Why Nolan is now top dog for me

Since an early age watching movies, there’s been one guy way above the rest who I never thought would be topped at bringing immersive stories to the screen that I enjoy re-watching time and again. Steven Spielberg captures emotional stories and cutting edge blockbuster effects like no other. I have fond memories of my young dinosaur-enthusiast mind being blown when first watching Jurassic Park at the cinema in ’93. I still think to this day E.T is the best overall family film that exists, and I love aspects of his more current pictures like the storytelling of Catch Me If You Can, the emotional weight of A.I and the use of huge visual effects in War Of The Worlds. Of course the iconic soundtrack themes of these movies provided by John Williams cannot be overlooked for making the magic seem that much more magnificent. As inspiring as these, and other (Raiders, Private Ryan, Last Crusade, Duel, Munich) movies are to me though, when you make as many films as Steven does, they’re not going to be as good as the high bar you have set for yourself, and therefore I don’t eagerly await every Spielberg release, not knowing if it will be another classic or just a decent picture. No, the director that fits this bill has made a lot less movies at this time but so far, none that I wouldn’t consider a masterpiece of its genre.

The first Christopher Nolan feature film I saw was Insomnia (released in 2002). I remember thinking it was a surprisingly gripping thriller that brought new life to the tried-and-tested formula of a murder mystery by incorporating the effects of lack of sleep and getting the best from a Robin Williams. I then saw Memento and what struck me about that film was just how clever the movie was. How original the idea of a story effectively played backwards could be, and how easy it must be to get something like that wrong. But it didn’t go wrong, the backwards narrative, use of black and white and gradual understanding of plot to make you feel like Leonard yourself – all worked wonderfully. I’m not sure at this point if I new these films were directed by the same man, but I loved them both.

Next, Batman Begins came out. I was looking forward to this re-imaging of the Batman world like many, and wasn’t disappointed. Well, I didn’t love this movie like the last two (I wasn’t a fan of the main scarecrow villain mainly) but it was certainly above average for a superhero film. The Prestige was released soon after and I remember not being overly keen on the sound of this one due to the 19th century setting but once seeing the finished feature, I had new favourite mystery thriller to add to the list. The way this story unfolds is so good. At first it feels like your average old-time magician picture but towards the end you start working out the intricate plot and Nolan’s magic mind becomes apparent again.

In summer ’08 The Dark Knight was released and I booked my tickets to see it at the London IMAX. That opening scene of the Heat-like bank heist was more immersive than anything I’d watched at the cinema for years. In fact I came out of that screening with the feeling that the whole film was the most enjoyable I’d had in front of the big screen in years. I don’t need to go into much more detail about this one as although it was a little long for some, I think most regard this as the best comic book superhero movie out there. I reckon about 20% of its takings were Heath Ledger fans wanting to watch his last good movie but whatever the reason, the film made over a billion dollars so it’s safe to say it was a hit.

I rented Following only last year and was again impressed by the mystical characters and interesting filming of a young Nolan’s first feature. At this point I had already decided he was my favourite film maker working in Hollywood today. And that was before Inception came out.

I’ll put this out there now – I’m not a fan of film trailers. These days I feel they often spoil movies by giving too much away so try to avoid them if I have already decided to watch the picture. There was no getting away from Inception’s advertising campaign last year though, and although I would have gone to see film anyway, that trailer was the first in a long time to make me want to see the movie right now!. And for once, the full movie totally lived up to the trailer.

I don’t think I can write a review to justify just how good I think Inception is. It’s so clever, so original, well paced for a film that long, with a phenomenally powerful soundtrack & visuals and set pieces so stunning that it borders on the perfect film of its genre. And potentially the best thing about the movie is it’s mega-success might mean Hollywood financing some more smart blockbusters in the future. I need to watch a few more times before I decide how it racks up to the greats but if your reading this now and still haven’t seen it yet – GO DO IT.

So as much as I love Scorsese‘s gritty adult films, Michael Mann‘s crime thrillers, Tarrantino‘s excellent dialogue and character development, Jame’s Cameron‘s mastery of the action set piece and Spielberg’s gold touch to the family film, there is only one film maker right now that makes me crave every new release and just know I’m not going to be disappointed. I truly don’t believe he has it in him to make a “bad” movie no matter what genre or topic he decides to film. I’m sure he could make a musical or western interesting to me. I think the secret to his consistency of great films is just how smart he is. A lot of people would have screwed up Memento or Inception if they tried to tell the same story. Chris understands it all. And I don’t even care if this makes me sound like a fanboy. I just hope he sticks around to bless the movie industry for many more years to come.

Images: Equire