan's highest-grossing film.
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