Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score, Including ‘The Odyssey’

Christopher Nolan has built a filmography where consistency is almost as remarkable as any individual triumph. Across three decades of filmmaking, not one of his projects has dropped below a 70 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, a run that stretches from his black and white debut to a Best Picture winner. That streak now includes ‘The Odyssey,’ which has forced a full reshuffling of where each film lands on the Tomatometer.

With early reviews for ‘The Odyssey’ now published, critics have had their say, giving longtime fans a clear picture of how Nolan’s new epic measures against the rest of his catalog. What follows is a look at where every major Nolan film currently sits, from his scrappiest early work through his newest theatrical release.

Where Nolan’s Early Films Land on the Tomatometer

Nolan’s career began far from blockbuster budgets. He made his feature debut with the ultra low budget indie ‘Following’ in 1998 before truly putting himself on the map two years later with ‘Memento,’ a revenge story told in reverse that quickly turned his fortunes and established him as a sought after talent. On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Following’ currently sits at 82 percent while ‘Memento’ holds a stronger 93 percent approval rating.

‘Insomnia’ followed in 2002, a thriller that paired Nolan with heavy hitters Al Pacino, Hilary Swank and Robin Williams. It also happened to be the first Nolan film to surpass 100 million dollars at the box office. The film currently sits at 92 percent on the Tomatometer, a number that has held steady as one of his more consistently well reviewed early efforts.

‘Batman Begins’ arrived in 2005 as a genuine risk. Nolan resurrected Bruce Wayne at a moment when the character’s big screen reputation had been badly damaged by ‘Batman and Robin,’ and the gamble paid off critically. The film sits at 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes today, a solid foundation for what was about to become the defining trilogy of Nolan’s career.

The Dark Knight Trilogy and Nolan’s Blockbuster Peak

‘The Dark Knight’ remains the film most people associate with Nolan’s critical high point. The 2008 sequel pitted Christian Bale’s Batman against a grittier, more sinister version of the Joker, played by Heath Ledger. Ledger’s performance earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the film’s blend of crime drama and spectacle helped it become the pinnacle of superhero filmmaking for years. Its current Rotten Tomatoes score of 94 percent stood as Nolan’s career high for well over a decade.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ closed out the trilogy in 2012. Tom Hardy’s brutish Bane and Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle anchored a film unafraid to break its own hero, complete with a standout opening plane sequence. It sits at 87 percent on the Tomatometer, considered by many the weakest of the three but still a strong finish to the saga.

‘Inception’ arrived two years earlier in 2010 and currently ties ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ at 87 percent. The film centers on a group of thieves who infiltrate the subconscious of their targets, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ken Watanabe filling out the cast on what was, at the time, a 160 million dollar bet on an original concept. That gamble cemented Nolan’s reputation as an auteur who could still command blockbuster resources.

Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet in Nolan’s Rotten Tomatoes Rankings

‘The Prestige’ and ‘Interstellar’ occupy the lower middle of Nolan’s ranking. ‘The Prestige’ currently sits at 76 percent while ‘Interstellar’ holds a 73 percent score, positions that surprise some fans given the films’ lasting popularity.

‘Dunkirk’ tells a different story. The 2017 war film had almost no dialogue, resulting in a far shorter script than Nolan had worked with before, yet it became a spectacle built on a true story that racked up major awards attention. It stood as a genuine tribute to the WWII evacuation’s inspirational place in British history. The film currently sits at 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Tenet’ remains the most divisive entry in Nolan’s filmography. Its 2020 release was controversial and ultimately helped sever Nolan’s working relationship with Warner Bros. It carries the distinction of being Nolan’s lowest rated film, sitting at 70 percent.

‘Oppenheimer’ followed in 2023 and remains one of Nolan’s most decorated efforts. The film explores the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, and his role in developing the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project, ultimately winning seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Nolan. It currently holds a 93 percent score, placing it just behind ‘The Dark Knight’ among Nolan’s pre ‘Odyssey’ filmography.

‘The Odyssey’ Sets a New Rotten Tomatoes Record for Nolan

For years, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Memento’ were tied as Nolan’s highest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, each locked at 94 percent. ‘The Odyssey’ has now broken that record entirely, currently sitting at 97 percent, making it the highest rated release of Nolan’s career.

Critics have responded with unusual consistency, giving the film an average rating of 8.80 out of 10 and praising everything from its action and visual scale to the emotional performances from Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway. Only a small handful of negative reviews have been logged so far, with most criticism centered on pacing given the film’s nearly three hour runtime. In its review of the film, ScreenRant called it one of the most impressive accomplishments of Nolan’s career, with the score from composer Ludwig Göransson singled out as a particular strength.

The film retells Homer’s story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he attempts a perilous journey home after the Trojan War, with Damon leading a cast that also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron. The casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy drew some controversy ahead of release, alongside criticism over historical accuracy and Greek representation, though none of it appears to have dented the film’s box office trajectory, which is projected at 85 to 100 million dollars domestically and more than 200 million dollars worldwide against a 250 million dollar budget.

‘The Odyssey’ now sits comfortably above every other title in Nolan’s filmography, a distinction that would have seemed unlikely for any film taking on material this familiar. With Nolan’s career high now attached to a Greek epic rather than a comic book adaptation or a wartime drama, it raises an obvious question for anyone who has followed his work from ‘Following’ to now, whether this retelling of ‘The Odyssey’ actually earns its place at the very top of his career.