Many of us even without knowing who Christopher Nolan is we are fans of many of his masterpiece movies, after watching each one of them I cant denied just hammering my head with ideas of how things really went down and getting to those AJA moments, there is just something about his style of directing that makes you wanting more about the movie, there are certain aspects of the movies he has directed too that makes everything special about them, makes you want to fully decipher the plot and themes that each one of them might touch. Today I wanted to try something different and look at some of my favorite Nolan’s movies and probably the most challenging projects from this master mind director, I'm talkin about Inception, Interstellar and Tenet.
From the start we might have to mention how Nolan is unique because he can combine "big budget" effects and thought provoking concepts and motifs. He’s been referred to as an "emotional mathematician" by Guillermo Del Toro and one cannot help but see why his movies contain a lot of mathematics and time bending. From the themes of time and memory in ‘Inception’, the search for a new home for mankind in ‘Interstellar’ or the temporal twists of ‘Tenet’, you can always find there is more to consider beyond the screen once the film has ended.
All three films are characterized by multiple plots and subplots which require the viewer’s close attention. In Inception, we get to know Cobb and his team that take a task of implanting an idea in someone’s mind, and all this in a dream world within dream world that has become characteristic of Nolan. In Interstellar, we get to meet Cooper, a former pilot of NASA who goes through a wormhole, in a search of new planet which can sustain life. Tenet, on the other hand, revolves around the “Protagonist” and his journey in a world where time is shifting and changing or perhaps the other way round, this was the hardest movie to analyze for me and I'm not 200% very sure of this. Every single movie needs careful viewings and interpretations but at the same time they are all quite easy to follow, that is the power of Nolan’s narrative.
Another remarkable feature that can be identified at Nolan’s movies is the aspect of time manipulation. In Inception, there is the structure where time elapses in different rates at different levels of dreaming. In Interstellar, time dilation is describe in the sense where Cooper and his crew age slower than the people back on Earth. In Tenet, we get the idea of “temporal inversion” where objects literally go back in time. Each film is different they all revolve around the concept of time and how it influences the viewer’s understanding of the reality.
In order to better understand this theme, you would have to look into the realm of physics and philosophy, Nolan’s obsession with time and space in Interstellar where he incorporates wormholes and black holes, this last two universe freaks are able to bend space and time and Nolan employs their use to describe time dilation as it becomes the number one enemy to Cooper. In the theory of relativity, time is relative and may be influenced by such factors as gravity and motion, not trying to be the smart guy on the room just thinking a bit about how the movie works and Googling what ever I have questions about. In Interstellar this theory is apply when Cooper and his crew age differently depending on the rate of time on their spaceship as compared to that on Earth, this concept of time dilation is questionable regarding the reality and the perception of time.
As for the concept of temporal or time inversion in Tenet, Nolan also goes further by developing this idea, contrary to the space, the objects in the film can travel back in time and the main character has to act to stop the catastrophe involving the whole world. This concept creates many issues on the idea of causation and time and reality, if objects can travel backward in time, then it means that the past is unchangeable or can be altered?. At this point my brain already exploded if all this concepts could be introduce in a single Nolan masterpiece, if like he becomes Thanos and each of his movies is one of the stones.
Another thing that is peculiar to Nolan’s films is the inclusion of the cast into the main story, very little side stories, they all in and no one is left behind. In Inception, the “team” consist of Cobb, Arthur, Ariadne, Eames and Saito, all of whom have different personality and abilities. In Interstellar, we have Cooper, Murph, and the others who are part of the crew, doing what is expected of them. In Tenet, we have the “Protagonist” and his allies who are against time to stop a disaster from happening worldwide. Every cast provides the chemistry and friendship that makes it quite simple to care about the characters of the movie.
All three films visuals are striking to look at, a fact which speaks a lot about Nolan’s preference for practical effects. One of the best scenes is the fight in the hotel that occurs in zero gravity in Inception. Wormhole sequences in the ‘Interstellar’ are splendid, they give you the real feel of space, which is rather inspiring and horrifying at the same time, seen Garngatua in the far away. But what’s remarkable is that the action set pieces in Tenet are some of the most exciting that you are ever likely to come across, especially the airport sequence which has to be one of the most suspenseful scenes ever filmed.
The true uniqueness of Nolan is the approach to the special effects. In Inception, there is the scene of the hall in the hotel where there was a fight between Cobb and Arthur in conditions of weightlessness. In Interstellar the audiences are able to see the beauty of the tesseract, a five dimensional object that is almost beyond the imagination. Similarly in Tenet, we get a series of action scenes that will literally make you doubt the fundamental laws of physics, both films go to the extreme of possibilities on screen but the technology used does not overpower the narrative so it doesn't become all show and no go, besides some of this effects are mind blowing how they are created just using three dimensional painting effects to create depth in a room.
Perhaps one of the most dominant themes that are present in all three of the movies is the concept of reality and how people see it. In Inception, we are put in a position where we have to distinguish between reality and fantasy, in Interstellar where we get to realize the vastness of the universe and how small our existence is in it, but in Tenet, we are shown a world where time is not stagnant and is in the process of transformation.
All in all, it can be stated that the films of Christopher Nolan are a perfect example of how a movie can enlighten and challenge a viewer. Inception, Interstellar and Tenet are three of Nolan’s movies that best demonstrate the director’s peculiar approach to work and his capability to combine philosophical message with epic visuals. Whether you are a fan of his films or have just recently decided to watch his films, it is impossible to argue about the fact that Christopher Nolan has significantly influenced the cinema and this are only a few examples of his filmography
