Christopher Nolan is a British and American filmmaker known for his blockbusters and complex storytelling. He is one of the leading filmmakers of the 21st century. Nolan’s accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two British Academy Film Awards. From a period piece about magicians to space travel, these are the six best Christopher Nolan movies you need to watch now.
6. Oppenheimer (2023)

Sixth on our list of best Christopher Nolan movies is Oppenheimer, a dramatization of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film takes us through the physicist’s life and how Oppenheimer greatly influenced the development of the atomic bomb, helping end World War II. Viewers get a glimpse into his university days to post-WW2, where the true cost of the bomb’s creation weighs heavy on Oppenheimer’s conscience.
–IMDb score: 8.3
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5. Memento (2000)

Next up for the best Christopher Nolan movies is Memento, a mind-bending film that dives into memory and the need to avenge a loved one. Leonard Shelby is an ex-insurance investigator who suffers from anterograde amnesia and is unable to create new memories. As she attempts to find the murderer of his wife with notes and tattoos, the film is told in two directions: forward and backward in time, each revealing what happened to Shelby’s wife.
–IMDb score: 8.4
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4. The Prestige (2006)

Need a little magic in your life? Check out our fourth selection of the best Christopher Nolan movies, The Prestige. Set in London during the 1800s, two rival magicians try to outperform each other by reading the competition’s diaries filled with magic tricks and personal details. As each magician dives deeper into the diaries, they become obsessed with their rival’s greatest trick. While they may look the same to the audience, neither magician can figure out how the other does it.
–IMDb score: 8.5
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3. Interstellar (2014)

Dive into the world of space travel, new planets, and the fragility of time with Interstellar. Third on our list of best Christopher Nolan movies, Earth has become uninhabitable with devastating sandstorms destroying crops. NASA asks former pilot Cooper to go on a daring mission into a wormhole to find a new home alongside a crew of scientists. Cooper must decide to stay with his children or risk never seeing them again to save the human race.
–IMDb score: 8.7
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2. Inception (2010)

One of the top two best Christopher Nolan movies is Inception, a truly mind-bending film from start to finish. Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, but instead of stealing items, he steals secrets from someone’s mind while dreaming. Earning a reputation, Cobb is both a coveted player in the game and an international fugitive. One last job may give him back his life, but a dangerous enemy is on Cobb’s heels, predicting his every move as he tries to pull off the perfect heist.
–IMDb score: 8.8
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)

Last but not least, the best Christopher Nolan movies list ends with The Dark Knight, the second installment of Nolan’s Batman. Set a year after Batman Begins, Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and District Attorney Harvey Dent begin to round up the criminals plaguing Gotham City. However, a new mastermind hides in the shadows, known only as “The Joker,” and creates a wave of chaos. It will take everything Batman has to stop him and bring peace back to Gotham.
–IMDb score: 9.0
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