CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

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I don’t like the films of Christopher Nolan. Inception made me super angry, you can hear me rant about it on my old podcast. Batman Begins was fine. The Dark Knight was also fine, but seriously overrated. The Dark Knight Rises was terrible. Boring and long. So very, very long. I gave up after that and didn’t watch any of his other films.

He clearly wants to be someone. Probably Alfred Hitchcock, mixed in with a few other auteurs whose films he idolized. But it’s a bit like an old quote I remember Frank Frazetta saying, in the long gone, but not forgotten, Hero Illustrated. You can teach someone how to paint but you can’t teach them to have anything unique or interesting to say. Nolan is the perfect example of that.

He wants to be a great filmmaker, but he doesn’t actually have any vitality. There’s no authenticity or perspective to his work. So, instead, he has focused on the mechanical aspects of the craft. Even this, his first feature, is well made. A bit cookie cutter, not terrible, enjoyably light one might say. A snack. But a very well-made snack. That’s his entire filmography, at least the ones I’ve seen.

My problem is two-fold. One, I would much rather watch vital art poorly made, than meh art executed to perfection. But the other problem is that I get really annoyed at art that wants to pretend it’s smart. Inception triggered this. The entire idea behind that film is that you walk out of the theater feeling smart, like you “got it”. And then you debate with your friends about what “it” is. But there is no it. The entire thing is stupid and resolves to nothing.

The best thing I can say about this one is that it’s inoffensive. I watched it and I wasn’t upset. I was a bit bored, but overall it was a decent experience. Definitely a student film, and one that would not likely still be talked about if it hadn’t come from Nolan, but it was fine. - Jan 24th, 2025