Why Do Christopher Nolan Movies Feel Different

Christopher Nolan is one of the most celebrated directors, but he stands as a remarkable outlier. So how does he, evoke admiration, occasional perplexity, and above all, pure wonder?

A video essay on Christopher Nolan
Produced by Josh Yang
Written by Benjamin Piñeros
Narrated by Caitie McCollow
Edited by Dushyant Singh

#christophernolan

[friendly-bq]

Thank you Mr Nolan for everything you have given to movie history and to us, audiences around the world. Cinema is not understood in the 21 st century without Christopher Nolan movies. There are not enough awards to thank your contribution to movie making . Thank you for so much. October 21, 2023.

[_..Ankit.._]

Superb analysis!
Especially inclusion of his weaker aspects which usually gets blurred out in the light of his movie's success.

[ivanvonbewski]

Very high quality video. Nolan at the very least is an auteur. Love him or hate him you know his films when you see them.

[noahpetersen]

Great video, but I feel like it is missing out on one of the key aspects that elevate Nolan's movies to the next level: his exceptional, mind-bending plot writing. His stories are incredibly detailed, original and planned out to perfection, almost always containing at least one unexpected twist that so many movies nowadays lack. Complaints about his stories being too complex are simply a result of a lack of attention during his movies imo.

[rhetiq]

Nolan is the king of cross-cutting and slow zooms. I’m always on the edge everytime he does either

[Starlynightlight]

Interstellar WILL NEVER be beaten, EVER!

[jonofthehill]

I don't get the whole inaudible dialogue complaint. Never in theaters or at home have I had any trouble understanding Nolan's films.

[alexman]

Tenet remains one of Nolan’s best movies, endlessly questioned by people who didn’t pay enough attention to it.

The Protagonist from the very first mission we see him in, is established that he will divert from the mission for the sake of saving people. He does succeed in the main objective in the Opera, but he also takes it upon himself to save the civilians in the crowd as well.

As soon as he returns from his coma, the first thing he asks is whether his team made it out. When he hears they didn’t, he cries.

From the get go we realize he will do whatever is necessary for his missions, but that he also cares for people and will deviate from his main objective to save lives.

Nolan doesn’t have an exposition problem. Audiences have simply proven themselves to require spoon feeding information, and Tenet’s unfair backlash is a prime example.

[LT-tcny]

Within the first minute, saying most of Hollywood relies on Hollywood tent pole movies using previously established intellectual properties, and showing Batman, then calling Nolan an outlier. He directed three Batman movies. I love Nolan movies and this was a good video. Just thought that was funny.

[souravkumar]

5:30 -- Dunkirk
8:42 -- Hater gonna Hate and Lover gonna Love 😵😵

[robertmarginean]

I never understood this sound issue people have with his films.
English is not my mother tongue, but I watched Tenet and Oppenheimer in The Netherlands, without speaking a word of Dutch, so the captions didn't help whatsoever, and understood everything just fine

[alvarodiamzon]

I don't know whu but I can't help but to compare and align Nolan's movies and Hideo's video games. I got the best of two worlds honestly, both makes you feel wonder and critical about things. So glad that I get to witness these two in the same lifeline.

[brudieon]

Honestly, i don't see Nolan as a director that focuses on characters more than the plot, while i do love the plot and story he gives us, just wish he could focus on the characters more so we could actually connect with the characters. That's my opinion though

[Krwler]

This was a fantastic video. Broke down what makes Nolan great with clear examples and also showed with examples the legitimate criticisms people have with his work. Outstanding stuff. Educational, entertaining, and informative.

[MINDSPARK-ue]

_Ah yes, Christopher Nolan, the maestro behind the curtain of _*_Man of Steel_*_ not only lent his golden touch to the film’s production, but also, in his infinite wisdom, carefully curated the sonic experience, handpicking none other than Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard, and Patrick Cassidy for the score._

_Because when you're sculpting a modern-day myth, you don’t just leave the music to chance—you summon titans of sound._

_It’s as though Nolan, in his quiet omnipotence, whispered to Snyder, “Here’s how you craft the perfect Superman, and while you’re at it, let me arrange the soundtrack that will make every goosebump rise in synchronized awe.” Of course, Nolan’s selection was impeccable—as if he was gifting Snyder a symphonic roadmap that could only be read by the gods of Olympus themselves._

[DonPeppinoo]

theres movies i watched i didn't know he directed and i loved them.. when i found out it was a duh moment why i loved them

[DADDYsHomeHomeformeeeee]

At 12:10, the thing is cooper is not just any pilot he is also an engineer, skilled and knowledgeable through Math and Science also add technology, that's why he understand the deep meaning of every theoretical situation.

[jimmyispromo]

The amount of work on this video is appreciated. Thank you

[javirojeda]

The horns in Inception are actually the horns in Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien", (theme song of the movie) but played 7 times slower, as if you were hearing it from a different dream layer.

[rinaldijames]

I think a lot of people overlook that Christopher Nolan's best works were done in collaboration with his brother Jonathan Nolan.