With Dunkirk now in theaters, Christopher Nolan has 10 motion pictures under his belt. I think it’s safe to say that he’s become one of those big directors who’s name excites you when attached to a project. It’s no question that his new release are huge events for audiences across the globe. Nolan has an unbelievably loyal fan base and his dedication to visual and cinematic storytelling always draws massive crowds into the theatre. 

     However, with all the fame and hype surrounding him, I think it’s easy to forget the trend it seems he’s taken through the rise in his career. If you look at his earlier films like Memento and Insomnia, they are drastically different from what he puts out today. The only main through line I can see is he always likes giving us an unexpected twist to his stories. Memento is a neo-noir told in reverse order, The Dark Knight is a crime drama with a superhero in it, and Dunkirk is a war drama presented in 3 different timelines. Besides that constant, I don’t think his later films really harken back to his earlier work. 

     What I think hasn’t been talked about too much is how Nolan took a major turn in his career with Inception. Some people may think that this is where he truly solidified himself as one of the greats. For me, I think it was the start of a new phase of his work that isn’t as good as before. Don’t get me wrong, Nolan is unbelievably talented and I’m always just as excited as everyone else for his new movies. He’s clearly one of the best directors of the modern era. Unfortunately, after Inception, I’ve found myself slightly disappointed with all of his new endeavors. 

     Now.. what do I think changed? While I defend Inception and really like the movie, I think it has clear signs of Nolan kind of letting the praise get to him in a way. I think for lack of a better term, he got too “into himself. ” Some of the stuff in that movie is ridiculous. Stuff like a dream within a dream within a dream and falling into unconstructed dream space. Regardless, I’m able to forgive most of it and enjoy the film. 

     Those earlier signs in Inception stuck out like a sore thumb to me in Interstellar and Dunkirk. Interstellar’s last act is a mess and makes no sense. There’s a lot of weak dialogue too that seems like its there just to sound important. The trailers for that film are probably in my top of all time and that made it one of the most disappointing theatre experiences I’ve ever had. Nolan didn’t’t seem too care about the story as much as simply creating some visually stunning images. 

     Then, with Dunkirk I know I’m in the minority but I think he did a similar thing. It’s a movie that’s all about the visuals as opposed to the story. I do think he achieved what he wanted in Dunkirk. Try to put the audience in the chaos of war. However, when you can’t attach yourself to any of the characters or feel like you got a clear story arc, it could turn some people away. I think that he’s now established himself as a much more experiential filmmaker. His movies are made for the big screen and it seems like recently, Nolan is a little more flash than substance for me. He puts the theatrics over the strength of the story. One’s not better than the other but story is personally where I focus first.

     Again, Christopher Nolan is still a name that gets me very excited and I’m looking forward to seeing where he goes from here. Whether you agree or not, let’s hope he has many more years to show us what he’s got.